If you’re here then you’re wondering what does a social media manager do and you’re likely weighing the pros and cons of hiring one for your business. Off the bat we can tell you that they’re doing far more than meets the eye as they blend storytelling, paid strategy, and analytics to drive real brand growth. If that sounds like something your business could use, and you’re considering working with a digital marketing agency in Austin, TX (oh hey, that’s us) or just wondering if your brand needs more than the occasional post, let’s break it all down.
First Things First: What Is a Social Marketing Expert?
A social marketing expert is part content marketer, part digital advertiser, part analyst, and 100% essential to any modern brand. They’re the brains behind your content strategy, paid ads, community engagement, and platform performance.
Their goal is to ensure that your business gets seen online, connects with your audience, and converts those followers into fans, whether your goals are visibility, conversions, or long-term brand authority. Think of them as your digital brand builder.
What You’ll See in a Typical Social Media Job Description
If you’re looking to hire a social media manager, this is the kind of job description you’ll want to consider to attract the right people. Titles vary (manager, strategist, specialist), but the key social marketing expert duties generally include:
- Developing content strategies tailored to brand goals and audience behavior
- Creating and publishing platform-specific content, from static posts to Reels and Stories
- Collaborating with marketing, sales, and product teams
- Building editorial calendars and scheduling tools for optimized visibility
- Responding to DMs, moderating comments, and managing online communities
- Tracking performance and adjusting strategy based on analytics
- Staying sharp on SEO, trends, platform updates, and creative best practices
- Working with copywriters, designers, and paid media specialists to deliver standout campaigns
In other words: not just “posting on Instagram,” but actively growing your digital presence and reporting on KPIs to trace ROI to your social media efforts.
What a Social Marketing Expert Really Does
Below is a breakdown of common social media manager duties that help grow your brand online with strategy, consistency, and impact.
Develop a Social Media Strategy
Great social media doesn’t start straight away in Canva, it starts with research. A savvy social marketing expert begins by understanding your business goals, audience behavior, and competitive landscape. Do you want to build brand awareness? Drive product sales? Cultivate an engaged community? That clarity shapes everything: which platforms you show up on, what kind of content you create, and how often you post. From deep-diving into audience insights and social listening to planning content around key campaigns and trends, it’s about being proactive, not reactive, and building a strategy that actually moves the needle.
Planned Content Creation
Today’s content needs to connect fast, and stick. Think branded visuals, short-form video, and storytelling captions. A top-tier content marketer knows how to spark emotion, provide value, and drive action. We also optimize every post for engagement and search (yep, social content impacts SEO too).
Need proof? Michele Locke, a judge-turned-advocate, came to us ready to grow her platform. With a strategy built around mentorship and advocacy, we launched a high-performing presence that earned her 437K+ organic impressions and 30+ podcast features in the first 4 months. Big props to our very own content marketing manager for leading the charge on that one.
Strategic Scheduling & Platform Optimization
What you post matters. But so does timing, format, and placement. A well-crafted post can underperform if it goes out at the wrong time or in the wrong format. Platform analytics can tell you what your ideal posting times are, drawing from your audiences most active and engaged hours throughout the week + every platform has their own post ratios that can alter the format and kind of content you should create.
Seeing as we're social media agency Austin pros, we know how to work with each platform’s algorithm, not against it, and we’ve got you covered on hyper-focused local strategies if that's your business's bread and butter audience. From optimized scheduling and post length to visuals that suit the platform’s flow, everything is published with intention, so your content can act as a growth funnel for your business.
Community Management & Customer Engagement
Social is about conversation and community building. From DMs to comment threads, social media marketing specialists are on the frontlines, answering questions, handling feedback, and turning everyday interactions into meaningful moments. They’re not just monitoring comments; they’re actively shaping how your audience experiences your brand. Done well, community engagement should humanize your business, build trust and strengthen customer loyalty! The space you build should also foster a two-way communication between you and your audience, giving them a platform to feel seen, heard and valued.
Platform-Specific Strategy & Execution
Not all platforms are equal. A strong Instagram marketing service understands the nuances of Reels, carousels, and Story behavior. On the same plane, a seasoned Facebook advertising agency should know how to navigate A/B testing, retargeting, and full-funnel campaign structures. Each platform comes with its own logic, user behavior, and strengths. Some are built for aesthetic storytelling, others for conversation, and connection. The thing that equalizes these platforms is that all have the power to convert if you’re using them right. These differences shape everything from creative format to ad strategy, as outlined in this breakdown of social networking platforms for business. Whether you’re leaning into video-first content or scaling across Meta, social marketing experts adjust tactics to match both the platform and the people using it. It is a LOT to take in, and it is absolutely a full-time job. So if you're struggling to do it on your own, it’s because it’s hard, and it takes a lot of time and effort (and the list goes on)...
Paid Ad Management
If you're ready to scale, you're ready for paid ads. Social marketing experts run high-performance campaigns across Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, and more, optimizing creative, refining copy, and managing cost-per-click at every turn. When The University of Texas at Austin needed to secure public funding during a legislative cycle, they turned to us to get their message in front of the right people. Our precision-targeted Meta campaign reached over 7 million users and helped push a critical funding bill across the finish line.
But paid isn’t just for public institutions or early-stage brands. Treble PR, a leading Austin tech PR firm, came to us looking to shift their perception, expanding beyond startups to capture more enterprise leads. Through smarter SEO, optimized Google Ads, and conversion-focused landing pages, we delivered over 10,000 clicks and 140 qualified conversions, while boosting first-page keyword rankings and positioning them as the go-to in tech PR. Whether you're building awareness or driving action, paid media works when it's strategic, and built to scale.
Analytics, Reporting & Optimization
The best content is backed by pages of data and social analysis. Social marketing specialists track what works (and what doesn’t), turning data into smarter strategies. From engagement rates to post-click behavior, it’s all about continual improvement and performance-driven storytelling. Tools like Meta Business Suite, Google Analytics, Sprout Social, and Later Analytics help uncover what’s resonating, so every campaign gets sharper, stronger, and more effective over time. We actually created a social post with all the vocab you’re going to need to better understand what those analytics are telling you:
When to Hire a Social Media Marketing Specialist?
If you're wondering whether it’s time to bring in help, ask yourself:
- Have we seen measurable ROI from our social efforts?
- Are we consistently posting or only when time allows?
- Why are we using social media, and what are our expectations around leveraging it?
- Have we yielded results from ads? Are they what we wanted?
- What engagement are we seeing the most (if any) and who are we engaging with?
- What data are we leaning on to support our current efforts?
- How much time do I actually have to commit to this?
Based on your answers, you can choose to continue on your own or book a quick 30 to chat with a content manager about what you would like to see with your socials. The great thing about your next steps is you get low risk high reward when it comes to using social media for your business, and it’s an exciting endeavor to engage directly with your audience!
Ready to Work Smarter on Social?
By now, you’ve got a clear picture of what a social marketing expert actually does. We’ve walked through strategy, content, ads, analytics, and platform know-how, all working together to help brands grow with intention. You’ve seen how thoughtful social media strategy isn’t about trends, it’s about showing up where your audience is, with a message that sticks and a plan that performs.
Feeling fired up? Feeling overwhelmed? Both normal reactions. Social media is fast-moving, and doing it well takes more than a few good captions. But don’t overthink it, start small. Jot down what your customers ask most. Audit your current content using the questions we had you ask yourself above. Honest answers will help you spot the gaps and pick a path to start walking down.
Shameless Plug (You’ll Want to Read This)
We're not a churn-and-burn shop. We're a boutique digital marketing agency Austin TX businesses trust because we blend creativity with clear performance goals. From instagram marketing services to organic SEO optimization and website development, we do it all. We build and execute campaigns for:
- CPG brands that need shelf and scroll presence
- Law firms seeking thought leadership and local visibility
- Startups breaking into saturated markets
- Nonprofits and public institutions looking to reach key stakeholders
- Brands of all kinds looking to grow with purpose and make a lasting impact
Not sure where you stand? We’re happy to take a quick look. No pressure, no hard sells, just helpful eyes on your content and a few honest suggestions for how to level up. Sometimes it helps to have a friend (who happens to be a digital marketer) as a sounding board for your next steps.
If you’re looking for the best social media content strategists to help your brand grow with purpose, clarity, and results, we’re ready when you are. Fill out the contact form below, or DM us on instagram @sangfroidmarketing. We’re excited to meet you!
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