Business experience: SMM manager

Ekaterina Pirogova, a former secretary, supply chain manager, HR manager, and now SMM manager, shares her experience.

-Ekaterina, what are the specifics of the work?SMM managerWhat do you do?

Many people think that an SMM manager's job is, so to speak, posting pictures of cats. In reality, it's far from that. The SMM specialist's job is, first and foremost, to build brand loyalty among the audience. Social media, in essence, is about emotions, which ultimately lead to purchases. The highest level of loyalty is when a customer becomes an online brand ambassador. That is, they are not only willing to buy the product, but also tell others how great it is. Achieving this kind of loyalty isn't as easy as it might seem. Hard-hitting sales haven't worked for anyone for a long time. Therefore, you have to invent, be creative, and develop a strategy. This requires creating various types of content. This could be text, an image, or something else. It's important not to overwhelm the subscriber, but also to keep them engaged. For this purpose,content plansand materials that might interest subscribers are prepared. This can involve a whole team: a copywriter, designer, SMM specialist, and targeting specialist.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

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– Why did you choose this particular professional direction?

I've long been interested in the world of online advertising—digital marketing. One of its branches is working with brands on social media, or SMM. It's one of those places where you have the closest contact with the client. Since I've always been interested in what goes on in people's heads, this probably influenced my final choice. For example, comment moderation is a treasure trove of information about people's perceptions of a product. Such "discoveries" have sometimes even influenced a brand's overall development strategy.

I also consider myself lucky to have found myself in the medical field. We don't so much sell our materials as we teach people how to live with their illnesses, improve their literacy, and, I know for a fact, provide them with a lot of useful information. I feel like I'm making a difference, and that inspires me to continue what I do.

– Tell us how it all began. Did you undergo any training before starting work?

– It all started with me simply reading marketing articles on relevant resources. At first, I wasn't sure if it was just a passing fancy or if I truly enjoyed it. I'd have glimpses of the topic before, but over time, the interest would fade. That never happened with marketing. When I realized I was serious, I started thinking about changing careers. It took me a long time to decide. With no work experience, at over 30, taking on a junior role… But I finally made the decision. I spent about three months looking for a job. And they hired me, even though I had no practical experience. I only took the courses after I got my job. It helped me systematize my existing knowledge and gain a lot of new information. I never stop learning. After all, SMM isn't just about social media. It's also about marketing, branding, design, and writing skills. There's plenty of room for improvement.

– Was there anything that was missing at the beginning of the journey?

"Experience. That was the most important thing. Second, I'd say confidence, or rather the lack thereof. But the more experience you gain, the more confidence you gain. The main thing is to keep moving forward and to develop."

– What is needed for successful work?SMM specialistWhat professional knowledge and skills are necessary for success in this profession?

"I think the most important thing is the ability to understand a brand's audience and current trends. An SMM manager needs to know what their audience likes and how to reach them. At the same time, you need to have great self-control, especially when moderating comments. Unfortunately, we often see situations where a brand is rude to a subscriber. This is unacceptable, even when responding to the most vicious troll."

Any information, even the most boring, must be conveyed in an engaging, "piquant" way. Boring posts are of no interest to anyone, and that's no way to cultivate ambassadors.

– What personal qualities help you in your professional work? What should an idealSMM managerAre there any age restrictions?

– What helps me most is perseverance, because sometimes you need to sift through a lot of material to write a short post. 

The ideal SMM manager should not only be familiar with social media but also understand marketing and brand strategies. They should be able to put themselves in the customer's shoes, understand their pain points, and how best to reach them with a specific message. They should constantly monitor competitors and spot interesting innovations from other companies. They should be prepared to work outside of regular hours, especially when it comes to moderating comments.

Regarding age... There are, of course, no restrictions. The only restrictions are the employer's. Look for someone who won't be put off by your age. I found one, and we've been working and growing together for over three years now.

Does your work leave a mark on your personality? Is professional deformation possible?

– It definitely does. When you land on a social media page, you automatically evaluate how attractive it is, whether the description is complete, whether there's a consistent visual style, how many followers it has, whether there are likes, shares, and comments, and how many of them. Any advertisement – ​​video, banner, or post – is immediately assessed for the presence of the necessary information. Is it clearly communicated, or does the potential client have to guess what it's about?

I've become much more relaxed about experimentation and uncertainty. Marketing is all about hypotheses and experiments. We can't say that if we use this image in an ad, it will sell 100 bouquets, or if we use this image, it will sell 150. No one can make such guarantees. That's why, in marketing and SMM, we often formulate hypotheses and conduct experiments to confirm or disprove theories. And we get results like, for example, that an image of a pink bouquet generated more sales than one with a mixed flower mix. Okay, so we'll use the pink bouquet.

You start to get used to uncertainty. Even though market analysis is conducted, a strategy is developed, and so on, before launching any project, this still doesn't guarantee success. For example, one company changed its juice packaging, and sales dropped. It turned out they'd replaced the image of an orange with a glass of juice. Consumers, accustomed to the large orange spot on the packaging, didn't respond to the glass. Who would have thought of that before launching a packaging campaign? That's the kind of uncertainty you'd expect.

– Does your work bring you professional satisfaction?

As I've already said, I was lucky to find work in SMM in the medical field. I'm an altruist by nature, and I enjoy helping people. So, my personality traits and the specific tasks at work coincided. I get a bonus from my work: I not only earn a living, but I also benefit people. And benefit in such a fundamental area as health. This awareness is my inner drive.

– What areas of further professional development do you see for yourself?

I'm trying to delve deeper into marketing and understand its core principles. I'm currently taking a Facebook course on data analysis. I'd also like to take at least some basic sales training. Perhaps in the future I'll finally muster up the courage and become a project manager. That's my next challenge, you could say. After all, communicating with people, convincing them of something, and being responsible for your colleagues' work is a very serious job.

– What would you advise someone who decided to master your profession to start with?

– Take some courses, but not just any ones you come across. Spend some time researching and making a choice after carefully studying and comparing options. If you can't take courses, sign up for free webinars, read relevant articles, Google any unfamiliar terms, and subscribe to all the pages recommended in analytical articles.

You can also look for a job while you're at it. Quite often, there are openings where employers are willing to hire newcomers with no experience.