Why I'm Walking Away From Social Media Management
Over the last 11 years, I have spent the bulk of my career immersed in all things social media. Some of my greatest accomplishments and accolades come from my persistence in this line of work. But after years of kicking my own ass to constantly evolve alongside social media — I’ve made a clear decision to pivot out of this role that has defined much of my career and experience.
While I do love social media and keeping up with trends, I don’t have it in me anymore to do this work and all the baggage that comes with it. The toxicity and roadblocks social media managers come up across are not worth it, especially when you put things into perspective of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shifts we’ve seen on platforms like Facebook and Twitter in the last 12 months.
When I say I’ve done it all, I mean I’ve done it all and I’ve strived to over-deliver time and time again. From developing social media strategies to social content planning to creating and building larger than life social campaigns to help brands reach new levels of engagement to paid social campaigns with budgets ranging from $500 to well over $1 million to robust influencer projects (some influencers getting $25,000 for just one single Instagram post) to art direction collaborations with incredible designers, videographers, and production editors to community-building efforts to endless copywriting while constantly protecting the brand voices and values to social execution and deep dives in analytics and insights — I’ve done it over and over again.
I’ve been lucky. I’ve touched social media for Fortune 500 companies, media conglomerates, festivals, nonprofits, tech startups, national conferences, celebrities, entrepreneurs, healthcare organizations, podcasts, retail businesses, event spaces, political campaigns, and countless agencies. Some of my clients have been ESPN, Coca-Cola, CNN, Wells Fargo, Intercontinental Hotels, Babiators, The Elf on the Shelf, and a plethora of small businesses. While I can quote endless data points about my strategies increasing engagement and click-thru rates for these companies, and I can share endless social media work I’ve done that took off and went viral — this work has always come at such a price (and I’m not talking about a decent salary).
“Being a social media manager is nothing but an uphill battle (and a battle that never seems to end).”
Ask any social media manager you know and if they’re honest, they will tell you this: Being a social media manager is nothing but an uphill battle (and a battle that never seems to end). It doesn’t matter if you work in-house for a corporation, run social for clients at an agency, or make a living as a freelance social media manager — the battles of this industry are endless.
Here’s what I’m talking about:
Social media managers rarely have a seat at the table. This is infuriating because when you are responsible for running many social platforms and have an audience of over 1.2 million — you would think that direct access to consumers would be valuable, but more times than not… Social strategists aren’t given the same professional respect for the work they do as say a Marketing or PR Manager might get. Social media is often just an afterthought, which is shameful given the reach that social has.
Social media management is often a grueling 24/7 job. You have to always be on. Whether it’s community managing a wild comment thread on Instagram at 11 pm or having to scrap your content on all channels for the day due to what's happening in the news cycle, social media managers have to be alert and ready for anything and everything at all times. True story, at one job I had, I got in trouble for not responding at 1:30 am to a Facebook message that came in. I responded at 8:30 am the next morning but according to my boss, the delay was unacceptable. Social media managers are expected to live on their laptops and phones 7 days a week, no matter what time of day.
A ton of companies want social media managers to do everything — soup to nuts. They don’t want you to just create strategies and schedule content to publish, they want you to also create the content (hello design work), film or edit videos, handle all paid ads (a very hands-on process), respond as a community manager (something that usually should be a full-time job), write all social copy, connect with influencers and manage robust influencer campaigns, and of course, collect and analyze all the data and insights. A good percentage of work that social media managers have on their plate could be divided into multiple full-time roles, but the majority of companies won't even consider that as a possibility.
Social media managers are not paid enough. The average salary for a social media manager is $51,423. Marketing managers make an average of $106,739. Most social media managers have a lot more on their plate than a marketing manager (with the same years of experience) but look at that salary discrepancy. The average social media salary is a joke when you’re expected to be on 24/7 and somehow do six full-time jobs all at once.
Social media managers are constantly undermined. They are often referred to as “interns.” Why would any company with millions of social followers turn over a social account to an intern? They wouldn’t. But the stereotype that only interns run social media has stuck and is discouraging.
Since most people have their own personal social media accounts, they are quick to consider themselves social experts. Social media managers here things like, “Well on my Facebook page, I like to do…” and “On my Instagram, I think posts that include XYZ are the best" all the time. What works on your personal account will not convert well on a brand account. Yet, when everyone feels like they are a social expert because they have a few social apps downloaded on their iPhone, social media managers — people who actually dedicate their lives to creating kick ass social content — are often undermined and told to do things that strategically make no sense for a brand account.
Online harassment and digital abuse are nothing new, but social media managers often get the brunt of it. Yes, people are shouting into the Twitterverse about a brand or a bad experience with a company but when you’re the person getting all these posts and messages day in and day out, it can take a personal toll on you. The amount of abuse that social media managers experience has only gotten worse over the last few years on platforms and there seems to be no end in sight.
Social media managers are often assumed to have easy jobs. Nothing about being a social media manager is easy. It’s fast-paced, it’s cutthroat, it’s a highly creative role that requires multitasking, hyper detail-oriented focus, and a lot of strategy and planning. The assumption that social media is a cushy role is anything but true.
I have fought this battle over and over again with nothing but the best intentions to help brands grow and thrive on the internet. All I’ve ever wanted as a social media manager was to make waves that make an impact on the social community and brand I was representing. But when everything is a battle - the burnout rate is so high. Additionally, social media managers are finding themselves up against the questions of ethics and morals when it comes to these social platforms.
I made the decision last year to step away from paid social projects because ethically, I don’t want to help Facebook make more money through robust ad campaigns. Until social media companies like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc. can uphold better ethical standards — I’ve had to question my role as a social media manager and the part I play in this madness. I’ve seen hundreds and hundreds of social media managers struggling with the same dilemma, so I know I’m not alone.
2020 was a lot. 2021 is heading full speed into being a lot, too. With the pandemic hitting in March 2020 and the out-of-control election cycle we endured, social media turned into such a landscape that seemed to do more harm than good.
After thinking long and hard and feeling burnt out by the constant struggle that comes with social media work, it was clear to me - I didn't want to be a part of work that could do more harm than good in the world. In fact, I don’t want to contribute to work that lives on platforms that can’t find their own spines to stand up and do the right things.
“All I’ve ever wanted as a social media manager was to make waves that make an impact on the social community and brand I was representing. But when everything is a battle - the burnout rate is so high. ”
I never thought I’d step away from social media as my main profession, but I know this is the right thing for me.
My decision to run from social management and strategy, for now at least, has opened the doors to work I truly feel passionate about. I realize I’m lucky though - I’ve always kept a diverse workload and portfolio, so leaving social and diving into things that mean more like content writing, copy editing, and brand strategy is something I have easily made the transition into. Sometimes giving up and walking away is the strong and best thing to do, and while I know it’s easier said than done — I hope my fellow social media managers who are struggling with the same issues can find the next step that serves them well.
While I’m hanging up my social media strategist coat for now (unless Taylor Swift wants to hire me to run her social media accounts for all their endeavors), I don't plan to throw away my personal social media presence. I’ve scaled back over the last few months on my personal accounts, but obviously — personal social accounts have little to do with what it’s like handling accounts through a social media management lens (unless you know, you’re an influencer — and I am most certainly not).
So for now, I’m walking away. I don't know if it will be forever, I don't know if I will rewrite the rules of what I will and won't do in the world of social media one day, but know one thing right now: it's time to go.