Role Blueprint: Social Media Manager
Let’s be blunt. Handing your social media to an intern or doing it yourself “when you have a spare five minutes” is no longer a strategy—it’s malpractice. In 2025, your social media channels are the frontline of your brand. It’s your personality, your customer service desk, your community hall, and a powerful sales channel all in one.
This isn’t a job for a dabbler. It requires a professional: a strategist, a creative, a copywriter, a community builder, and an analyst. A great Social Media Manager is the voice of your company, turning passive scrollers into passionate fans and loyal customers.
This blueprint will ensure you attract and onboard a top-tier Social Media Manager who can deliver real business results.
1. The Job Description (The Mission, Not Just the Tasks)
Role: Social Media Manager
Mission: To be the voice, personality, and protector of our brand across all social media platforms. Your mission is to build a vibrant, engaged, and loyal online community. You won’t just post content; you’ll spark conversations, build relationships, and execute creative campaigns that drive brand awareness, generate qualified leads, and contribute directly to our business goals.
Key Responsibilities:
Your role is a dynamic blend of creativity, community interaction, and data-driven strategy. On a day-to-day basis, you will:
- Develop & Execute Social Media Strategy: Create, manage, and execute a comprehensive social media strategy that aligns with our brand identity and marketing objectives.
- Content Creation & Curation: Ideate, create, and publish high-quality, engaging content across all platforms, with a strong focus on short-form video (Reels, TikToks, Shorts) and compelling graphics.
- Manage Content Calendar: Plan and maintain a detailed content calendar, ensuring a consistent and relevant stream of content that speaks to our audience and supports marketing campaigns.
- Community Management: Act as the primary point of contact for our online community, responding to comments, DMs, and mentions in a timely and on-brand manner.
- Paid Social Campaign Management: Plan, execute, and optimise paid advertising campaigns on platforms like Meta (Facebook/Instagram) and LinkedIn to drive specific outcomes like lead generation or sales.
- Performance Monitoring & Reporting: Track, analyse, and report on key social media metrics and KPIs, providing actionable insights to the wider marketing team on what’s working and what’s not.
- Trend & Platform Monitoring: Stay on the cutting edge of social media trends, algorithm changes, and new platform features, proactively recommending new tactics and strategies.
- Influencer & Partner Outreach: Identify and build relationships with relevant influencers, creators, and brand partners to amplify our reach and credibility.
2. Skills & Experience (The “Must-Haves” vs. “Nice-to-Haves”)
Hard Skills (The Non-Negotiables):
- Social Media Strategy: Proven ability to develop and execute a strategy that gets results.
- Content Creation: Expert-level skills in creating native social content, especially video using tools like CapCut and graphics using Canva.
- Paid Social Advertising: Hands-on experience with Meta Ads Manager, including audience targeting, budget optimisation, and A/B testing.
- Community Management: Experience engaging with and growing an online community with a professional and empathetic tone.
- Social Media Analytics: Ability to interpret data from native platform analytics and translate it into strategic recommendations.
- Advanced AI Tools Proficiency: Skilled in using AI tools (like Buffer’s AI Assistant, Jasper, ChatGPT) to brainstorm content ideas, draft multiple caption variations, and generate creative concepts for posts and Reels. This is essential.
- Exceptional Copywriting: Ability to write sharp, engaging, and on-brand copy for a variety of social platforms.
Soft Skills (The Game Changers):
- Creativity: You see content opportunities everywhere and aren’t afraid to experiment.
- Adaptability: The social media landscape changes overnight; you thrive in a fast-paced environment.
- Customer Empathy: You genuinely care about the audience and can communicate with them on a human level.
- Communication: You are a clear and effective communicator, both in public-facing copy and internal collaboration.
- Analytical: You can see the story behind the data and make informed decisions.
Experience:
- Required: 3-5+ years in a dedicated social media role.
- Required: A portfolio showcasing successful social media campaigns you have managed. Please provide links to the channels and be prepared to discuss specific examples of community growth, engagement rates, and campaigns that drove business results.
- Nice to Have: Experience running paid social campaigns with budgets over $1,000/month.
- Nice to Have: Experience with influencer marketing programs.
3. Remuneration Structure (The Complete Picture)
This is a strategic role that blends creative, technical, and customer-facing skills. The remuneration package needs to be competitive to attract a high-calibre candidate from the Philippines.
- Base Salary Range (Annual):
- ₱720,000 – ₱1,200,000 Philippine Pesos (PHP)
- $18,000 – $30,000 Australian Dollars (AUD) (approx. at a 1:40 exchange rate)
- This is paid monthly and is dependent on the candidate’s experience, portfolio, and proficiency with paid advertising.
- The Aussie SMB Guide to Filipino Remuneration: (if hiring within a Philippines company vs a contractor)
- 13th Month Pay: This is a legally mandated bonus in the Philippines, equivalent to one month’s salary, paid in December. You must budget for this.
- Health Insurance (HMO): Providing private health insurance is the #1 most sought-after benefit and a key differentiator for being an employer of choice. Budget approx. ₱25,000 – ₱40,000 per year for a quality plan.
- Contributions: The employer is also responsible for contributions to SSS (Social Security), PhilHealth (National Health Insurance), and Pag-IBIG (Home Development Fund).
- Fully Loaded Cost: As a rule of thumb, you should budget an additional 15-20% on top of the base salary to cover the 13th-month pay, benefits, and government contributions.
4. Reporting Structure (Who Answers to Whom)
- Direct Manager: This role reports directly to the Content Marketing Manager or the Head of Marketing.
- Direct Reports: This is a standalone role with no direct reports initially.
- Key Collaborators:
- Works daily with the Content Marketing Manager to align on campaigns and messaging.
- Works closely with the Graphic Designer on creative assets.
- Liaises with the Customer Service Team to handle customer queries and feedback from social channels.
5. Success Measurement (How We Keep Score)
Vanity metrics like follower count are nice, but success in this role is measured by tangible business impact. Performance will be reviewed monthly against the following KPIs:
- Community Engagement (40%):
- Achieve a blended average engagement rate of 4% or higher across key platforms.
- Maintain an average response time of under 4 hours for all DMs and comments during business hours.
- Audience Growth (20%):
- Increase relevant follower base by an average of 5% month-on-month.
- Business Impact & Conversions (40%):
- Generate a minimum of 500 qualified website clicks per month from social channels.
- Drive a minimum of 50 marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) per month through targeted social campaigns.
6. Onboarding (The First 90-Day Flight Plan)
- First 30 Days (Immerse & Analyse):
- Conduct a full audit of all social channels, analysing past performance and audience demographics.
- Deep dive into our brand guidelines, mission, and voice.
- Take over day-to-day community management to get a feel for our audience.
- Present an initial audit report with key findings and quick-win opportunities.
- First 60 Days (Strategise & Create):
- Develop and present a comprehensive 3-month social media strategy and content calendar.
- Take full ownership of the content creation and scheduling process.
- Launch your first small-scale paid advertising campaign.
- First 90 Days (Optimise & Expand):
- Establish a clear social media KPI dashboard for ongoing reporting.
- Present your first comprehensive monthly performance report, detailing progress against KPIs.
- Propose one new strategic initiative, such as an influencer collaboration or launching on a new platform.
7. Processes (How We Do Things ‘Round Here)
- Social Content Workflow: All content is planned and tracked in Asana:
- Concept: Idea added to the “Social Content Ideas” board.
- Creation: Creative asset is produced (video/graphic) and copy is written.
- Approval: Submitted to the Head of Marketing for review.
- Scheduling: Scheduled for the optimal time in Buffer.
- Engagement: Post is monitored after publishing to engage with the community.
- Community Management Protocol: A clear guide on how to respond to positive comments, negative feedback, and customer service issues, including an escalation process.
8. Tools & SaaS Stack (The Tools of the Trade)
- Social Media Management: Buffer
- Content Creation: Canva Pro, CapCut
- Analytics: Native Platform Analytics, Google Analytics 4
- Advertising: Meta Ads Manager
- AI Writing Assistant: Jasper / Buffer AI Assistant
- Communication: Slack & Google Workspace
