Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, we are elbow deep in the holiday season. It’s the time of year were you reconnect with friends and family you might not see all that often. Reconnecting with these people can occasionally end up in some awkward moments. One of those moments comes when you try to explain your job as a social media or community manager to those people who just don’t quite “get” it.
Here is a list, complied from the real life experiences of myself and some of my friends, of what we hear the most. Print out the attached PDF and post it on the fridge at your next holiday party.
So, you have a social media manager or community manager in the family.Pour yourself another eggnog and read this list before you start to talk about what exactly that means.
Top 10 Things NOT to say to your social media or community manager, and why.
Hey – I use Facebook! I’d be so good at your job! While it is true that being a social media or community manager, using Facebook is a part of the job, it is only that. One part of the job. You need to know how to use all the social media sites (and blogging) and how best to utilize them for your community.
I just don’t get the point of “The Tweeter” First of all, don’t call it “The Tweeter”. Calling it that is either ignorance or obnoxiousness, and sometimes both. Twitter is an important part of the social media tool kit. It is a great way to get involved with your community, both talking with and listening to them.
What do you do all day? Short answer: a lot. A day in the life of a social media manager can include a variety of things. From creating and curating content to designing a Facebook contest to searching out what people are saying about the company/brand across the Internet. All that while addressing customer concerns, replying to what people are saying while keeping up with the brand voice and maintaining a positive brand reputation.
You actually use that stuff for business? Social media is an opportune place to get involved in the community with your customers. It is a place to listen to your customers and to know them better. Joining the communities of social media helps to keep your business top of mind and gives you an opportunity to get involved with them in a one on one basis.
Oh – you could do mine free for me, right? Because we’re friends. No. Social media management is a service, you pay for someone to manage a social media account in the same way you would pay an accountant to do your taxes or a lawyer to read your contracts. Would you ask your cousin the accountant or your sister the lawyer to manage your business’s workload for free?
So, what are you going to do when social media goes away? Things may change and evolve over time, but there will always be a need for businesses to engage with the online communities. While the channels may change, the need will still be there. We evolve with the times.
Can’t I have an intern/my son/my granddaughter etc do that for me? No. The person behind your social media accounts is another ‘face’ of your company. The things they say and do online will reflect back on your company in a positive or negative light. As Scott Stratten says “It takes a lifetime to build a reputation and one tweet to screw it all up.”
You mean like, people pay you to tweet for them? Yes, but consider this… those tweets have a lot of thought behind them. Is it in the brand voice? Does it stick to the social media plan? If it’s curated from another source – is that source a reliable one? Are the facts correct? Is the spelling and grammar correct? Those are just a few thoughts behind every post on any social media site.
Who in the world would pay for that? Isn’t it free? While having the basic set of social media accounts is free, there are charges to some of the tools. You also have to consider the cost of your time. Social media is alive and active 24/7/365. It’s not just 9-5. Do you have time to respond to every Tweet or Facebook post? Can you afford the time it takes to not just write your own blog, but reply to every comment as well?
Aw… that’s cute. But what’s your real job? This is a real job! You might not understand what I do, but that’s ok – we’re still cool. Let’s go have some cocoa.
Thanks to my friends at the Social Media Club-Milwaukee, Social Solutions Collective and Steamfeed.com authors for contributing to the list!
Love this. Going to paste into my Evernote and next time someone asks any of these questions, have them at the ready.
Better yet, hand over the iPhone and grab another cocktail while they read it.
Thank you Ray! I know we all get them so often! I liked the idea of some ‘delicately snarky’ replies
Almost the same as 10 things not to say to a web site designer 10 years ago…
Nigel, I can see how those questions would come up for that too!
I was thinking the same thing! Except the comments still happen today!
Hopefully the questions will dwindle down at some point!
Great post Carrie! Saving and sharing!
Thank you Kathy – I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I run the social media for my town, and when I was trying to explain to the local businesses what I was doing with the revitalization committee’s website and social media, I heard a lot of these kinds of comments. The people on the committee still don’t understand why it’s important even though I show them my stats for my business and how it has helped. Sigh
I hear you Lesa! I’m glad you liked the post – I hope it gave you some ammo (if a wee bit snarky) to reply with next time you get asked those things!
Carrie,
Thanks for publishing this list! We can only say these things ourselves so many times.
This will serve as a reference of a collective voice that provides validity.
Great job!
~Keri
Thank you Keri!
I can only be passive aggressive for so long! – kidding. I’m glad this post hit home, hopefully some of those answers will help people out. 
Sometimes you just have to let it out
LOVE THIS! Why is it SO hard to explain what we do?? Haha. This is a great reference for us “Facebook players” to use the next time someone spouts off. I especially LOVE when people say they’ll just get their part-time cleaning lady (or something else totally not relevant to SMM) to do their social media for them. REALLY?! Haha … gooooood luck with that!
I know, right? I’m so glad you liked it and it can be of use
Great post, Carrie! I am going to save this one for reference. Thank you!
Thanks so much Robin! I’m glad you liked it.
Hey Carrie,
Good post here. I particularly liked the portion on how to respond to friends asking you to manage their accounts for free. If you’re getting asked, it means you are being recognized as being a competent social media/ community manager- which is good.
However, most of the time those asking don’t understand they’re asking for a lot. There’s only so much room on your plate to manage different sm identities, you might as well fill it up with projects that pay.
Thank you Jacob,
That actually started up a big conversation in a Facebook group I’m in about the “Can I pick your brain” people. That may have to be a follow up post.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
You need to add: So you play on Facebook all day??
That one’s a doozy too!
Major belly laugh! I have heard each and every one of these plus a few more! It will be great when the non-social folks realize that Social Media Marketing is not only here to stay but it is the way forward!
Thank you Kerry! I figure, every little bit helps. Let’s “edjamacate” the masses!
Excellent Post! I am not only sharing it with my networks but also inside the company I work for!
Carrie, laughing hysterically. Have heard each of those comments so often. Great responses! I too am copying out and saving.
Thanks Nancy – I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I’m amazed at a couple of those things people say to Social Media Managers. It just prove that the majority of us are ignorant to what a Social Media Manager really does.
I plan to get a SMM to take over for me as soon as I can create enough income. I’d rather my income still be zero than to do it myself. Hahaha!
Haha! At least you can appreciate the work smm’s – you don’t have to like to do it yourself
I’m glad you liked the post
Amen Carrie. Great post. It still amazes me that people will assume that anybody can do this and that there is no thought or effort expended in a well designed and executed social media methodology.
I’m so glad you liked it Dave!
As a SMM I found this hysterical and true! Thank you for sharing it with us. I will save it and the next time I get one of those questions or comments I will respond with “check your email” and this will be in their inbox- lol~
Ha – that’s awesome! I’m here to help
LOVED this post!!!! 100% what people say to me everyday!
Thanks Dawn!
What a GREAT post! If only I had this a bit earlier! I absolutely can not stand when my friends and family say, “oh you play on Facebook all day?” or “Just come with us to ________________, you can work from your phone.”
As great as the technology is these days and you can do a lot of your monitoring on your phone or iPad, it is just not that easy. So many people downgrade what we do!
Thank you for this post! I may even use it as a stocking stuffer this year
Thank you so much Judy!
I’m glad it was a help (and in hindsight, I wish I wrote it before round one at Thanksgiving!)
If this does end up in stockings this year – tweet me a picture!
Carrie
I have to admit that I laughed at first. I laughed because it’s so true. I think we will all benefit once Social becomes more mainstream. Oh, wait will that be when social media goes away? : )
Haha!
I’m glad you laughed
It is a frustrating situation that we do need to laugh about.
Oh yes! And many more. ‘How much do you charge to play on Facebook’ is another favorite. ‘
Great article. I will refer back to it as well!
Oh yes, that one is a classic Dorien!
This is great Carrie! I’ve run into this with a few people the past several months! I’m definitely sharing this!
Thanks Shannon,
Hopefully those will stop coming in quite so frequently at as eventually!
Maybe the title “Digital Marketing Manager” would avoid all those questions.
Possibly – you never know!
[...] 10 Things Not To Say To A Social Media Manager http://t.co/jVpIr1WQ… [...]
Too precious for words, Carrie!
Even though the goofy questions people ask are a hoot …
The subject of social media management is as close to serious as serious can be.
Thank you for a good old fashioned belly laugh. Kudos for a wonderful post!
Thank you so much Melanie!
I do like to give a bit of humor to a serious situation. Makes it a little easier when you do have to answer those questions All. The. Time.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the post!
Great post Carrie. Sounds like a conversation my dad and I recently had. He wanted to see my work. So, I showed him some of my clients pages and all he said was “that’s nice”. One of the toughest parts of our job is the fact that social media is 24/7. It is also hard because people are more likely to get online after hours, on weekends or over the holidays. That is when we need to be even more present and on top of things. Thanks. This was fun to read.
Thanks Heather!
You are right about people not getting the 24/7 part. I suppose the 11th thing could have been “Why are you always on your phone?”
So glad you liked the post!
Need to correct the spelling of cocoa (coco) in “Aw… that’s cute. But what’s your real job? This is a real job! You might not understand what I do, but that’s ok – we’re still cool. Let’s go have some coco.”
Thanks! It’s fixed
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[...] Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, we are elbow deep in the holiday season. It’s the time of year were you reconnect with friends and family you might not see all that often. Reconnecting with these people can occasionally end up in some awkward moments. One of those moments comes when you try to explain your job as a social media or community manager to those people who just don’t quite “get” it. Read More: [...]
[...] 11/2012:10 Things Not To Say To A Social Media Manager [...]
[...] many times have you heard people say “I just don’t get the point of Twitter”, or something similar? Twitter is still a much maligned site in many circles. People that have [...]
[...] this post, I got revved up. This is a topic I have had more than my fair share to say about. See: 10 Things Not to Say to a Social Media Manager I think the reason people don’t have a respect formed of the profession yet, is that they [...]