Social Media Manager (SMM)
Food maven Paula Deen, still in recovery from her admitted use of a racial slur in 2013, has reopened the old wound and highlighted her son’s racial prejudice with the July 2015 Twitter posting of a 2011 Halloween costume photo of the classic television show, “I Love Lucy.” The image features Paula Deen as Lucy and her son, Bobby Deen, as Lucy’s husband, Ricky Ricardo, in brown face.
The television character Ricky Ricardo was played by Desi Arnaz, Lucille Ball’s real life husband. Arnaz a bi-lingual writer, director, musician and actor was born in Cuba. The Twitter post created a flood of comments about the depiction and Deen’s mimicry of Arnaz’s accent. The post was quickly removed and summarily led to the firing of the social media manager.
This post isn’t about Deen. It is about a hidden profession. Sharing information on social media sites is common practice for many. People want to create idealized lives on Facebook and construct selfies to present best images and opinions on numerous sites—Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and so on. There are innumerable ways to use social media to capture the attention of a global audience or smaller community.
A Social Media Manager (SMM) is an ideal position for those who love trolling and posting on social media, fascinated with marketing and promotion and staying abreast of trends and current events. Small and large businesses need the services of a social media manager. An organized SMM oversees a team of professionals strategizing, managing campaigns and agendas to promote a company’s, organization’s, institution’s plan.
Experience with social media and related positive outcomes would make a SMM appealing; coupled, with training and an undergraduate degree in a related field. One could certainly go far in this profession.
A SMM develops policy, strategy and marketing campaigns. Notably, s/he oversees a team that includes a community manager and content developer—other interesting positions for those with advertising, social media, and graphic skills.
According to Glassdoor the national average pay scale for SMM is $45,000-$61,000 (2014). In 2015, payscale.com lists, the median SMM salary in the United States as $46,226 and notes that location affects the salary.
In light of the firing of Paula Deen’s SMM, it appears that one can be in full control of social media without a boss’s input. A Social Media Manager and related members of this team form professions worthy of investigation by those who love many aspects of social media, marketing, policy and design.
Staff
Elber, Lynn. “Paule Deen distances herself from posted ‘I Love Lucy’ photo,” Associated Press, 7 July 2015.
Glassdoor.com. Social Media Manager national average pay scale, 2014
Plumtre, Subomi. “Contributors: The Cs of Social Media,” image posted 13 December 2014.
PayScale.com. Social Media Manager salary (U.S.) 2 July 2015.
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