There is a perpetual discourse around social media managers: Are they the wizards of the online realm, or are they just interns who know how to make cool videos?
Love us or hate us, you can’t do without us. Social media is crucial to all businesses. Worldwide, 4.48 billion people use it—that’s more than half of the entire human population.
The responsibility of communicating with hundreds, millions and someday billions of people often rests on a team of one to three people. Yes, that is a heavy load, and yet those who carry it are often deemed not worthy of holding leadership positions.
So how can social media managers earn their seat at the table and validate their candidacy for leadership? And, more importantly, can they ever become CMOs?
More than a content creator
The future generation of CMOs will come from social media departments, not just the traditional branding or strategy areas.
Social media managers are honing well-rounded marketing skills in these roles: creative direction, content creation, copywriting, strategy—even paid media. Adding to their expertise and further qualifying them for CMO roles, these social media managers are the early adopters who grew up with apps, evolved with algorithms and turned social media into a career.
Meanwhile, the CMO role has also evolved. It’s no longer reliant upon traditional media success, but more on how creatively you can communicate with multiple generations, each residing in different apps. Boomers? Facebook. Gen Z? TikTok. These cultural nuances make knowledge of the social landscape extremely critical.
Having that understanding as a leader also makes for a great mentor to the digital marketing team. If you can’t solve problems or make the team better, why should the team trust you as a leader, when in fact they are leading you?
Next steps for SMMs
Of course, just knowing social media is not how you become a CMO. So what do social media managers who are aspiring CMOs need to do to fill those gaps and make their candidacy undeniable?
A short list:
- Sharpen your knowledge of offline marketing channels.
- Look into annual planning with the business development team.
- Educate yourself about finance.
- Learn how marketing is tied to short- and long-term ROI.
Even in the digital marketing world, there is more we can learn to become the most well-rounded CMOs: email marketing strategies, paid ad campaigns, media buying and the sales funnel, given that each platform also has ecommerce capabilities. These are important when building out the larger marketing plan and showing how social can influence the bottom line when all the pillars come together.
Social media is complex because it is governed by algorithms and swayed by human emotions. It is the fastest way to reach people across the globe, but also a channel for extremely niche and targeted communication.
Working in social powers the development of a vast range of skills that provide a competitive advantage: problem-solving, crisis communications, building engaged communities, spinning content out of minimal assets, direct conversations with customers (without having to use Urban Dictionary), quick comprehension and adaptation of new features every week. And most importantly, reading the analytics to tell you more about your audience’s behavior—also known as providing a vibe check.
Overall, we learn a lot of analytical, soft, critical thinking and problem-solving skills as social media managers that apply to both URL and IRL situations. The ability to communicate through copy and creative across multiple channels and with people from all walks of life is not a general trait inherent in any charismatic individual. It is an exceptionally valuable skill set that, with the right opportunities and mentors, can have a catalytic effect on overall success.
Social media managers are going to make the most diverse and brilliant CMOs in years to come. Now that could be chief meme officer—or chief marketing officer.
This story first appeared in the Sept. 26, 2022, issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.
