As a social media manager, you’re charged with big responsibilities: communicating authentically, striking the right tone, and acting as a brand steward. And in many cases, you need to squeeze all that into a tight space (that’s a nod to the maximum number of characters you’re often aiming to hit).

On the one hand, you’ve got a lot of running room and can go in pretty much any direction. But whatever path you choose needs to ultimately lead to a measurable business impact. Therein lies the rub. How do you:

• Drive business outcomes through your day-to-day work in social?
• Strike the perfect balance between wit and gravity?
• Choose the right social media platforms to amplify your voice?

Calling upon years managing LinkedIn’s own social media presence, we’ll be tackling these questions over the next four days as we talk about why social media managers should spend time on LinkedIn, how to tell your brand’s story on the platform, how to maximize your social following and more. 

You Matter More Than Ever

Let’s start with why it’s an incredibly relevant time to be a social media manager (SMM). If you’re a great SMM, you wield great power. After all, you’re master of a medium that confounds and even intimidates many. And your role has been elevated now that social media (and virtual communities) have changed the way business is done.

Understanding the power of social media, professionals use it to:

1. Connect with colleagues and peers
2. Keep pace with industry trends
3. Build their reputation
4. Vet vendors and products
5. Get career advice and more

And as a social media manager, you’re the bridge between your brand and these professionals. Naturally, a lot is riding on your shoulders because that bridge needs to span the gap between your audience and their swiftly declining trust in brands. The good news is that you’re in the perfect position to answer the call. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, 59% of people trust a brand’s social media while only 41% trust its advertising.

As one of LinkedIn’s former Social Media Manager’s, Ish Verduzco, notes,

“Companies are increasingly realizing the value that social can bring if executed properly. You’re able to reach audiences in ways that you never could in the past and because of this, the role of a social media manager is becoming more and more vital to a company’s success.”

Understand What It Takes to Succeed

To be the best bridge possible requires that you do more than set up a social media account and respond to online comments. It takes a certain savvy, curiosity, and range of skills to do a bang-up job.

Knowing your goal is connecting with and engaging the people who matter most to your business, it’s helpful to keep in mind this insight from famed author Dale Carnegie:

“When dealing with people, remember that you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.” That’s where the “social” part comes in. If you’re passionate about interacting with others and conveying compelling sentiments while appealing to your audience’s emotions, you’ll go far.

But there’s more to it than that. You need to stay in tune with prevailing wisdom and hot topics – and develop a unique perspective – to keep your audience engaged. Put simply, it takes creativity to continually entice your audience to engage with, talk about, and share your content.

Here’s how Allie Brewer-Hay, Community Manager for LinkedIn, thinks about the opportunity:

“With an increased focus around community and feeling a true connection with a brand, the SMM role is evolving and becoming even more important. There’s a unique opportunity to help attract new members, while fostering current members and really providing the help and resources that our ‘community’ authentically craves.”

Spend Your Time Wisely

With social media acting as a touchstone for everything going on in your business and a core touchpoint for engaging your target audience, you’re in a critical role. But knowing that your audience can turn to social media at any time can be overwhelming – how can you possibly be available 24/7?!

For one, you have unprecedented access to technology that helps get the job done. Second, you can also access many social media platforms. So how do you narrow your choices? It makes sense to invest in those that help you reach and engage with the right audience. B2B and high-consideration B2C companies choose LinkedIn for that very reason.

For more on how to rock your brand’s social media presence on LinkedIn (and beyond), download The Social Media Manager’s Guide to LinkedIn.