The pressure of handling social media for their organisations is taking its toll on social media managers’ health, claims a new survey from agency Comms Creatives.

The survey reveals that two-thirds of social media professionals are feeling stressed and burned out as a result of being at the sharp end of 21^st century communications.

Top 3 skills for the social media manager

Pandemic piles on stress

Opinions were gathered from 200 social media managers in the UK and Ireland in August, and the answers show that the pandemic has made things worse: nearly half of social media managers say they have gained weight and have had trouble sleeping as a result of the extra pressures thrown up by Covid-19.

Especially clear in the responses is how, even before the pandemic struck, social media managers felt under-supported by their employers.

• Many social media managers are struggling to demonstrate the value of social media to senior leaders.

• More than half said they had been asked to promote something they dislike or personally don’t agree with.
  
  
• Over a third are struggling to find the time or budget in their organisations for training.

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Unsung heroes

As a social media trainer, I help hundreds of social media professionals every year. I don’t think many people realise just how much pressure social media managers are under, and how all-consuming the role can sometimes be. There’s no off-switch on social media, and many managers are feeling the effects of this.

Despite what many people think, managing social media for an organisation isn’t easy. It takes talent, judgement and creativity, with a huge list of skills needed to do the job well, from writing and design to community management and creativity.

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The social media manager’s role is strategic, wide-ranging and plays a crucial part in determining an organisation’s reputation. It is important that their employers appreciate the stress they are under and offer appropriate support.

Written by Hel Reynolds, social media specialist at agency Comms Creatives

To help champion the work of social media managers, Comms Creatives has created National Social Media Managers Day, on 17 September