Social Media

Social media workers have a wide range of duties—from designing and building apps and Web sites, to creating online content, to helping companies reach consumers via marketing campaigns, and much more. Social media companies offer career paths in a variety of departments, although not every company will have every one of these departments. At a small start-up, you may be doing everything from developing social media marketing strategies, to handling customer service calls, to performing clerical duties.

Design

The design department creates the visual look of Web sites, apps, and other digital content (such as e-books, videos, etc.). It also creates the look and user interfaces for hardware such as e-readers, tablet computers, and smart phones. The design department works closely with the engineering and marketing departments to make products that are visually appealing and easy to use.

Customer Service and Support

Customer service is key to any successful business. The customer service and support department assists customers who are having trouble using the company’s Web site, purchasing its products or services, or otherwise having difficulty at its digital sites.

Quality Assurance

The quality assurance department makes sure that all Web and social media sites are not only user friendly but that they deliver what is promised. They constantly test Web sites, apps, and other content to make sure that they work properly. This department may also be called online operations.

Finance and Administration

Creating content and selling products and services are some of the main goals of social media and IT companies, but it’s the business side of things that makes these tasks possible. Finance and administrative workers manage the company’s finances as well as its legal relationships with investors, creditors, and employees.

Information Systems and Technology

Software, hardware, databases, networks, payment-processing systems, and other technology are the backbone of the social media industry. Information systems and technology workers manage these resources. They provide user support to employees, troubleshoot and repair faulty equipment, manage company-wide intranets, install new software and hardware, design proprietary computer systems and software, and perhaps most importantly secure company systems and sensitive data against hackers and industrial espionage.

Engineering

Technical departments create the electronic infrastructure that makes Web and social media sites work. They also design operating systems and applications and design products—such as smart phones, tablets, gaming controllers, and alternative reality headsets—which customers use to access the Internet, view content, and interact with other users.

Legal Affairs

The legal department manages the company’s intellectual property, which includes patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets. It also provides legal advice to other departments; facilitates business transactions (including mergers and acquisitions); incorporates companies; and advises on private venture equity financings or initial public offerings, regulatory issues, transactional law, and employment law.

Business Development

Business development professionals identify prospective new partners and manage existing alliances. A business development professional at a large tech company such as Alphabet, for instance, would study social media start-ups to identify those that have the focus or technology that might make it a good candidate for collaboration. The department then collects information about the candidate company, its products, and its technology, and prepares a report for executives for further review.

Marketing

The marketing department develops marketing campaigns that promote their company’s products and services. They do this through traditional media platforms (print, broadcasting, billboards, etc.) or through search engine optimization, social media marketing, and other Internet-based marketing strategies.

Merchandising

Some companies—such as Alphabet, Apple, and Amazon—develop software and hardware (smart phones, e-readers, etc.) used to access the Internet. The merchandising department develops sales campaigns that sell these products to consumers. Apple operates its own retail stores and hires sales workers to staff them.

Human Resources

The human resources department recruits, interviews, and hires workers. It also manages employee benefits and handles personnel issues, talent development, and education and training programs.

Corporate Communications

A good public image and positive word-of-mouth advertising from satisfied consumers helps sell products and services. The corporate communications department creates information and publicity campaigns for consumers, the media, government agencies, investors, and company employees to promote this positive public image. It also responds to negative issues (such as controversies over the role of social media companies in presenting “fake news,” or increasing rates of depression in teenagers, product recalls, labor issues, etc.) that cast the company in a poor light.

Data and Analytics

Advances in technology have made it increasingly easy for companies to collect detailed information about customers. The data and analytics department gathers and analyzes this information to help develop new products, increase sales, compete with other companies, and better serve customers. It may also market this information to other companies.

Regulatory Affairs

This department makes sure products and services comply with government regulations—whether in the United States or in foreign countries. For example, regulatory workers at the online auction site eBay must work closely with government regulators to ensure that their site and sales practices comply with commerce and e-commerce laws.

Work Environment in Social Media

Most social media professionals work in corporate or home-based offices that are pleasant, clean, and well lit. Some workers must travel. Sales and marketing professionals often travel to the offices of clients to consult on projects. Executives and managers travel for business meetings, trade shows, and other duties. Lawyers frequently must appear offsite at legal proceedings when involved in litigation and other legal matters. Some workers can telecommute from home part or full time. This trend was amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic as many companies closed their offices and required their employees to work from home, if possible. Some companies even created policies that allowed employees to work from home “forever” if they felt that their health was being placed at risk by working in a traditional office setting. Many tech employees continue to work remotely or in hybrid arrangements—although some companies are requiring their employees to return to in-person work.

While the facilities at Internet and social media companies can be top-notch, the hours may be less than desirable. Many technical workers must pull “all nighters” to meet deadlines. Since the Internet is on 24/7, tech workers, marketing professionals, customer service reps, and other workers are needed to work night and weekend shifts.

Although the hours may be demanding, most people enjoy working in the social media industry. Tech companies are full of creative and energetic workers that like what they do and enjoy playing a role in making their company a success.