What Is a Social Media Strategist? Job Description and Essential Skills

There’s doing social media, then there’s thinking about social media. If you’re a "big picture”" thinker who loves to dream up innovative ways to grow a brand's social presence, a social media strategist role could be a great fit. 

Let’s examine what social media strategists do day-to-day and the essential skills for the job.

What is a social media strategist?

Social media strategists develop comprehensive social media strategies that align with their company's broader marketing and business objectives.

Unlike social media specialists or social media coordinators who focus on daily execution, strategists take a higher-level approach. They craft long-term plans and shorter-term campaigns tailored to specific goals, whether that's building brand awareness, fostering community engagement, or driving conversions.

On a marketing team, the social media strategist role is typically mid-level, requiring at least five years of specialized experience in social media. Strategists are often seen as individual contributors valued more for strategic thinking than administrative or operational tasks.

A key distinction is that while social media managers may oversee a team, manage a budget, or coordinate with external agencies, strategists focus on the conceptual work of developing impactful social media plans. They collaborate closely with social media managers and creative and content teams to ensure cohesion across all digital channels.

When a team includes a social media strategist role, they tend to be the vision behind the brand's online presence — the masterminds who devise innovative ways to grow the business through strategic social media initiatives.

What does a social media strategist do?

Social media strategists spend their workdays designing and implementing high-level strategies and tactics to grow a brand's social presence.

Depending on the team structure, a strategist might also be responsible for executing pieces of the strategy, or they might have junior counterparts or freelancers who take care of execution.

Here are common tasks on social media strategists' to-do lists:

• Develop social media strategies: Social media strategists create detailed plans outlining content themes, campaign ideas, and engagement goals for the upcoming months. Their goal is to create a consistent brand narrative across social platforms.
• Research the audience and competitors: Before any campaign, strategists dig deep into audience data to understand user behavior and preferences, and track competitor activities to identify opportunities or gaps.
• Align social media with marketing goals: Social media strategists work with the broader marketing team to ensure a brand’s social media efforts support brand and product messaging, lead generation, and other business objectives.
• Monitor performance and optimize strategy: Strategists analyze data, assess the current approach’s effectiveness, and make adjustments. They use engagement data to fine-tune content and improve engagement rates.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams: Strategists partner with the design, content, and other teams to make sure that visual and written content is cohesive and supports the overall strategy.
  

How do you become a social media strategist?

Becoming a social media strategist usually requires a combination of hands-on experience and an understanding of digital marketing principles.

If you want to become a social media strategist, here are some tips:

• Gain practical experience: Before becoming a strategist, many start by managing social media accounts or working in content creation and community engagement roles. This helps develop an understanding of social platforms and audience preferences.
• Learn the ins and outs of digital marketing: Understanding marketing concepts such as SEO, content strategy, and the buyer’s journey can provide a solid foundation for your social media approach.
• Study data and analytics: Strategists identify key social media metrics that align with the brand's marketing objectives, then interpret the data to uncover trends, understand audience behavior, and inform strategic decisions.
• Build a portfolio of successful campaigns: Document past campaign results, including how you grew awareness and engagement for a company, to showcase your ability to create effective strategies.

Social media strategist skills

Social media strategists are creative thinkers who combine technical know-how with a business mindset. They often have these skills:

• Strategic thinking: Social media strategists need to see the big picture and identify opportunities to align social media efforts with a brand’s marketing goals.
• Data analysis: Successful social media strategists interpret data to inform strategy and tactics.
• Communication and collaboration: Working with other teams requires clear communication and a flexible, collaborative mindset.
• Trend awareness: Staying on top of the latest social media trends, industry news, and consumer behavior keeps your strategy relevant.
• Project management: Social media strategists keep campaigns organized, ensuring all moving parts come together smoothly and on time.

What’s next? Career advancement for social media strategists

As a social media strategist, you're in the driver's seat when it comes to shaping a brand's online presence — and your career path. To advance, regularly showcase your campaign successes and use data-driven insights to refine your strategies.

Take the initiative on projects that align with business goals to show you're ready for bigger responsibilities. And don't be shy about networking across the organization!

By seeking growth opportunities and highlighting your achievements, you can steer yourself toward leadership roles in social media marketing. The key is to be proactive, data-driven, and a team player.