What does a Social Media Manager do?
A social media manager plans, creates and manages a brand's presence across platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and X. In India they typically build content calendars, write captions, design and schedule posts, engage the community, run paid social campaigns, and track engagement and growth — turning followers into an audience that drives awareness, trust and conversions.
A social media manager usually has around 0–6 yrs of experience and earns typically ₹3L–₹12L/yr in India. The day-to-day blends Social media strategy, Content creation, Copywriting and more — this page gives you a ready-to-use social media manager job description template you can copy, plus the exact skills and salary employers expect.
Social Media Manager job description template
Copy the 8 responsibilities, 5 requirements and 9 skills below into your job post, then edit the parts that are specific to your company — pay band, location and reporting line.
Select the text above to copy it manually if the button is unavailable.
What are a Social Media Manager's key responsibilities?
A social media manager is typically responsible for the 8 duties below, which cover the day-to-day work most employers expect the role to own outright. Paste them into your job post as they are, or cut the ones another team already handles — a responsibility list that claims work the hire will not actually do is the fastest way to lose a candidate at offer stage:
- Develop social-media strategy and a content calendar per platform
- Create, write and schedule posts, reels, stories and videos
- Engage with the community — comments, DMs and trends — and grow followers
- Plan and run paid social campaigns and influencer collaborations
- Track engagement, reach, follower growth and conversions
- Monitor brand mentions and manage online reputation
- Coordinate with design and content teams on creatives
- Report on performance and adjust strategy by data
What qualifications does a Social Media Manager need?
Employers hiring a social media manager in India usually ask for the 5 qualifications below, typically alongside 0–6 yrs of experience. Keep only the ones you will genuinely screen on: every extra must-have narrows the pool, and in the Indian market a long mandatory list filters out strong candidates whose background simply reads differently on paper:
- Hands-on experience managing brand social accounts
- Strong copywriting and understanding of each platform's format and audience
- Familiarity with scheduling and analytics tools and paid social basics
- Creative eye for content and awareness of trends
- Excellent communication and organisation skills
What skills should a Social Media Manager have?
These are the 9 skills employers name most often on live social media manager listings in India. Treat the first few as the ones worth screening for directly and the rest as signals a candidate can pick up on the job — asking for all of them at once is what turns a reasonable role into an unfillable one:
Listing the three or four skills you genuinely screen on — rather than all 9 — is what keeps a social media manager posting from filtering out candidates who could do the job.
What does a Social Media Manager earn in India?
Typical salary (India)
typically ₹3L–₹12L/yr
Experience range
0–6 yrs
These are typical ranges and vary by city, company and skills. For live, role-specific pay data, see the OnJob salary guide.
Social Media Manager job description — FAQs
What does a social media manager do?
A social media manager runs a brand's presence on platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. They plan content calendars, create and schedule posts, engage the community, run paid campaigns, and track engagement and growth to drive awareness and conversions.
What skills does a social media manager need?
Key skills include content creation and copywriting, platform knowledge, community management, paid social basics, analytics, and an eye for trends. Creativity paired with data-driven optimisation makes the strongest social media managers.
Which social platforms matter most for brands in India?
Instagram and YouTube dominate consumer reach, LinkedIn leads for B2B and professional brands, and X and Facebook still matter for certain audiences. The right mix depends on where a brand's audience spends time.
How much does a social media manager earn in India?
Social media managers see ₹3L–₹5L per year at fresher level, ₹6L–₹10L in mid-level roles, and ₹11L+ once they move into senior social or brand positions. Owning paid social budgets is the clearest step up — a manager running Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube organically earns less than one who also plans influencer collaborations and reports reach, engagement and conversions.