We’ve all seen that there are some companies and even digital marketing agencies that make people wear the hat of a million responsibilities – this is especially true when they fold all of the responsibilities under one little umbrella of “managing a brand’s online presence.” People are looking for professionals who can handle everything from strategy to content creation, there’s been a trend of combined roles, and to be honest, they shouldn’t even be merged. A great example of this? Social media strategies vs. SEO strategies.
You might’ve said “why would they get confused?” And we’ve all thought that, but these two roles have been mixed up and bended in hopes of maximizing output. However, blending these roles leads to more issues than progress.
The Core Differences Between Social Media and SEO Strategy
Realistically, this is super self-explanatory – social media is social media and SEO is SEO, however, we can break down what each role will usually require.
Social Media Manager/Strategist
A social media manager or strategist will be responsible for curating and creating content, engaging with audiences, and driving traffic across various social media platforms. Their goals will usually include generating brand awareness, fostering engagement, and cultivating a loyal following. Here are some tasks they might take on:
- Content creation
- Platform-specific strategies
- Engagement & Community building
- Trend analytics
- Reporting
In order to get the hang of these skills, it’ll require an in-depth understanding of social media algorithms, platform-specific nuances, and audience psychology. A social media strategist isn’t just creating posts and content; they’re designing content and executing a strategy to build a brand’s presence on each unique social channel.
SEO Strategist
Those working in SEO (search engine optimization) and the strategy around it work to improve a website’s visibility on the search engine – specifically Google’s. The goal is to ensure that when people search for relevant terms, the brand’s website appears at the top of the search results. An SEO strategist’s tasks might involve:
- Keyword research
- On-page optimization
- Technical SEO
- Content strategy
- Backlink strategy
- Analytics and Reporting
As we all know, SEO is a long-term game that requires specific technical skills which differ from social media. While both roles require content, SEO is more analytical and technical, focusing on how search engines interpret a website.
The Risk of Blending Both
When you make the mistake of making your social media manager your SEO manager or vice versa, you risk many issues such as:
- Diluted Expertise: Both roles require specialized knowledge, and few professionals can genuinely excel in both. By expecting one person to manage both social media and SEO, businesses may end up with a strategist who’s proficient in one area but only moderately skilled in the other.
- So-So Content Strategy: Content is at the core of both SEO and social media, but the approach is different. Social media requires timely, engaging, and often interactive content, while SEO content must be keyword-optimized, long-form, and evergreen. By combining these, the resulting content may fail to perform well in either realm.
- Overwhelmed Strategists: A single person juggling multiple areas—social media, SEO, graphic design, email marketing, and more—is set up to fall short. These are demanding roles, each with its own set of tools, metrics, and best practices, which can quickly lead to burnout and ineffective work.
- Missed Opportunities: Without dedicated focus, brands may miss out on the true potential of each channel. Social media and SEO each have massive potential, but to unlock it, strategists need time to focus, analyze, and refine their approaches.
Just Let the Pros Do What They Do Best
There’s a phrase we’ve all heard before (maybe) which is “a jack-of-all-trades is often a master of none” and when companies stretch their job descriptions too thin, they’ll get a lot of surface-level work that doesn’t have the expertise or the depth to drive any sort of meaningful results. Social media experts will do great in creating connections and engaging with those connections. An SEO strategist will make data-driven decisions that help your content rank.
As a business owner, hire them to do separate things. It's not necessarily completely forbidden to have your content write do content development, but you shouldn’t expect them to run every single aspect of both of your SEO and social media – it’ll end in disaster.
Takeaways
When a company looks to maximize digital reach, combining roles like social media strategist and SEO strategist may seem efficient, but more times than not, it backfires. Each role has unique demands that require focus, creativity, and specialized skills. By acknowledging these distinctions and allowing each role to thrive independently, businesses can create stronger, more effective digital strategies that genuinely connect with their audiences and drive real growth.
