The Many Hats of an SMM Specialist

As a professional content creator, I occasionally browse job postings on various platforms and often come across openings for SMM specialists. What strikes me every time is the incredibly broad range of responsibilities these roles include. Employers seem to expect one person to handle everything: creating photo and video content, writing copy, developing marketing strategies, analyzing data, setting up advertisements, engaging with audiences, and collaborating with partners’ advertising departments.
Such a list of responsibilities essentially combines the roles of a marketer, a content creator, and a PR manager, making expectations for SMM specialists not only overly ambitious but practically unrealistic.

The Cost of Spreading Too Thin

It’s easy to understand why this happens, especially when it comes to small businesses – budgets are tight, and the work needs to get done. However, the reality is that one person cannot be an expert in multiple fields at the same time. As a result, one area inevitably ends up being less polished than the others. And in practice, it’s usually the quality of visual content that suffers the most: Reels videos, editing, and filming. In these areas, the so-called universal SMM specialist often turns out to be an amateur rather than a professional, which directly affects the final result.

An Eye-Opening Interview

At one of the interviews, I was asked, “We are confident that you’re a good video creator, but how good are you as an SMM specialist?” This question perfectly illustrates the imbalance in professional roles and the attempt to place the responsibilities of two positions on one person. Interestingly, the same company was hiring a designer but didn’t expect them to also take on the duties of a marketer or project manager. At the same time, the employer acknowledges that creating Reels is not just an important task but the foundation of social media promotion.
During this same interview, I was asked, “Are you more of a creative person or someone who can handle routine tasks?” This question again highlights the underestimation of the workload involved in video content creation. Professional content creation is not just about inspiration, it also involves a massive amount of technical and often monotonous work that is essential for the final result. Reviewing footage, editing, color correction, and finding the right music—all of these tasks take up a significant amount of time and require intense focus.

Can Anyone With a Smartphone Be a Pro Content Creator?

This underestimation is largely due to the fact that, in today’s world, anyone with a smartphone is, to some extent, a Reels maker and content creator. To employers and non-professionals, content creation often seems like a secondary task that anyone can handle. For example, someone films a smiling dog, posts a Reel, and gets a million views—we consume such content every day, content created by non-professionals and still attracts massive engagement.
This approach overlooks the difference between “random success” and “systematic quality.” Creating Reels to promote products or services requires a professional approach: the result should be aesthetically pleasing, and leave a positive impression. It’s not about hype, but about crafting content that builds long-term trust in the brand and establishes an emotional connection with the target audience.

The Strategy Was Perfect, But the Content Wasn’t

A classic situation an employer might face when hiring a specialist focused solely on marketing, analytics, and strategy. This person develops a detailed marketing strategy, produces dozens of amateurish Reels, and begins analyzing the results. But what do they discover?
The analysis reveals disappointing metrics: low views, poor watch time, and minimal engagement. These results highlight a major issue—the content simply isn’t resonating with the audience.
The situation becomes even more costly when advertising is involved. Budgets are spent promoting weak content. Advertising doesn’t fix poor-quality content, it exposes it. Without strong, compelling visuals, even the best marketing strategy falls flat.

Social Media: A Project That Demands Professionalism

Modern social media is an incredibly powerful sales tool, but it’s important to understand that it’s a full-scale project. And like any project, it requires a systematic approach, a professional team, and high-quality execution at every stage. Trying to cut corners on key aspects, such as content creation, leads to wasted time, money, and ultimately, missed results. Investing in professional content and a well-crafted strategy isn’t an expense—it’s an investment in the sustainable growth of your business. Bad content not only wastes your budget but also damages your brand’s credibility.