Social Media Under the Microscope: How Marketing Managers Manage Their Time
From the outside, working with social media may look simple: come up with an idea, publish a post, reply to a few comments. But in reality, a marketing manager’s day involves much more than posting content.
A significant share of working time goes into analytics, reporting, planning, coordination, and performance tracking. Today’s marketing manager isn’t just a content creator – they are also an analyst, a strategist, and a process manager.
Let’s take a closer look at how marketing managers actually spend their time – and how much of it is dedicated to social media.
How Many Hours Are Spent on Social Media
Research published by MarketingProfs shows that social media professionals spend on average:
around 5 hours per week creating and approving content
about 3.8 hours on analytics and reporting
roughly 3.6 hours on strategic planning
That’s more than 12 hours per week spent on core tasks alone – and this doesn't include meetings, internal communication, or urgent operational issues.
How Working Time Is Distributed
Work with social media includes several major blocks:
1. Content Creation
preparing visuals or video materials
adapting content for different platforms
coordinating approvals with management or clients
revisions and adjustments
Depending on the number of social networks involved, this process can take several hours per week, with 40% of marketers spending 1–5 hours and 25% spending 6–10 hours weekly on social media content, according to survey data from Rick Whittington.
2. Analytics and Reporting
Industry research suggests that marketing managers spend an average of 3.8 hours per week working with data, including:
exporting statistics
preparing reports
analyzing engagement metrics
comparing time periods
calculating the ROI of advertising campaigns
In practice, this often means hours spent in spreadsheets – most commonly in Microsoft Excel or similar tools, as marketers regularly report that data handling tasks take a substantial portion of their workweek.
It is analytics that makes it possible to understand which publications perform well, which don’t, and how to adjust the strategy accordingly.
3. Strategy and Planning
In addition to operational work, marketing managers are engaged in:
developing content plans
defining KPIs
audience segmentation
media planning
budgeting
Even if strategic sessions take place once a month, preparation for them and subsequent adjustments require several hours every week.
Weekly Time Investment: Real Figures
Data from different survey segments indicate that:
the largest group falls into the 1–5 hours per week range, with 43% spending 4–5 hours weekly on social media activities;
56% of marketers spend 6 hours or more per week on social media;
30% dedicate 11 hours or more each week to social media tasks;
12.5% spend over 20 hours per week on social media.
For companies where social media is a primary marketing channel, this can represent a significant portion of the workweek – sometimes close to half of it.
Why Social Media Takes So Much Time
Multi-channel presence – each platform requires its own tone, format, and approach. Content rarely works the same way everywhere.
Constant change – algorithms, trends, and formats evolve quickly, which means marketers must constantly monitor and adapt.
Data-driven expectations – social media marketing is no longer just creative work. Leadership expects measurable results and clear performance indicators.
Ongoing communication – responding to comments, managing direct messages, handling feedback, and working with partners all require attention and time.
According to industry research by HubSpot, these factors significantly contribute to the time spent on social media.
A Typical Time Breakdown
Based on industry research, content creation takes the largest share of social media work, followed by analytics and strategic planning. Communication, coordination, and technical tasks account for the remaining workload, which varies by platform scope and organizational complexity.
Overall, social media has evolved into a full-fledged marketing function requiring strategic thinking, structured processes, and significant time investment. Behind every polished feed and viral post stand hours of analytics, reporting, and planning – the often invisible but essential work of a modern marketing manager.