When you search Ghanaian job boards for social media work, the titles vary a lot: social media assistant, social media officer, social media executive, community manager, digital and social media manager, and sometimes live streaming sales officer. Knowing what sits behind each title helps you decide what to apply for and what to practise.
The common roles
- Social media assistant. Usually an entry point. You post content others have prepared, reply to comments and messages, collect stories from followers and pass sales enquiries to the right person. News platforms, agencies and shops hire assistants.
- Social media officer or executive. You run the accounts for one organisation: planning posts, scheduling them, watching comments, keeping the brand's reputation clean and preparing reports. Some roles also ask you to update the website or support the people running ads.
- Community manager. The focus is people, not posts. You look after groups, comment sections and members, answer questions, run online events and make sure rules are followed. NGOs and tech companies often use this title.
- Live selling host. Some retail and health product companies hire people to sell through Facebook or TikTok live streams, presenting products and taking orders in real time.
- Freelance page manager. You look after the pages of several small businesses, each paying a monthly fee. This is common for people starting out, because churches, schools, salons and shops all need help.