The Digital Manager Starter Pack

This journey is more than just Canva and vibes.

So you just got hired (or promoted) as a Digital Manager? Congrats!
Welcome to the multiverse of marketing where no day is ever the same, and “urgent” means 30 different things depending on who’s saying it.

But before you dive in, here’s your official Digital Manager Starter Pack, not the one HR gives you, but the real one, from one digital homie to another.

1. A Device That’s Crying for Help

You’ll probably be switching between a work laptop, personal phone, old tablet, and 50 browser tabs like a pro. Somewhere in that chaos, one device is always overheated, underappreciated, and running 16 tools at once.
Tips: This isn’t the time for a pink laptop; go for specs over aesthetics.

2. Google Sheets & Airtable? Your Life is in There.

If it’s not in the sheet, it doesn’t exist. Content calendars, performance reports, campaign plans, even birthday reminders, all living in beautiful, color-coded grids. And yes, you’ll definitely scream “don’t touch my formula!” at least once.
Tips: Learn formulas early, protect your sheets, and make backups. Trust me.

3. A Love-Hate Relationship with Scheduling Tools

You’ll try every tool from Buffer to Later, swear allegiance to Notion one week, and cheat with ClickUp the next. And no matter how planned you think you are, there’s always one last-minute post waiting to ruin your flow.
Tips: Pick one tool that integrates with your core platforms. Keep Google Sheets as your “in-case of fire” plan.

4. A Folder Named “FINAL-FINAL-V2-Updated-ForRealThisTime”

Because naming files is an emotional journey. One campaign, ten versions later… and still, someone asks you to “just tweak the heading.”And that’s not the end, five more tweaks to go. Eventually, “Final_FINAL_USE_THIS_ONE_v9” will live in your soul rent-free.
Tips: …and when all else fails, create a “dump” folder to save your sanity.

5. Access to 7 Platforms ~and Logins for None

You’ll be expected to manage: Instagram. Facebook. LinkedIn. Twitter. Mailchimp. HubSpot. WordPress. Ads Manager. Google Analytics.
But you won’t have admin access to most. Just vibes and strong will.
Tips: Document all access requests. Push for one secure password manager. And if it delays work, say so. Loudly.

6. A Boss Who Asks for a Viral Post Every Week

Can we make this one go viral?” 😐 You’ll get this more times than you’ll hear “great job.” It’s not malice; they just think the internet runs on intention, not algorithms.

Tips: No issues, it’s your platform. Educate with love. Share insights and patterns. Show what worked and why, and make them part of the learning process

7. A Meme Folder for Sanity and Survival

When the campaign flops, the ads get rejected, or the brief makes zero sense, memes will save your life.
Tips: Keep that meme stash alive. You can’t cry in the meeting, but you can reply with SpongeBob.

8. Slack, Teams, WhatsApp… All at Once

Your boss is on Teams, the designer on Slack, and the vendor on WhatsApp. Notifications everywhere.
Tips: Mute wisely. Use focus hours. Set digital boundaries early, or drown in pings.

9. Two Weeks of Work for One Line of Credit

They’ll say, “Nice post!” and move on, not knowing you spent 6 days aligning it with brand pillars, A/B testing captions, and reporting KPIs.
No tips, but you’ve done really well. One of my great colleagues once said “Let’s celebrate old love that was genuinely shown.

10. The Ability to Speak Fluent Buzzword

You’ll hear things like:
“Let’s repurpose that.”
“Let’s sync and align.”
“Let’s tie in or weave it in.”
“Can we pivot the content angle?”
Tips: Sometimes it works. Sometimes you don’t even know what it means. But it sounds good in meetings, so… roll with it.

11. A Backup Power Source. Literally and Emotionally

Because NEPA might disappoint, but your deadline won’t. You’ve probably run campaigns on 5% battery and pure adrenaline.
Tips: Invest in a power bank, UPS, or solar plug. Also, take real breaks. Your brain is not a chatbot.

12. That Unshakeable Love for the Chaos

It’s stressful. It’s intense. You maybe underpaid and over-relied on.
But somehow, you still love the creative process, the campaign wins, the “that’s brilliant!” comments, and the thrill of making something that works.

Final Word from Your Fellow Digi-Warrior:

This job is not for the faint-hearted, but if you’re in it, you’re built different. So here’s to you: the strategy-building, caption-slaying, Ad expert, Copy-perfect writer, digital boss that makes magic look easy.

Keep this with you: “Surviving digital is a flex. But thriving in it? That’s the true power.”

We see you.
We are you.
And this blog is for you.