With over 3.6 billion people using social media globally, building a social strategy for your organization is more crucial than ever to your brand’s success.

But, your strategy starts with your people, and social media is without a doubt a team effort. Plug and play are no longer enough, especially as the dynamics of the social landscape continue to grow and evolve.

When thinking about building a social media team, start by looking at your immediate needs and then set objectives for your long-term goals.

For example, if your initial focus is on growing organic content, then you may be able to hold off on hiring someone to create paid ads. Of course, the size of your company and your budget will dictate how many individuals you need and can afford to effectively manage your social properties.

Essential roles

There are many responsibilities that fall under a social media team. When hiring you should always begin your search with the head of social media. This is the person that is the “glue” that holds the team together. It's not unusual for this indiviual to be a content director of even marketing VP.

The job titles may vary by organization, but the following roles are among those considered essential to forming a rock star social team:

• Social Strategist: Your strategist may also be your social media manager who owns the overarching strategy. This individual will typically have a background in content creation and marketing. They will be the decision-maker when it comes to projects, and when lobbying with execs for new team members.
• Community Manager: This is your customer service expert who knows how to best embody your brand’s voice. They should be great at problem-solving and know how to put out fires when needed. This is also the person on your team who is readily available to answer questions and reply to comments and DMs.
• Copywriter: This is typically your creative and artistic team member who is an expert at writing and producing content that speaks to your brand. This individual may also contribute to the visual design aspects of social.
• PPC Specialist: Your pay-per-click specialist is your team member who focuses on paid advertising across social. They may also be responsible for a number of the organization’s ad campaigns.
• Social Media Analyst: The analyst understands SEO and knows how to spot traffic patterns and engagement on your website and social properties. They may also be an Excel and reporting wizard who is great at analyzing data.
• Graphic Designer: A designer is needed to bring the words and the concepts to life across your social platforms. This individual should be adept at image editing, creation, and design tools like Figma, Adobe InDesign, and Adobe Photoshop. Ideally, they will have experience creating images, logos, infographics, GIFs, videos, and more.
• Social Influencer: This is your lover of people who enjoy collaborating with industry influencers. They manage relationships, curate content, and recruit influencers to share brand content on their own platforms.

Team building

Although all of the above-mentioned roles are ideal when creating a social media team, you may not need all of them in order to be successful. For example, in some cases, one individual on your team may take on 1-3 of the above roles. A copywriter may also create graphic designs, and a social media analyst may also handle paid advertisements.

Every organization’s needs are different, so it’s important to gauge what your goals are, and what team structure will provide you with the most bang for your buck.

When building a social media team, remember that everyone plays an important part in your brand’s success. Collaboration is key! Be sure to leverage your players’ strengths to form a truly dynamic team that will make a tremendous impact on your business goals. Don’t underestimate the power of teamwork, because when all of the moving parts come together, the result will be powerful messaging for your brand.

“Collaboration is the best way to work… Everyone’s there because they have a set of skills to offer across the board.” — Antony Starr

Once you’ve built your social media team, learn more about how to define your social strategy.

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