At Rippling, the social media role is elevated from a simple scheduler to a strategic creative partner. This person acts as a "gatekeeper" for quality, collaborating with various internal teams to transform their requests (e.g., for a webinar promo) into engaging, high-performing content that fits the brand's human-first voice.

Companies often bring social media management in-house because they perceive it as less serious than traditional advertising. This is a critical error. Driving real business results through social media is far more complex and difficult than replicating the functions of a traditional creative agency for print or TV commercials.

The "Social Media Manager" title is a relic from an era of simply posting links and doesn't capture the role's modern complexity of content creation, production, and brand strategy. Retiring it for titles like "Head of Content" or "Brand Marketer" can help secure proper resourcing and executive respect.

The role of a social media manager comprises two distinct functions: 'media' (content creation and production) and 'social' (community engagement and conversation). Brands often prioritize the 'media' aspect, focusing on output, while neglecting the 'social' part, which is essential for building and retaining an audience.

To operate as a true content entity, a social team needs executive leadership (VP of Content), operational direction (Manager/Director), and creative horsepower. The ideal minimum is three specialized content creators who can collaborate on scripts, appear on camera, and edit various formats, supported by design and video resources.

Social platforms reward paid creative that looks and feels like native, organic content. Despite this, brands often silo their paid and organic teams. To maximize ad performance, the team creating high-engagement organic content should also be responsible for informing and creating the paid social creative.

To become truly social-first, companies must shift 20% of their total marketing budget—not just a portion of the creative budget—to producing a high volume of organic content. This content then feeds a more effective paid media strategy.

Webflow's CMO restructured their team to unify media relations, social media, and influencer marketing under a single PR umbrella. This integrated approach acknowledges that these functions are no longer separate disciplines but interconnected components of brand building.

It's standard practice to have dedicated experts for Google Ads and Facebook Ads, yet companies expect one person to master all organic social platforms. To achieve excellence, marketing teams should structure their organic social function with platform specialists, mirroring the successful paid media model.