Social Media Management Positions

Traditional industries think content doesn't work for them. "We're too conservative." "Our clients don't use social media." "This feels unprofessional." I just helped a $750M wealth management company prove that completely wrong. Most conservative industries avoid content because they don't have the right system. They think it's about going viral or being "trendy." The real challenge: building cultural connection with clients so your brand becomes more than services and numbers. You want clients to feel the brand carries them through highs and lows - not just when markets are up. Here's the system we built: 1. LinkedIn OS Funnel Content 7 days per week across 4 strategic categories: • Education (investments, tax strategies, financial planning) • Growth opportunities (market insights, wealth building) • Next gen insights (younger generation wealth transfer) • Values and culture (the human side of wealth management) Each category serves a different client need and moves people systematically through the funnel. Every piece includes clear calls to action tied to specific outcomes. 2. The Content Waterfall One piece of foundational content becomes multiple formats across platforms. This builds brand recognition without burning out your team or sacrificing the quality standards conservative industries require. Strategic repurposing, not lazy reposting. 3. The Right Team Structure This isn't about hiring a social media manager and hoping for the best. You need an entire operating system: • Content strategist who understands both your industry and platforms • Designer who maintains brand standards across every piece • Systems manager who keeps production running smoothly • Leadership buy-in on the vision and long-term commitment The transformation: From "our industry doesn't do social media" to impossible-to-ignore brand presence. Maintaining institutional quality while scaling with modern tactics. Conservative industries have an advantage most don't realize: Less competition on content platforms. Higher trust requirements that content directly addresses. Longer client relationships that content can deepen systematically. The founders who win in traditional industries don't abandon their standards. They build systems that maintain quality while achieving scale. — Enjoy this? ♻️ Repost it to your network and follow Matt Gray for more. Want to build a scalable content operating system? Get the Media Company OS here: https://fos.now/ADCAZD

The next generation of CMOs will come from today’s Social Media Managers. Last night, we gathered 40 of the brightest social media minds in Manchester to talk about where this industry is heading. We weren’t just talking about platforms, algorithms, or engagement rates. We were talking about power shifts. Because social media is no longer just another marketing channel. It is the connection point between a brand and its audience. It’s where reputations are built, narratives are controlled, and communities are formed. It’s where demand is created BEFORE a single product is sold. For decades, marketing operated like a pipeline: push out a message, drive a conversion, measure the ROI. But now? Every company is in the business of media. Whether you’re selling software, sneakers, or smoothies, every company has to focus it's effort on media because it's the only way to be relevant in an attention-scarce world. In other words, the 'funnel' has changed. We're no longer obsessed with conversion, we're focussed on capturing attention. And if you're able to retain attention, you shouldn't have to worry about conversion. And the people who understand this better than anyone? The ones running your social. They’re not the last step in the process - the ones who take assets and push them live or 'make it go viral'. They’re shaping narratives, building communities, and architecting brands. They’re the connective tissue between a company and its audience, the ones who understand where the conversation is moving before the rest of the business catches up. They think in story arcs, engagement loops, and retention strategies. They know how to build trust at scale and turn a brand into a movement. And if attention is the most valuable currency in business today, they’re the ones holding the purse strings. The real question isn’t whether social media managers deserve a seat at the table. It’s a question of how long before they're leading it. Thoughts? - - - 🐝 Manchester, it was a pleasure to bring FLIGHTSTORY to your city to facilitate the conversation. Where should we head next?

A ₹50 Cr brand hired a VP of Social for ₹35 LPA. Their competitor also a 50 Cr brand hired a a social media manager for ₹6 LPA. Three years later: Brand A: ₹180 Cr, crediting their VP of Social Brand B: Still at ₹50 Cr, blaming “the algorithm” Here’s what actually happened. What the Social Media Manager did: → Posted 3x a week on Instagram → Replied to comments → Ran influencer campaigns when marketing approved budget → Reported: “Engagement up 15%!” → Sat in zero leadership meetings What the VP of Social did: → Sat in product development meetings - killed 2 launches because “this won’t work on social” → Owned customer insights - flagged complaints that became product improvements → Built a content engine - 47 pieces of UGC per month vs 12 polished posts → Turned social into a revenue channel - not just a brand awareness play → Had P&L responsibility - ₹2 Cr budget, measured in actual sales The difference wasn’t skill. It was authority. The Social Media Manager wanted to: • Test bold creative • Respond to trending moments in real-time• Invest in community building But needed 3 approvals and a deck to do anything. The VP of Social: • Had the authority to move fast • Reported to the CEO • Could kill bad ideas before they launched • Wasn’t waiting for “brand guidelines” to react to culture Here’s the pattern I keep seeing: Brands treat social media like a megaphone when it’s actually your nervous system. It’s where you: → Hear what customers actually think (not what surveys say) → Test messaging before spending ₹50L on a campaign → Build community that becomes your moat → Turn customers into creators But if your “social person” has to ask permission to reply to a viral tweet, you’ve already lost. The uncomfortable truth: Your competitor isn’t beating you because they post better. They’re beating you because their social team has a seat at the table where decisions get made. While your social manager is waiting for approval on a carousel post, their VP is in the room saying “we can’t launch this, it’ll get destroyed on Twitter.” The shift: STOP treating social media as a “creative” function. START treating it as a strategic business function. STOP hiring based on “can they make pretty posts?” START hiring based on “do they understand business?” Because in 2025, your brand’s reputation is built (or destroyed) on social media faster than any campaign you’ll ever run. And if the person managing that doesn’t have the authority to act fast, you’re playing defense in a game that rewards speed.

How to get into social media marketing with no experience 💭 One of the questions I get asked most is: "How do I break into social media marketing when I have no experience and no one will offer me a job?" The simple answer is… Create your own opportunities and show that you have the skills of a social media manager. You can do this by creating mock-ups and examples to include in your social media portfolio and that’s exactly how I got started in the industry three years ago! Here are a few ideas: ⚡️Create a social media strategy Come up with a social media strategy for a brand of your choice. Creating a strategy is one of the most important tasks as a social media manager. Even if you haven’t had a chance to do one yet, developing your own strategy shows initiative and demonstrates to potential employers that you have the skills to create one. ⚡️Create graphic posts using Canva Creating graphics may be part of your role as a social media manager! With Canva, it’s much easier to create infographics, videos, and Instagram stories. Create some for your dream brand to showcase your graphic and creative skills. ⚡️Create short-form video content Short-form video content is now super important for social media. In some roles, you will likely need to create Instagram Reels and TikToks. Create short form videos of your choice to showcase your video and editing skills. In today’s competitive job market for marketing roles, having a social media portfolio even without prior social media manager experience can really set you apart from everyone else. I didn’t create a portfolio when I first started, but I wish I had. It really complements your CV by showcasing the visual side of your achievements and allows you to include detailed social media stats and metrics. Hope this helps an aspiring social media marketer out there ⚡️

I've been at the helm of social teams for over a decade and Houston we have a problem. I often think this is one of the most undervalued roles within organizations. These folks are expected to perform miracles and be always on with sometimes little to no support (and it's often one person). We talk about "always on" mindset and social teams and social media managers are the embodiment of that. They truly need to be always on in ways few understand. If they're doing a great job they're: 1️⃣ Always up on a all relevant news, happenings, and trends that can align to brand  2️⃣ Consistently doing media listening and competitive intelligence  3️⃣ Working on and scheduling "evergreen" content and campaigns weeks if not months out 4️⃣ Working cross-functionally to understand goals and elevate the work being done internally 5️⃣ Raising the bar by taking risks 6️⃣ Constant experimentation with frameworks and formats 7️⃣ Commenting and responding back (the magic happens in the comments) in a timely manor  8️⃣  Doing all of the above across ALL platforms the company prioritizes + so much more If you'e a leader, prioritize your social team and try to understand the value they bring to your organization. They are often your first or second touch to your product, and can elevate you in amazing ways. But they need the support to get there. 

Hear me out. I don't hire social media managers. I know how that sounds. You've got five platforms and nobody running them…so you hire the person whose entire job is running platforms. Makes sense on paper. But after 4 years of building media teams, I’ve discovered that one hire actually breaks the very thing that drives growth. Here's the setup everyone defaults to: Your editors make the content → hand it to the manager → the manager posts it everywhere → back to making more. Yes, it feels like leverage. People are getting their time back and everyone has a job to do. But it kills your feedback loop. Now the person who posts the content isn't the person who made it. The editor isn’t watching the first 30 minutes after posting. They’re also not reading the comments as they roll in. What happens is the creative isn’t taking what just happened and baking it into the next piece. That feedback loop is where all the growth lives. And sure, a “social media manager” can pay attention to some of those things. But then the people who actually create the content aren’t really held accountable to anything. Not to mention, the creative behind the content oftentimes knows what to look for and what learnings to extract far more than a social media manager ever will. They’re in the weeds of everything and actually doing the shit. When GaryVee decided to go hard on TikTok back in 2018 and I started Channel Managing, I didn't just post and leave. I'd post a clip, then sit on it for the first 20-30 minutes…watching how it landed, reading every comment, then feeding that straight into the next edit. 6-8 edits a day. That's how we took it from 300K to 3.5M in about 3 months. Not because I was "managing" the platform. Because I was the one making AND posting…so the feedback had nowhere to get lost. And I could implement the learnings as fast as possible. And real quick caveat here: Despite what everyone says, nobody is an expert at all five platforms at once. They move too fast and all require different expertise. I prefer specialists over generalists. So I don't put one manager over every channel. I give one platform to one person…and I make sure that person is also the one creating for it. I call these people "Platform Managers." The person posting is the person who made it…so they sit as close to the audience as you can get. And the closer you sit, the faster you learn. Almost nobody builds their team that way. Important qualifier: this is something we want to work our way up to. 99% of people won’t be able to start this way…myself included. This is what good looks like, now we can work our way towards this :)

Most people keep doing the same mistake when looking for a job, specially a remote job. They don't show their work. I'm looking at 50 social media applications and not one pointed to their work. What can a resume tell about their content creation skills? What can a message show? Nothing. In the book "Show your Work" Austin Kleon mentions that the most important thing for an entrepreneur or a freelancer is to show your work, the same is true for job applications. This is what you need to do instead! Show tangible evidence of your work, especially for remote positions: - Include links to your actual content, projects, or portfolio when applying for content creation roles - Don't rely solely on traditional resumes which can't demonstrate practical skills - Take inspiration from Austin Kleon's book "Show Your Work" by documenting and sharing your process and results For social media positions specifically: - Demonstrate your content creation abilities through real examples - Link to your active social media accounts that showcase your work - Include metrics and results from previous campaigns or content efforts The main message is that actions and examples speak louder than claims on a resume, particularly for creative and remote positions. What's the most effective way you've showcased your work in job applications? Share your tips below! 👇

Personal Opinion: If you're gonna hire a social media manager, they need to be obsessed with the main platform that your business needs to have a presence on. Not a catch-all manager. Someone who is already spending a ton of time on one platform. So much that they know it better than most people. They understand nuances when it comes to format, copy, imagery, etc. They already consume a ton of content on that platform so they know what "good" content looks like. They're on top of the trends and can advise on a day-to-day basis (since things move so quickly). They can answer almost any question on the spot either due to their past experiences, current experiments, or overall observations. If you need someone to build your LinkedIn presence, make sure they really know the platform not just someone who has worked at big brand companies who hasn't actually managed an account in years. Same for IG, X, TikTok, etc. This doesn't mean they need to have a huge personal following or active presence, because they could have spent all of their time creating for brands. But it should be clear in the interview process that they know their stuff when it comes to platform-specific strategy.

Yesterday, we turned down a potential social media marketing client. This decision might seem odd to some, but it reflects a crucial aspect of our industry that's often overlooked. In my experience, I’ve encountered four main types of potential social media clients: Limited budget, realistic expectations • Understand growth takes time  • Seek organic strategies and targeted ads  • Often achieve steady, sustainable growth Large budget, demands rapid results • Expect immediate viral success  • Need education on balancing quick wins with long-term brand building  • Success hinges on aligning expectations with reality Sufficient budget, patient approach • Our ideal partnerships  • Allow for comprehensive, creative campaigns  • Typically see significant, lasting results Limited budget, unrealistic demands • Expect massive follower growth quickly  • Often lead to misaligned goals  • We usually decline these projects The potential client we turned down fit into the fourth category. They had a tight budget but expected thousands of new followers across platforms within a month. They wanted guaranteed viral posts, regardless of content quality or audience relevance. We tried to educate them about realistic growth rates and the importance of engagement over mere follower counts. We proposed a scaled-down strategy focusing on targeted growth and meaningful interactions within their budget. However, they insisted on their unrealistic goals, even suggesting buying fake followers - a line we refuse to cross. After careful consideration, we decided to decline the opportunity. While it wasn't an easy choice, we believe it was the right one for both parties. This experience highlights some crucial lessons: For businesses seeking social media marketing: 1. Understand that true social media success takes time and resources 2. Value engagement and genuine connections over follower counts 3. Be wary of promises that sound too good to be true 4. Appreciate agencies that are honest about what can be achieved with your budget For fellow marketers: 1. Stand firm on ethical practices 2. Educate potential clients about realistic outcomes 3. Don't compromise your integrity, even when it means losing a potential client Real social media success isn't about follower counts or viral posts. It's about building a genuine, engaged community that drives business results. This requires time, creativity, and realistic expectations from both the client and the agency. What's your take on this? Have you faced similar situations in your business or marketing career? Share your thoughts below.

Your marketing manager is not your developer. Stop treating them like one. They’re not developers. They’re not engineers. They’re not DevOps. They’re not your internal IT department. They’re marketers. Yet this still happens every day. “You own demand. The website is part of marketing. So… you own the website too.” On paper, that sounds logical. In real life, it’s brutal. Because here’s the part no one talks about: Marketing managers are already drowning. - Targets to hit - Budgets to justify - Campaigns to launch - Stakeholders to manage - Leads to explain when sales misses quota. Then the website breaks. And suddenly, they are expected to: - Debug a form that worked yesterday - Diagnose why GA4/HubSpot stopped tracking - Chase down why conversions dropped overnight - Figure page speed issue that's killing conversions - Fix WordPress backend issues that are crashing the site - Untangle plugins installed by five different agencies since 2016 All while being told: “Why isn’t performance improving?” Let’s be honest. This is exhausting. Demoralising. And quietly unfair. Most marketing managers don’t fail because of bad strategy. They fail because they’re stuck firefighting tech they don’t own. They weren’t hired to maintain websites. They were hired to grow the business. To think. To plan. To experiment. To drive results. Not to live inside the WordPress backend at 10pm, Googling errors they shouldn’t be responsible for. The sad truth? Many marketers burn out not because they’re bad at their job. But because they’re forced to do everyone else’s job too. Not every company can hire an in-house dev team. That’s fine. But every marketing manager deserves a partner, not a burden. Someone who owns the tech. Owns the stack. Owns the problems before they become fires. Marketing works best when marketers can actually market. Protect their focus. Respect their lane. And stop letting the website become the silent reason they suffer.