Creating a rockstar social media team takes more than just hiring young talent who know their way around Instagram. It's about finding people who can truly capture your company's voice and connect with your audience in meaningful ways.
The most successful teams understand that social media is constantly changing, requiring storytellers who can adapt quickly and keep your brand feeling fresh and relevant. And the right approach can help transform your social media into a powerful communication channel.
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Strategies for building a strong social media team
In this article, we’ve gathered the experiences of 20 business professionals when building out their social strategy. Let’s dive into their experiences and see how finding the right strategy is important for businesses of all sizes.
1. Embed social team for cross-functional success
I want to start by saying that building a social media team has certainly changed over the years and is mostly customized based on the needs of those who utilize it. What worked in 2015, or even 2020, doesn't cut it in 2025. Platforms, audiences, algorithms — everything evolves, and so should your approach to team-building.
When I built and managed a successful social media team at a major research university, we weren't just posting content. We were working daily with our editorial team, producing thought leadership, jumping into trending moments, supporting 50+ accounts, and doing it all with somewhat limited resources. That required hiring differently: prioritizing adaptability, curiosity, and creative thinking over flashy resumes.
One strategy that made all the difference was to lean into cross-functional collaboration. Our team didn't live in a silo; we embedded ourselves with researchers, comms, PR, web, even video and design. That allowed us to tell better stories faster, with more accuracy and relevance. It also built trust across departments, which is a massive unlock for any social team trying to move at the speed of culture.
My advice for anyone building or managing a social team today would be to treat your team like a startup. Give them ownership, clear priorities, and permission to test, fail, learn, and iterate. Social is no longer just a megaphone; it's R&D, brand, community, and frontline comms all rolled into one. You need people who aren't just channel managers, but strategists and storytellers who understand audience behavior and platform nuance.
Also, get comfortable with using AI as an accelerator, not a replacement. It's a cheat code if your team learns how to wield it well.
Lastly, celebrate wins, both big and weird. Viral post? Celebrate it. Smart clapback in the comments? Celebrate it. Monthly analytics that show real community growth? That too. Social can be exhausting, but it should still be fun, and there's something to learn from every post, comment, and reply.
Vincent Orleck, Founder, Not A Guru Consulting
2. Align storytellers with brand and audience
Building a successful social media team started with a clear understanding: we weren't just hiring content creators — we were curating storytellers who understood our brand, our audience, and the emotional journey of buying a home. One strategy that proved pivotal was aligning our team around real-time collaboration between marketing, sales, and customer support. This helped our content reflect what our audience was actually feeling and asking.
We empowered the team with creative freedom but grounded it in data — weekly performance reviews weren't just about metrics, but learning and experimentation. The best-performing content often came from our openness to try new formats and shift direction quickly when needed.
My advice? Build a team that's not only skilled, but also curious. Social media changes fast — your team needs to enjoy the process of keeping up, learning, and adapting. Success comes when the team feels ownership, stays agile, and always remembers who they're speaking to.
Robin Cherian, CEO, The Canadian Home
3. Build systems for data-driven content creation
We didn't start with a massive budget or a big agency. Instead, we built our social media team in-house, focusing on clarity, ownership, and bottom-line impact. Rather than hiring based solely on creativity or follower count, we sought individuals who understood both audience psychology and data-driven iteration.
One strategy that made a significant difference was building a centralized content library and brief system.
This system included brand voice examples, audience personas, proven post formats, and a performance breakdown of past campaigns. It reduced guesswork and made onboarding and collaboration much faster. Even freelancers could plug in and contribute effectively in days, not weeks.
We also gave team members clear KPIs aligned to growth or conversion, rather than likes or impressions. This shifted the mindset from merely "posting content" to driving meaningful engagement that moved business metrics.
For example, switching from polished carousels to raw, founder-style behind-the-scenes videos increased engagement by 230% in one quarter and led directly to 7 qualified B2B leads.
My advice: Avoid managing creatives with vague instructions. Instead, build repeatable systems, track what actually drives results, and treat your social team like growth marketers, not just brand decorators.
Suraj Shrivastava, Founder, SERP Forge
4. Train AI agents with authentic content
Today, our social media team comprises custom AI agents — trained over the past year using data from our most authentic, high-performing posts. We've taught them to create content in our voice and aligned with what our audience actually wants to see. Before AI, however, our strategy was simple: tell real stories, not just showcase work.
We focused on case studies that unpacked not just results, but why we made certain design choices and how they impacted our clients. We then repurposed that into short-form video and graphics with emotional resonance and strategic clarity.
A strategy that worked: We leaned into narrative. "Here's how we helped a women-led startup compete in a male-dominated industry" — that resonates more strongly than a generic project showcase. People want to see themselves in your story.
Advice to others: Build a foundation of content that feels authentic before automating anything. Whether you're human-powered or AI-supported, authenticity remains your best growth strategy.
Meesha Gerhart, CEO, Redtree Web Design
5. Recruit influencers for organic business growth
To form my social media team, I opted for a direct outreach model instead of traditional hiring. As a heavy user of X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and occasionally Facebook, I identified individuals with strong engagement and authentic followings. I contacted 20 such individuals, received responses from most, and interviewed those who were interested. Ultimately, I selected four standout candidates. Their existing presence and audience helped generate organic business quickly. Our team consistently meets performance targets. Their competitive salaries are justified by the strong return on investment.
Farhan Sheikh, Chief Marketing Strategist, SEOLHR
6. Maintain consistency and transparency across platforms
We built and managed a successful social media team by staying consistently active on all platforms, including Reddit, Mastodon, X, LinkedIn, etc. We ensure that we post every few days and reply to comments, as we realize consistency is key.
We focus on sharing relevant topics within our niche, such as cloud storage, cybersecurity, and online privacy, with a mixture of infographics, questionnaires, free tools, articles, etc., to mix things up and keep our audience engaged.
Transparency is also a core value for our social media team, so we regularly share product updates and quarterly reports to keep our community informed about our progress, which has always been well-received.
My advice is to stay consistent, be transparent, and always listen to your community.
Fran Villalba Segarra, CEO, Internxt
7. Rotate roles to keep the team alert
I selected new team members from the comments under our posts. People who assisted others and remained composed under pressure received a call. Each candidate managed a test page for ten days while the rest of us observed in silence. They wrote captions, responded to trolls, and documented every decision in a shared document. After the trial period, we discussed successes and failures, and then they joined the main page. Every three months, we rotate roles, so the writer analyzes the statistics, and the data analyst handwrites the copy. This rotation keeps everyone alert.
We operate an Early View Room on Telegram. Fifty loyal fans view each post fifteen minutes before it goes public. A small script in Google Sheets tallies likes and warning words. If the count seems inaccurate, we either correct the post or remove it. Mistakes decreased to nearly zero. Reach increased by a third. Important lesson: create a small space to fail privately, learn quickly, and then publish with confidence. Slow, steady progress wins the AI race occurring all around us today.
8. Create structure and freedom for magic
The secret sauce to our social media success? We treated it like a campaign, not a chore. We built repeatable systems, content calendars, templated creatives, platform-specific strategies, and assigned ownership with crystal-clear KPIs. Then, we gave our team room to experiment. That combination of structure and freedom is what made the magic happen.
One strategy that truly made a difference: We created a "swipe file" of top-performing posts and competitor wins. This gave our team a constant source of inspiration and benchmarks, which boosted output quality and saved loads of time.
If I could offer one piece of advice? Treat your social team like a creative R&D department, not just a content mill. Let them test wild ideas, track performance, and build on the wins.
Patrick Carver, CEO & Founder, Constellation Marketing
9. Hire for competencies, not just skills
Building a successful social media team, like building any high-performing team, starts with identifying the right competencies. It's not just about skills on paper, but the deeper qualities that drive performance. I've always approached hiring and team development by looking for candidates who demonstrate core competencies like adaptability, creative problem-solving, collaboration, and learning agility.
Social media changes constantly, so adaptability is non-negotiable. I sought out individuals who were not only technically strong but who thrived on change, stayed curious, and could pivot quickly as platforms evolved. During interviews, I paid close attention to how candidates approached past challenges and how they sought out solutions when faced with uncertainty — a real indicator of learning agility.
One strategy that was key to our success was creating competency-aligned development paths. We didn't stop at hiring for potential — we invested in continuous learning tied to the competencies that mattered most. For example, we provided cross-functional projects to build collaboration and analytical assignments to strengthen strategic thinking. This kept the team growing together and sharpened the very competencies that would carry them forward.
My advice to others? Don't hire for resumes, hire for competencies. Define what success looks like in the role; not just tasks, but the behaviors and capabilities that will drive results. Then, structure your hiring and development process around those. When you align your team-building approach with clear competencies, you set yourself up for long-term success.
Linda Scorzo, CEO, Hiring Indicators
10. Embrace diversity for universal appeal
Hire for diversity. Social media is a diverse space with billions of people from different cultural backgrounds. There are different generations with different experiences and preferences on how to connect and converse. Your social media team needs to mirror the same diversity.
McKinsey reported that companies that hire ethnically diverse teams are 39% more likely to outperform other teams. 66% of customers admit they would buy from brands that show diversity in their marketing materials, according to Sprout Social.
We hired a diverse social media team. Our employees speak multiple languages, come from different countries, and help us create campaigns with universal appeal. A recent campaign highlighted the speed and reliability of our hosting services in Asian markets.
Our Asian team member, who is also the team leader, suggested we use a cheetah. She explained it was a local symbol for speed, unlike the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolute we used for a campaign in the Swedish market. We also included phrases in her native language that she suggested, and the campaign outdid our projections by 13%.
My advice to others is to hire for diversity. Look for differences in culture, age, thoughts, experience, and expertise. Besides increased creativity and productivity, a diverse team also avoids PR pitfalls. It is easy to overlook cultural sensitivities with a homogeneous team due to a lack of understanding of other cultures.
Daniel Yeromka, CEO, HostZealot.com
11. Foster adaptability and encourage creativity
Having a great team comes down to ensuring everybody gets along. It's not just about finding people who have the great skills that we need; it's about finding people who have the right personality to fit with other team members. We always look for people who are adaptable and who are excited about change, not scared of it. Experience definitely matters, but it's more important that people are able to be creative and think on their feet.
One thing that has worked particularly well for us is ensuring members can work across a broad range of disciplines. So we don't have people who just work on one thing; we want people who can not only work closely with social media but also who are good with customer service and so on. My best advice is to be encouraging. Encourage team members to come up with their own ideas, to celebrate others, and not be afraid to take risks.
Esther Buttery, Director, CLIQ Marketing Content
12. Schedule time for creative exploration
One important strategy that has worked for me and my social team is to set aside time for creativity. Our days are busy, and most of us tend to push aside our creative time. I encourage my team to set aside time each week to browse TikTok, Reels, and Shorts to see what's trending and how we can incorporate it into our own social media strategy or our clients' social media strategies. Add it to your calendar and create a task to ensure you don't forget about it. These creative sessions are what make your work stronger and better.
Haley Wells, Social Media Team Lead, seoplus+
13. Recognize achievements to fuel team morale
Social media is often a fast-paced and high-pressure space. That is why we made a conscious effort to recognize and celebrate even the smallest wins. Whether it was a meaningful comment from a customer, an influencer mention, or a reel that exceeded expectations, we made sure to highlight it. One game-changing strategy was creating a #SocialWins channel on Slack, where every team member could share victories and the lessons behind them. It kept morale high and reminded us that every post has value.
My advice: If you want to build a high-performing team, fuel them with recognition. People do not just want to work; they want to feel appreciated and acknowledged.
Jay Jangid, Marketing Specialist, Pulse of Strategy
14. Empower ownership in content creation
I've learned that building a successful social media team starts with clarity and culture. I built our team around a clear mission: create content that converts by connecting with people emotionally and delivering real value. But it's the culture of trust, creativity, and fast execution that brought that mission to life. I empowered my team to take ownership of their lanes — whether that was video, copywriting, analytics, or engagement — and backed them with the tools, data, and freedom to experiment. Our strength came from blending strategy with speed: daily briefs, fast testing, and constant feedback loops.
One key strategy that made all the difference was establishing a "content-first, campaign-second" mindset. We didn't wait for big sales or announcements to post; we created a consistent stream of value-driven content that built loyalty, not just clicks. My advice to others? Build a team of storytellers who understand data, and teach them to think like media producers. Social media is no longer just about brand awareness — it's your frontline sales and trust channel. Treat it like your most important media property, because that's exactly what it is.
Mark W Lamplugh Jr, Chief Marketing Officer | TV Host | Author | Board Member, Street Level Marketing Show
15. Trust team to express brand values
Building a successful social media team has been a learning journey. For me, it started with treating the team not just as "content creators" but as a true extension of our brand voice and customer connection.
One strategy that really contributed to our success was giving the team ownership and space to experiment. Instead of micromanaging every post, we focused on clear brand values and messaging principles, and then trusted the team to find creative ways to express those. This allowed them to stay agile, adapt to trends, and engage authentically with our audience.
My advice to others is to hire for curiosity and adaptability, not just platform skills. Social media changes fast. The right mindset and willingness to learn will take your team much further than expertise in a single tool or channel. Always keep the feedback loop open; your team is on the front lines hearing what your customers care about every day.
Krishna Bhatt, Founder and CEO, Webuters Technologies
16. Specialize roles for focused performance
We built the social media team by breaking roles down to their core functions. Instead of hiring a generalist to "do social," we hired specialists. This approach enables team members to go deep rather than wide. Our content lead focuses solely on writing, with visuals optimized for maximum engagement. The ads lead tests creative, manages budgets, and reports on ROAS. Our analyst tracks what's working across platforms and gives weekly insights to adjust strategy.
The strategy that worked best for us was treating social media like a product. We have dashboards, run sprints, set KPIs, and review performance on a weekly basis. Our creative decisions are data-backed, so when short-form video started outperforming carousels on LinkedIn, we had the data to pivot our entire content calendar quickly.
My advice is to specialize early and build a feedback loop into the team structure. Generalists work for launch, but scale needs hyper-focus. Knowing who owns what, backed by a tight loop between output and insight, drives results. Design the team for iteration from the very beginning.
Geoffrey Bourne, Co-Founder, Ayrshare
17. Choose flexible team structure for success
Building and managing a successful social media team requires thoughtful planning and flexibility. One of the strategies that helped us was choosing the right team structure. There are three main ways to structure a social media team: Centralized, where the team works independently and handles everything; Hub and Spoke, where a core team leads social media but works closely with other departments; and Holistic, where social media is part of everyone's job across the company.
For us, the Hub and Spoke model worked best. We have a small core team that manages strategy, content, and paid ads, but we also collaborate extensively with customer service, product, and sales teams. This approach ensures our messaging stays consistent while also receiving valuable input and assistance from other experts within the company. It maintains coordination without placing all the pressure on a single team.
My advice to others is to consider your company's size, culture, and goals before selecting a structure. Don't be afraid to mix and match or evolve as you grow. Furthermore, ensure that you establish clear communication channels and foster teamwork across departments. That connection helps everyone feel involved and strengthens your social media efforts.
I also recommend checking in with your team to adjust roles or processes when needed. That flexibility, combined with the right structure, makes all the difference in building a team that's both productive and happy.
Maris Laatre, Chief Marketing Officer, Bully Max
18. Value strengths over hierarchy in teams
Social media is more than just platforms and departments.
It is culture, timing, tone, psychology, and data, all in motion, all at once.
From day one, I was clear about one thing:
I didn't want managers.
I didn't want TLs.
I didn't want hierarchy.
I wanted a team that thinks like creators, analysts, community builders, and brand stewards.
Just smart people with sharp instincts and mutual respect.
And if we talk about the strategy, it is very simple. Let each person play to their strengths.
- The one who writes like a human
- The one who catches trends quickly
- The one who turns feedback into strategy
- The one who designs thumb-stopping visuals
- The one who hears the audience, not just listens
- The one who knows when to post, pause, and push
- The one who turns messy analytics into sharp insights
- The one who keeps us relevant without chasing every shiny thing
Just clear lanes with fluidity. No one boxed in. Everyone trusted.
My advice to others?
Social media moves too fast for static job descriptions. So hire for a point of view, not a platform.
Because in the end, what lasts is curiosity, creativity, adaptability, empathy, and ownership.
That's how you build a team that doesn't just execute, but evolves.
Vartika Kashyap, Chief Marketing Officer, ProofHub
19. Streamline approval process for quick action
Building a successful social media team came down to two key things: clarity and autonomy. From the start, we were intentional about defining what success looked like on each channel and aligning content goals with broader marketing objectives. Once that clarity was in place, we focused on hiring people who genuinely understand social media — not just how to schedule posts, but how to craft stories that resonate, ride trends with purpose, and move the needle on brand and engagement.
One strategy that made a huge difference for us was creating a clear approval and collaboration process. It sounds simple, but when multiple stakeholders are involved — from brand to product and content — it's easy for social media to become a bottleneck. Using our own product allowed us to streamline that feedback loop and empower the team to move quickly without losing quality or consistency.
My advice? Don't treat social media like a megaphone — treat it like a conversation. Build a team that's creative, curious, and close to the community. Give them the tools and trust to move quickly and adapt. And lastly, make sure they're part of the bigger picture. Social media isn't just about distribution — it's often where your brand lives.
Miruna Dragomir, CMO, Planable
20. Connect social team with product development
We built our social media team around the product, not the other way around. We ensured that social media wasn't siloed. The team had direct access to our launches, user feedback, and internal experiments. One strategy that worked well was building a repeatable content engine tied to our product cycle — shipping features, capturing community reactions, and turning those into short, authentic posts that showed progress and momentum.
My advice: involve your social team in product and support channels early. Let them see what real users are saying, what's shipping, and what's working. Great content doesn't need to be viral. It just needs to be real, consistent, and aligned with what your team is building.
