Who you need + what they cost

It takes the right mix of roles and skills to turn social into a real growth channel. That’s where a high-performing social media team comes in.

In this guide, we break down the key roles every social media team needs, plus the skills, responsibilities, and salaries to help you build yours.

What is a social media team?

A social media team is responsible for planning, creating, publishing, and managing a brand’s social media presence.

A typical social media team includes:

• Strategists, who set goals and define content direction
• Content creators, who write posts and create visuals or videos
• Community managers, who respond to comments and direct messages (DMs)
• Analysts, who track performance and optimize results
• Social media managers, who oversee planning, publishing, and day-to-day execution across social media channels
• Paid social specialists, who manage ad campaigns and budgets
• Influencer managers, who handle creator collaborations and campaigns

Not every social media team looks the same. For example, a small business might have one or two people wearing multiple hats, while larger organizations have dedicated specialists for each role.

At the same time, some roles might be handled in-house, while others may be outsourced to freelancers or agencies, depending on the team’s size, budget, and needs.

What does a social media team do?

A social media team is responsible for everything from daily posting to long-term strategy.

That means:

• Managing a content calendar
• Creating posts, videos, and visuals
• Scheduling and publishing social media posts
• Engaging with followers through comments and DMs
• Monitoring trends, mentions, and conversations
• Tracking performance and optimizing future content

But it’s not just execution. A strong social team connects social media to real business goals, whether that’s brand awareness, customer support, or sales.

A retail company, for example, might focus on social commerce and generating more sales. The team could include a content creator filming aspirational lifestyle content, a paid ads specialist running campaigns on Facebook and Instagram, and a community manager responding to DMs and support requests.

Key roles on a social media team [+ salaries]

A high-performing social media team doesn’t happen by accident. Here are seven key social media team roles to consider.

Social media manager

The social media manager is the backbone of any social media team.

This is a true generalist role. Social media managers understand social platforms, content, strategy, and execution,  and know how to pull it all together into something that actually works.

Here’s a sample list of responsibilities from a job posting for a social media manager:

On a larger team, they’re the ones setting direction and calling the shots. They create the social media marketing strategy and work with the rest of the marketing team to make sure everything gets executed properly.

Skills:

According to Eileen Kwok, Hootsuite’s own Social & Influencer Marketing Strategist, other must-have skills/characteristics include “curiosity, tenacity, and creativity.”

“Being a Social Media Manager can be an overwhelming job,” she says. “That’s why the ones that are naturally curious about all things social, have the desire to always learn and improve, and, most importantly, place creativity at the forefront of their values will succeed in the role.”

Tools they use:

Reports to: Marketing Director or CMO

Average salary: $70,287

Content creator

A content creator focuses on producing the actual content that shows up on your brand’s social channels. This includes everything from graphics and captions to photos and video content.

This role is the engine behind your content. Depending on your team, they might specialize in one format (e.g., short-form videos like TikToks, Reels, or Shorts) or a mix of formats across multiple platforms.

But here’s the non-negotiable: a great content creator knows your brand voice inside and out. They also understand your target audience just as deeply, including their pain points, needs, and interests.

Here’s an example job description for a content creator:

Most content creators are highly creative. They’re expected to pitch ideas, contribute in brainstorming meetings, and keep a pulse on social trends.

Skills:

• Executing content strategy
• Trendspotting
• Graphic design
• Content writing
• Content curation
• Videography
• Photography

Tools they use:

• Graphic design tools (Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, and more)
• Video editing tools (iMovie, CapCut, or Final Cut Pro)
• Photo editing tools (Snapseed, VSCO, Lightroom, and more)

Reports to: Social Media Manager

Average salary: $61,988

Community manager

A community manager is the voice of your brand on social — and the person who actually interacts with your audience on social media.

They handle everything from replying to comments and DMs to building deeper relationships through communities, like Facebook Groups or Slack channels. 

In many cases, they also manage a brand’s social inbox, making sure no mention or message goes unanswered.

This job posting for a community manager role focuses on building relationships using social:

As you can see, this role sits at the intersection of customer service and brand building. Done well, it can turn everyday interactions into real brand affinity.

Skills:

• Social media platforms
• Community platforms
• Customer service
• Community building
• Public relations
• Relationship building
• Communication

Tools they use:

Reports to: Social Media Manager

Average salary: $64,929

Paid social media specialist

A paid social media specialist manages your brand’s social advertising. They handle in-depth audience targeting, ad creation, budgets, and ongoing optimization.

This role is highly analytical and distinct from other social roles. It’s all about digital marketing performance: testing what works, scaling what wins, and cutting what doesn’t. They can navigate a social ads dashboard like the back of their hands.

The responsibilities for a paid social role reflect that focus:

If you can hire two roles, this is a strong pairing: a social media manager for organic, and a paid specialist to drive results through social media ads.

Skills:

• Social media ads
• Social media analytics
• Budget management
• Ad targeting
• Media buying
• Copywriting/copyediting
• Creative strategy
• Ad optimization

Tools they use

• Native ad management tools
• Social media advertising tools
• Social ad analytics tools (native platform tools or all-in-one solutions like Hootsuite)

Reports to: Social Media Manager/Marketing Director/CMO

Average salary: $50,237

Social data analyst

A social data analyst turns social media performance into insights you can actually use. They analyze behavior across your accounts and social media campaigns to make clear, data-driven decisions.

This role is all about the numbers. Analysts track key metrics, build reports, and dig into trends to understand why something worked (or didn’t). Data and spreadsheets are the bread and butter of this role.

While social media managers should understand basic social media analytics, a social data analyst goes deeper to connect the dots between data and strategy. Which is why job postings for analyst roles focus on insights and reporting:

Bringing in a social data analyst also frees up your team to focus on execution — like content creation, engagement, and campaign planning — while the analyst focuses on turning data into direction.

Skills:

• Structured Query Language (SQL)
• Python
• Problem-solving
• Critical thinking
• Data analysis and visualization
• Dashboard and report building
• Communication

Tools they use:

• Social media analytics tools (like native platform tools or Hootsuite)
• Data visualization software (like Tableau, Looker Studio, or Google Charts)
• Spreadsheet tools (Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and more)

Reports to: Social Media Manager

Average salary: $60,114

Graphic designer

A graphic designer creates high-quality visuals that elevate your brand on social. These can include campaign graphics, infographics, and email marketing assets. 

This role may seem like a luxury for a social media team, but it can be extremely important for visual businesses. Your graphic designer works alongside your content creator, paid ads specialist, and social media manager to ensure your brand’s style is cohesive across every touchpoint.

And while a content creator might use Canva or Visme, a skilled graphic designer likely favors tools like Adobe.

Many designers also support work beyond social, handling a range of creative requests across marketing:

Skills:

• Design principles
• Typography
• Branding
• UX and UI design
• Creativity
• Communication

Tools they use:

• Professional design software (like Photoshop, Sketch, Illustrator, or After Effects)

Reports to: Social Media Manager/Paid Ads Specialist

Average salary: $54,033

Influencer marketer

An influencer marketer manages your brand’s influencer partnerships and campaigns, from finding the right creators to running the campaign end to end.

On smaller teams, this might fall under a social media manager’s role. But as programs grow, having a dedicated influencer marketer becomes important for building and scaling those relationships.

It’s a cross-functional role that touches strategy, outreach, and execution, which means strong collaboration skills are key.

Skills:

• Influencer outreach
• Creativity
• Communication
• Strategy building
• Critical thinking
• Relationship building
• Campaign planning and performance tracking
• Project management

Tools they use:

Reports to: Social Media Manager/Marketing Director/CMO

Average salary: $120,000

How to build your own social media team in 5 steps

Building a high-performing social media team starts with understanding your current resources, goals, and gaps. From there, it’s about putting the right people in place.

Follow these five steps to build your dream social media team:

1. Review your budget and current setup

2. Decide on your social media goals

3. Determine your team structure and size

4. Map skills to roles

5. Hire and onboard your team

1. Review your budget and current setup

Before you make any big changes, look at how your brand currently approaches social media.

Do you have anyone working on your social media accounts? Are they doing so in addition to their primary role, or is social media their main responsibility? Do you have accounts on the social platforms that make the most sense for your audience? Are there any networks you should pay more attention to or deprioritize in the future?

You also need to look at your budget. In a perfect world, every company would have one or more people in each of the roles we mentioned. But that comes with a huge cost.

So, what kind of budget do you have to hire? And how many roles are non-negotiable for your dream team?

Once you know where you’re starting from, you’ll have a better idea of the gaps you need to fill.

2. Decide on your social media goals

Next, get clear on what you want to achieve from your social media efforts. Your goals will determine which roles are a priority to fill.

For example, if your goal is to build community around your brand, you might prioritize hiring a community manager with experience managing spaces like Slack groups or LinkedIn communities.

If your goal is to drive conversions or revenue, a paid social media specialist may be a more immediate need.

“Set your expectations and get really clear on what you are looking for,” Kwok says. “Social media managers are often asked to cover a wide variety of tasks, but you should avoid looking for a one-size-fits-all unicorn. Instead, get clear on the goals you want to achieve and work backwards.”

And remember to be realistic. “Jot down your list of priorities and be mindful of what’s achievable from one person or a team,” Kwok adds.

Common social media goals include:

• Building brand awareness
• Improving brand reputation
• Driving website traffic
• Increasing sales
• Improving customer experience

Knowing your goals helps you determine which roles to add onto your social media team.

3. Determine your team structure and size

Once your goals are defined, the next step is deciding how many people you need — and how specialized those roles should be.

If you’re starting small, one or two generalists may be enough to manage both content creation and engagement. As your investment in social grows, you’ll likely need to expand into more specialized roles, like influencer or community managers.

The key is to balance ambition with resources. Define what your team needs to achieve, then build a structure that supports those outcomes without overextending your budget.

4. Map skills to roles

Now it’s time to translate your goals into the specific skills your team needs, then map those skills to the right roles.

For example, increasing brand awareness typically requires strong content creation and strategy, while improving customer experience relies on communication and community management.

Use this table to map your social media goals to key skills — plus the roles that can deliver on them.

Social goal	Skills required	Relevant roles
Increased brand awareness	Strategy and content creation	Social Media Manager
Improved brand reputation	Customer service and communication	Community Manager
Higher web traffic	Analytics and paid social	Paid Social Media Specialist
Increased sales	Strategy and paid social	Social Media Manager, Paid Social Media Specialist
Improved customer experience	Customer service and communication	Community Manager

You can then prioritize the order you hire in or the roles you choose to fill based on the social media goals (and budget) you’ve already outlined.

5. Hire and onboard your team

Ready to hire? Begin by writing clear job descriptions that reflect the specific skills and responsibilities you mapped out from the last step. Then, create your job ads, post them online, and wait for the applications to roll in.

To make sure you’re bringing on the right people, pay attention to:

• Skills listed on their resume
• Platforms they’ve worked with
• Industries they’ve supported
• Specific roles they’ve held before

A short, paid test project can go a long way here. Ask candidates to build a mini content strategy or draft a few posts. It’s one of the fastest ways to see how they think and execute.

Trish Riswick, former Social Lead at Hootsuite, has another way to gauge a candidate’s experience. “When we’re hiring for a new role, the first thing I look at is past experience. If they’ve worked as a social media manager for another brand, it’s really good to see what they were doing at those companies,” she says.

“Then,” Trish continues, “I’ll look at those company pages to see how this person influenced the company they were with. It’s a great opportunity to see their skills in action, acting as a portfolio of what they’re capable of and what they can bring to the table.”

Once you’ve made your hires, set them up for success from day one. Be sure to share key documents and resources, such as:

These don’t need to be perfect. In fact, giving your new team room to refine and improve them is one of the fastest ways to build a stronger, more scalable process.

Easily manage all your company’s social media profiles using Hootsuite. From a single dashboard, you can schedule and publish posts, engage your followers, monitor relevant conversations, measure results, manage your ads, and much more.