How Paid Social Has Changed Social Media Management

By: John McDermott | Digiday

It wasn’t long ago that “social media manager” evoked an otherwise-inexperienced 20-something churning out witty tweets on behalf of a brand. But the increased importance of paid media in social channels has fundamentally changed how brands approach social and with it, how agencies structure and staff themselves.

No longer shuffled off on an agency or brand’s younger or more social employees, the social media manager role now requires creative chops, media buying training and an analytical precision typically reserved for search engine marketing.