This is what your social team will look like in 2028
This is what your social team will look like in 2028
We’ve been in the social space for over a decade, experiencing the ups, downs and everything in between. Now, we’re entering the next era of social. To help your team prepare, we sat down with some long-time members of #TeamSprout to get their takes on what the next five years have in store for social media marketers.
The last five years brought tremendous change.
The next five will bring more.
Working in social media causes time to move in interesting ways. 2018 feels like centuries ago, but at the rate time is passing, 2028 is basically a few months from now. That’s because social media marketing doesn’t change with the times. It’s a change driver.
Staying on top of the tools and trends coming down the pipeline will help you better equip your team to get the most out of social. Here are the four change agents you should be keeping an eye on.
Network fragmentation
Abbreviated trend lifecycles
Social teams will be at the forefront of the future
Social media professionals aren’t going anywhere. However, they will experience a shift in focus. The next five years will allow industry vets and newcomers alike to step out of the weeds so they can bring context to organization-wide goals and strategy.
Advancements in text and image-based generative AI could drastically reduce the time it takes to create and schedule content, but that doesn’t mean it can (or should) take your job. Social media is an incredibly dynamic field where things can—and do—change at the drop of a hat. Businesses will still need to invest in strategists who can move at the speed of social to drive their brand into the future.
Leaders need to align with their social teams on vision, then give them the agency to be bold on execution. That means trusting their decisions on when, where and how to show up on primary and emerging networks and providing them with the support needed to make it happen.
Click on the cards below to get acquainted with the new roles that will join the core social team you know and love.
The Creative Strategist
A clear creative vision will be crucial to standing out against a sea of AI-generated content.
Social media creative strategists will strengthen your brand’s visual identity, making your content instantly recognizable in a crowded feed. They know how to work their magic across all formats—text, graphics, long and short-form video and beyond.
The Community Care Team
This role combines the customer-centricity of a support agent with the brand-building acumen of a community management pro.
These individuals will be equipped to handle whatever the wild world of social throws at them while identifying opportunities to surprise and delight
The Executive Sponsor
You can’t move at the speed of social without a crew chief that understands the gravity of the channel. Social teams need executive sponsorship to fully realize the potential of their strategies.
The good news is, your champion may be closer than you think. Look for leaders already interested in what social data can do for the business and start cultivating those relationships by proactively sharing insights.
Social insights will power business intelligence
Maintaining relevance in a crowded market starts with an empowered team, but social-first brands aren't built overnight. Social teams can bring their brand into their next growth phase by allocating time toward educating, inspiring and building communities with teams across their org chart.
Shifting toward this new approach will help teams fully tell the story of the channel’s impact across a business. Establishing more cross-functional relationships will help other functions realize how they stand to benefit from social insights.
Lead the charge today by digging into how data flows through your marketing, service and product funnels. Where can your data help those teams make informed business decisions? What tools do you need to learn? What internal partners do you need to build standing meetings with? How can you redefine your role?
The skills forward-thinking brands are looking for
Data storytelling
Collaboration
Creativity
Decision making
The skills forward-thinking brands are looking for
Data storytelling
Storytelling with data calls for social media analysts to combine raw data with a deep understanding of historical performance and present-day trends. That’s what it takes to breathe life into metrics, so you can communicate their value across the business.
Collaboration
Creativity
Decision making
The skills forward-thinking brands are looking for
Data storytelling
Collaboration
Internal partners will be crucial to ensuring the success of a social media strategy. You might work with your legal team to outline a stance on the use of generative AI, or with your merchandising team to identify opportunities for new product lines. Social media collaboration across a variety of functions will keep a business nimble and strong.
Creativity
Decision making
The skills forward-thinking brands are looking for
Data storytelling
Collaboration
Creativity
Brands can’t hop on trending cultural moments alone and expect that to drive meaningful brand recognition. To stand out in crowded feeds, you need to execute on network-specific content that combines to create a clear brand identity and vision.
Decision making
The skills forward-thinking brands are looking for
Data storytelling
Collaboration
Creativity
Decision making
Social media moves fast. Knowing when and how to jump into action is half the battle. Capitalizing on every opportunity means surrounding yourself with team members that understand how to turn multiple inputs—data, company goals, cultural context, etc.—into action items.
2028 is closer than you think
The investments you make in your team today can help set them up for success tomorrow. If you’re not sure about your next move, use this guide to social media maturity to find your path forward.
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