1. Understanding social media culture
Social media has its own culture, with its own language, behaviors and expectations. If the goal is to be the biggest brand in your industry on social media, you need to understand social media culture, and your team needs to be fluent in it. Per the Index, 93% of consumers agreed it’s important for brands to keep up with online culture.
From a strategy perspective, understanding social media culture minimizes the risk of appearing out of touch. However, you also have to understand your audience, especially considering different generations use social media differently. Listen and take cues from your audience to create content that resonates. AI-powered social media listening tools like Sprout’s help your team do this.
Gritty is a perfect example of what happens when brands truly understand social media culture. When the Philadelphia Flyers introduced their offbeat, googly-eyed mascot, the internet initially rejected him. But instead of resisting the memes, the Flyers embraced them, letting Gritty’s chaotic energy shine. Gritty proves that when brands stop forcing relatability and start speaking the internet’s language, they can build lasting brand affinity.
When hiring and leading your social media team, the more you Conjunto de datos understand online culture, the better you’ll be able to spot talent that gets it. It’ll also make explaining the value of social media easier.
Tips to help you master this skill
- Use social media daily. Follow brands, meme accounts, creators and trendsetters. Look at comments on popular posts to figure out how people are reacting and why they are performing well.
- Ask your social team to walk you through how they turn social listening insights into content ideas. Understanding this process will allow you to clearly communicate how decisions are made to leadership, building trust in the social team’s strategy.
- Use TikTok, YouTube and Instagram’s search functions. Social media search is replacing Google for younger audiences. Search a topic and see what types of content surface first—this gives you a glimpse into what’s trending.
2. Facilitating faster approvals
When a trend takes hold, a brand only has a day or two to respond. Aproveche el poder de las redes sociales Unfortunately, many opportunities are missed because of lengthy approval processes.
74% of executives surveyed for The 2025 Sprout Social Index™ say they trust their social team, but social marketers still report struggling with resource gaps and slow approvals.
As a marketing leader, you need to create the conditions for your social team to do their best work, and in this case, it means doing your due diligence while still clearing the way for creativity.
Tips to help you master this skill
- Revisit your social media approval process. When was the last time you optimized your social media approval process?
- Consider using a social media management tool. Using a platform like Sprout helps manage workflows and speed up decision-making.
- Reduce excess oversight. Are there people involved in the approval process who don’t need to be? Your social team has a strategy, and they need your help building executive trust and removing bottlenecks so that they can implement it to its fullest potential.
3. Supporting original content creation
The 2025 Sprout Social Index™ found that originality is the Datos del caso second-leading reason consumers follow brands on social media, just behind product quality. Producing original content is necessary for your brand to be memorable.
If you’re wondering what kind of original content to produce, we surveyed our ICYMI community of marketers and creators about the future of social media for 2025, and 47% (the most of any topic) said they were focusing on short-form video (60 seconds or less).
Tips to help you master this skill
- Embrace lo-fi video content. Production value and product-centricity are less important to consumers according to our Index, so take advantage of this by encouraging your team to produce more lo-fi video content.
- Give the social team more freedom to experiment with new types of social media content. Let them experiment with new formats—interactive polls, behind-the-scenes footage or audience-driven content—to discover what truly engages your community.
4. Building a distinct brand voic
A compelling brand voice does wonders to stop the scroll and make your brand recognizable beyond the visuals.
If you want proof that crafting a distinct brand voice is worth it, look at Duolingo’s social media story. In 2021, Zaria Parvez asked if she could revive the brand’s inactive TikTok account. She was a junior marketing team member at the time.
She didn’t have much of a budget, so she got creative, took risks, hopped on trends and gave the brand an unhinged and hilarious voice on social media. Duolingo has grown from 50 thousand followers on TikTok to over 15 million thanks to its quirky brand voice.
Tips and resources to help you master this skill
- Work with the social team to produce a social media style guide. This will help your social team define exactly how your brand appears on social media, including tone and voice.
- Prepare to handle questions and concerns. Experimenting with a bold brand voice often will create some apprehension, but it will be worth it when you strike gold redes sociales and create superfans. Trust your social team to adapt messaging based on audience engagement.
- Avoid brand voices that are sexually explicit or overly corporate. According to our Index, consumers are tired of these brand voices.
Build your social media skills to transform your career
Social is a career path of lifelong learning. Whether you’re stepping into your first social media manager role or you’re already a pro, you need to continue to hone your social media skills and evolve them alongside AI. That means playing to your strengths while pushing yourself to grow in new areas.