How would Governments, Non-Profits and Private Companies structure their Social Media Team to maximise its effectivenes? Generally speaking the Social Media Roles required within each organization type is the same. If there were five members of staff, the roles would be as follows:

• Community Manager/Social Media Manager
• Campaign Manager
• Social Analyst
• Content Strategist
• Website Manager/Designer

The Community/Social Media Manager would be responsible for over-seeing all cross-platform social media activity. They would be responsible for managing the organization’s presence on social media and would build organizational presence online by engaging with communities.  It would also be their job to look at competitors if that was applicable. They would be responsible for engaging with clients, fans etc. They are the voice of the organization and would also manage the social media calendar.

The Campaign Manager would report to the Community/Social Media Manager and would be responsible for delivering campaigns and providing support to the Community/Social Media Manager. They would run the promotions on the social media calendar.

The Social Analyst would analyse performance and work towards achieving pre-defined targets. They would also be responsible for listening to the conversations and advising the Community/Social Manager of the sentiment of the conversations as well as other indicators of engagement such as Facebook Likes and Re-Tweets etc.

The Content Strategist would work with the Community and Social Media Managers to deliver content that meets the objectives of the organization.

The Website Manager/Designer would be responsible for delivering the look and feel of all online, cross-platform presence.

The above five roles take care of all elements of Listening, Responding and Engaging we have already discussed.

In addition though, as we have also discussed previously, Governments, Non-Profits, and Private Companies have needs that are specific to the types of organizations they are. This means that in a team of five people, some tasks may have to be doubled-up.

Private organizations need a Business Development Manager and Customer Services staff. This is essential for them because without a Business Development Manager who sits as part of the Online Team, social media strategy may not be incorporated into the day-to-day running of the business. Customer Service is also crucial to the success of the business as people like to hear a voice or have human contact, especially when it comes to buying or considering buying something. If you have a query, you want to speak with a person. For this to be achieved in a team of five people, the Community/Social Media Manager would double-up as the Business Development Manager, and the Website Manager/Designer could double-up as the Customer Services representative.

Non-profits and Government should be fine with a lean five person Social Media Team, but all staff should be prepared to take on board Customer Services elements to their roles should the need arise. Government Agencies may need Customer Service representation, and also, depending on the nature of the agency and its objectives they may also need a Business Development Manager. That would need to be ascertained as and when the need arose.

The most important thing to remember is not the number of team members you may have in your Social Media Team that determines its effectiveness, it is about how engaged they are in your organization and what that engagement itself allows them to bring to your brand/organization. Ask if your Team are Ambassadors both within and outside the workplace. Motivate and lead them. These things matter, regardless of what your organization does.

Sources:
http://www.rignite.com/blog/how-to-organize-your-social-media-team-roles-for-success
http://www.slideshare.net/sallieburnett/structuring-a-social-media-team-38658043
http://thenextweb.com/socialforbusiness/2014/11/04/7-ways-staff-strong-social-media-team/
http://www.ragan.com/Main/Articles/46502.aspx
http://heidicohen.com/15-roles-you-need-represented-on-your-social-media-team/