The Discipline of Social Media Management

Social Media Became Mainstream, Agencies Had No Idea What to Do

When social media first emerged as a legitimate marketing channel, the big agencies winning seven-figure contracts for television and out-of-home advertising were caught off guard. These were firms built for the age of mass broadcast, not conversation. Suddenly, a new form of media appeared that didn’t play by the same rules. It wasn’t a discipline taught in universities, and it certainly wasn’t built for the rigid structures of traditional media planning. There were no handbooks, no formal training, no plug-and-play playbooks. Just a massive shift in how people engaged with brands.

The social media void

For those of us on the ground, it was clear early on: this was not just a new media channel, it was an entirely new way of operating. I drew heavily on operations theory from my management degree and my experience in startups—environments built on agility, iteration, and real-time responsiveness. Social media wasn’t just about content; it was about systems, speed, and deeply understanding audience feedback loops.

Agencies, meanwhile, were trying to reverse-engineer success. They had been awarded contracts for big brand campaigns and now had to figure out how to “do social” because the platforms were growing rapidly. But many struggled with a fundamental misunderstanding: they thought they could replicate the impact of social media creators using corporate accounts and enterprise-level workflows.

Creators vs business accounts

This was a crucial misstep. Social media creators, whether influencers, independent voices, or even brand-savvy entrepreneurs, operate on a different plane. They are nimble, deeply connected to their communities, and not encumbered by bureaucracy. Their content is spontaneous, personal, and often emotional. They can respond to trends in real time, pivot directions overnight, and test content without the need for approval chains or month long calendars.

Business accounts, on the other hand, operate under different constraints. Content must be forward-planned. Budgets must be allocated. Legal and brand teams must sign off. Time and resource management is essential, especially in agency environments where multiple stakeholders and clients are involved. This inevitably slows down the creative process and limits the kind of content that can be produced.

Rethinking success on social - changing the KPI's

It’s important to recognise that this is not a failure. It’s a different objective. Business accounts aren’t meant to replicate creator accounts. They serve different purposes: they’re landing pages, customer support desks, information hubs, and sometimes even recruitment platforms. They don’t need to build cult followings to be successful.

Success in social media for a brand isn’t measured by viral moments alone—it’s measured by consistency, trust, and the ability to meet the customer where they are. A well-run business account doesn’t need millions of followers to be effective. It needs clarity of purpose, operational efficiency, and a strong understanding of its audience.

Agencies need to evolve, not compete

The goal for agencies isn’t to be creators—it’s to understand how to work alongside them, learn from their agility, and adapt their own structures where possible. It’s also about helping brands understand the role social media plays in their broader ecosystem. Not every post needs to convert; sometimes the win is simply being visible, available, and authentic.

As the lines between marketing, operations, and customer service continue to blur, the agencies that thrive will be those that build not just content strategies, but systems. Systems that allow for speed, structure, and most importantly—relevance.