Korre, TheContentBender.

I wonder why anyone would downplay the work being done by social media managers, who I believe are some of the biggest custodians of brand culture in our generation. Of course, culture doesn’t begin and end with them. We have creators, communities and everyday people shaping culture too. But social media managers play a very important role in how brands understand, interpret and participate in that culture. Social media has gone beyond what it used to be a few years ago, and one thing I’ve always believed is that marketing is a full ecosystem. Every part affects another, and we really shouldn’t be looking at these roles in isolation. Let me give you an example. When I see an ad for something I like, I almost always go back to the brand’s social media page to check their content. I want to see what they’re posting, how they’re communicating and sometimes even how people are interacting with them. And many times, it’s the content that draws me even closer to the brand. I might follow them, and even when I’m not ready to buy immediately, their content gives me reasons to keep coming back. And interestingly, this isn’t just my experience. According to DataReportal’s Digital 2025 Global Overview Report, 50% of adult social media users globally visit social platforms to learn more about brands and see their content. In Nigeria, that figure is almost 70%. You’re spending money to get people interested in your brand, but what happens when that interest brings them to your page? Who is responsible for making sure there’s something worth seeing, something worth remembering or even something worth coming back for? This is why I believe we need to stop treating social media management as simply posting content. Now, I’m not saying every customer follows this journey, or that social media managers are solely responsible for building trust and retaining customers. The product, customer experience, advertising, content and every other part of marketing have roles to play. That’s the whole point of an ecosystem. And this also brings me to compensation. I genuinely believe social media managers should be paid well, and in many cases, just as much as media buyers. Not because both roles must always earn the same amount. Experience, responsibility, expertise and business impact should determine that. But because one role shouldn’t automatically be valued less simply because its contribution is harder to attribute directly to revenue. Media buyers are doing incredibly important work. So are social media managers. These people are not competing against each other. They’re contributing to different parts of the same customer journey. I just find it interesting that brands can spend so much money trying to get people’s attention, but sometimes undervalue the people doing the work to make that attention meaningful. Because getting people to notice you is one thing. Giving them a reason to care about you, trust you and keep coming back is another. And I think we need to start valuing both.