How to Hire a Social Media Manager? The 101 Guide

Social media always feels like a double-edged sword for your business. In many years to come, social media will become an important means of promoting your service or products.

It can help your brand rise to the next level and beyond, but using it requires time and needs to be managed effectively. Hiring a social media manager is like keeping a secret friend for the changing face of your brand. Through this comprehensive blog guide, we’re going to provide you with everything you need to know to be able to hire the right social media manager who is going to change the social media image of your brand from a chore to a marketing opportunity.

What Does a Social Media Manager Basically Do?

A social media manager wears many hats, going through a varied range of tasks to keep your brand voice active, and sound, plus your audience engaged. Here’s a glimpse into their daily grind:

1. Content Creation Powerhouse

They curate content (articles, podcasts, infographics, videos) that gels up with your target audience’s taste and preference. Think curated, original, and promotional content – a well-balanced mix to keep your followers hooked.

2. Scheduling Savvy

They ‘strategically’ schedule posts across various platforms for optimal visibility after creating eyesome content. Popular tools like Hootsuite and Buffer become their partners in regular times.

3. Content Calendar Nerd

Maintaining a well-organized and regularly monitored content calendar is a basic ritual for any social media manager. Your social media manager makes sure a steady stream of high-quality content reaches your audience, keeping your brand at the forefront of their minds.

4. Engagement Extraordinaire

Social media lives on interaction. Your social media geek actively participates in engagement with followers and brand mentions, building a sense of community and brand trust.

5. Trend Tracker

The social media world is a whirlwind of ever-changing trends and best ninja techniques. Your social media manager stays ahead of the present and has a keen eye on trending hashtags, viral news, and industry shifts to keep your content relevant and impactful.

6. And..a Data Decoder

They always nosedive into social media analytics to understand how your content performs. Analyzing metrics like click-through rates, engagement rates, and dwell time allows them to refine their strategy and optimize future content for maximum impact.

Why Hire a Social Media Manager Though?

You might be a social media whiz yourself, but juggling content creation, scheduling, and engagement alongside your core business responsibilities can be a recipe for burnout and subpar results. Here’s how a good social media manager empowers you:

1. More Time to Focus on Your Business: Managing social media religiously all by oneself is time-consuming. Hiring a social media manager allows you to delegate this crucial task and refocus your energy on core business operations that demand your expertise.

2. Stay Abreast of Trends: Keeping pace with the trends landscape can be overwhelming. Your social media manager stays glued to the latest trends, making sure your brand remains relevant and engaging.

3. They Know the Best Tricks: Do you know the optimal number of hashtags to use for maximum reach? Or the image types that drive more shares? Your social media manager does. They are well-versed in social media best practices, ensuring your brand avoids pitfalls and leverages winning strategies.

4. Maintain Consistent Branding: A consistent brand voice and image are critical for building trust and recognition. Your social media manager establishes and meticulously maintains your brand’s tone and style across all platforms.

5. Deliver High-Quality Content: Creating high-quality content consistently can be a time-consuming challenge. Your social media manager leaves no stone unturned in ensuring a steady stream of engaging content, eliminating gaps in your content calendar and avoiding low-quality posts that can disturb your brand image.

6. Engagement At Its Peak: Strategic content, consistent brand voice, and better engagement with your audience are the pillars of high engagement. Your social media manager employs these strategies to have a better community around your brand.

7. Track Performance & Optimize Strategy: Measuring your social media performance is crucial for understanding what works and what doesn’t. Your social media manager tracks key metrics and leverages this data to refine your strategy, maximising your return on investment (ROI).

Social media always feels like a double-edged sword for your business. In many years to come, social media will become an important means of promoting your service or products.

It can help your brand rise to the next level and beyond, but using it requires time and needs to be managed effectively. Hiring a social media manager is like keeping a secret friend for the changing face of your brand. Through this comprehensive blog guide, we’re going to provide you with everything you need to know to be able to hire the right social media manager who is going to change the social media image of your brand from a chore to a marketing opportunity.

Do You Need a Social Media Manager Near You?

The answer depends on your specific needs and budget. Check out this breakdown of the pros and cons of hiring a local or remote social media manager:

Hiring Locally

PROs

• Easier collaboration for projects requiring photography or video shoots specific to your business.
• May be more comfortable meeting face-to-face for planning and discussions.

Cons

• Limited talent pool compared to a global search.
• Higher cost due to potential travel, equipment, and time required for in-person meetings.

Hiring Remotely

PROs

• Access to a wider pool of qualified candidates globally.
• Often more affordable due to the elimination of travel and meeting-related costs.
• Greater flexibility in terms of scheduling and communication.
  

Cons

• Communication gap (sometimes) between the service provider and the client
• Compromising quality-wise from the client’s wise
• Less accessibility to certified or licensed professionals

Finding Your Social Media Match (The Hiring Process)

Now that you understand the value a social media manager brings to the table, it’s time to sneak peek into the journey of finding the perfect fit for your brand. Take a closer look at this roadmap to guide you through the hiring process:

Before You Start Looking

• Define Your Goals: That is, clarity is key. Before scouring the platforms for candidates, take some time to define your social media goals. What do you hope to achieve? Increased brand awareness? Website traffic? Lead generation? Setting clear objectives will help your search for a social media manager with the expertise to reach your targets.
• Assess Your Social Media Journey: Are you a social media newbie or do you already have enough following? Understanding your current social media standing will in return make a social media manager understand your specific goals better instead of mistranslating the same.
• Your Brand Identity: What makes your brand unique? What tone, style, and content resonate with your target audience? Communicating flawlessly your brand voice will help you to pick the ‘one’ out of all candidates.

Where to Find Social Media Talent?

• Social Media Groups: Industry-specific social media groups can be goldmines for recommendations. Seek endorsements from peers or ask about social media managers your competitors utilize.
• Social Media Analysis: Impressed by a brand’s stellar social media presence? Don’t be shy! Reach out and inquire about their social media manager. They might be freelance and open to new opportunities.
• Job Boards: While job boards like Upwork, Fiverr, PeoplePerHour, Hubstaff Talent, Guru, Simply Hired, and Freelancer offer a vast pool of candidates, be cautious. Carefully screen resumes and conduct thorough interviews to ensure a good fit.

How to Craft a Job Description?

• Sell Your Business: A well-written job description attracts top talent. Highlight what makes your company exciting to work for and the impact the social media manager role has on your brand’s success.
• Outline the Role: Clearly define the responsibilities, daily tasks, and skills required for the position. Be specific about the platforms they will manage and the content types they will be creating.
• Highlight Benefits: Mention any perks or benefits you offer to incentivize qualified candidates.
• Set Expectations: Ensure candidates understand the project scope and your goals from the outset. This minimizes misunderstandings later in the process.

How to Identify the Ideal Social Media Manager?

Well, to be honest, often the parameters of hiring a social media manager are diverse. There’s no such thing as a thing as a perfect rule to look for in a social media manager. All in all, finding your type depends on how that candidate interprets your brand language and makes the most of it. Looking into their portfolios and the way they interact with you gives ample space for you to decide whether he or she is not perfect or not.

• Creativity is an Undeniable Factor: Social media thrives on fresh ideas, not on already-done or copied-and-pasted ideas. During the interview process, nothing but thoroughly try to estimate the candidate’s creativity and approach to making your brand stand out from the crowd.
• Business Acumen Matters Too: Agree or not, social media is more than just posting cat videos. Look for candidates who understand business objectives, metrics, and strategic planning, ensuring their social media strategy aligns with your overall business goals.
• Team Management Skills: As your social media presence grows, your manager might require assistance. Assess the candidate’s ability to manage writers, coordinate events, and ensure all leads are followed up on.
• Organisational Prowess: Juggling content calendars, scheduling, and analytics needs exceptional organization. Look for candidates who demonstrate the ability to keep your social media strategy running smoothly.

What are Some Tips While Taking an Interview?

• First Things First, Dive into Trends: Ask the candidates how they stay on top of social media trends and best practices. This reveals their commitment to staying current and adapting to industry shifts.
• Platform Power: Which platforms do they think are best suited for your business Or just in case of taking down reference? This demonstrates their understanding of each platform’s strengths and how they can be made better to pinpoint your goals.
• Growth Strategies: Don’t expect a detailed marketing plan, but gauge their initial approach to growing your audience.
• Disclaimer: Look for a social media manager who prioritizes reaching your target market over simply acquiring followers.

PRO Tip: Assign a test project!

Ask those selected candidates to write a few sample social media posts as part of the interview process. This allows you to evaluate their writing style, creativity, and brand alignment firsthand.

Some More Tips

• Under agency vs. freelance, agencies offer a team approach with more resources, while freelancers can be a cost-effective option. Consider your needs and budget when making this decision.
• White Label Social Media Management: This is a third option where certain agencies offer the quality and consistency of an in-house team with the flexibility and pricing of professionals.

The Final Take 

Hiring a social media manager is a worthwhile investment in your brand’s social media presence. 

With a brief understanding of your needs, a well-refined recruitment process, and the right interview questions, you can attract top talent ready to level up your social media strategy for your business. A skilled social media manager is a valuable asset, freeing you to sit back and focus on the other important needs of your business.