Social media is a massive component of your publicity and marketing strategy, so picking the right social media professional is a big deal!
Don’t worry if you need a manager to take over your content creation and scheduling tasks but don’t know how to select suitable applicants. We’ll walk through some ideas to ensure your recruitment process runs smoothly.
Today, we’ll also think about the average social media manager cost and how to narrow down your applicants to find the right skill set for your business.
The Benefits of Social Media Account Management Expertise
Social media managers provide a range of invaluable sales and PR services, all packaged with customer engagement and driving brand awareness.
If you’re considering when to hire a social media manager, the time is probably now!
A solid social media strategy forms the basis of your growth trajectory, whether you’re setting up a brand new Facebook page or want to streamline your activity across many established socials.
Typical Social Media Manager Responsibilities
Jobs you’d expect to delegate to a social media manager include:
- Creating and monitoring advertising campaigns
- Increasing brand awareness through your feeds
- Maintaining consistency in regular posting and tone of voice
- Responding to issues or negative reviews
- Collaborating with brand partners, influencers, and associates
- Developing a robust social media strategy
Of course, you’ll need a detailed job spec to filter candidates by relevant experience, and the exact assignments you need fulfilled might vary between companies.
The specifics are worth taking some time to nail down since this will dictate your shortlisting and selection processes, which we’ll talk about next!
How to Find a Talented Social Media Manager
So, how do you begin to find a social media manager who aligns with your brand values and can boost your digital presence?
Many businesses opt for a remote or freelance social media manager. You may consider this if you need someone who can flex their time and move at the speed of your socials, which rarely conforms to office hours!
The trick to hiring is streamlining your recruitment techniques, making sure you don’t spend weeks sifting through thousands of applications.
Digital recruitment and professional freelancer sites are the fastest options, and you can often set prerequisites in your adverts to ensure all the candidates fit your requirements.
Essential Skills for Professional Social Media Roles
Social media managers handling a large team will undoubtedly need a managerial or project management background. But if you have a tight budget and need a junior candidate, you will reduce your costs significantly.
It’s best to begin with detailing the skills you require before you advertise. Essentials could include:
- Superb organizational skills, managing multiple feeds at once.
- Creative copywriting or content creation training.
- Knowledge of social media algorithms and performance metrics.
- Exceptional customer service.
- Design sensibilities and a strong awareness of branding.
It’s also important to consider your customer demographic.
A social media manager experienced in the corporate space probably won’t be the right fit for a mountain bike brand. They won’t know the terminology and language your customers will use, so looking for market familiarity is often as vital as role-based knowledge.
Questions to Ask Social Media Managers at Interview
Once you’ve arranged interviews with your shortlisted candidates, the next step is to craft a set of relevant questions.
Below we’ve listed some of the best questions to ask and why they’ll provide beneficial insights.
What Are Your Overriding Objectives in a Social Media Management Role?
Your perfect hire is a social media manager who loves their career, so asking what they aspire to achieve is a great question.
In Which Social Media Platforms Are You Most Experienced?
Understanding the functionality of each social media channel is paramount. You want a social media manager who is familiar with the tools and platforms you use, and who ideally knows how to leverage UX analytical functionality to get detailed performance data.
What Are Your Preferred Social Media Channels and Why?
Knowing how to use a platform and enjoying the process aren’t mutually exclusive!
Asking about previous social media marketing projects, how they went, and which apps your prospective hire feels most comfortable with can help you to examine:
- Whether an applicant is a team player or prefers to work alone.
- How they reflect on campaign planning and adjustments.
- If they have the appropriate enthusiasm for your primary channels.
Which Brands Do You Think Have an Admirable Social Media Presence?
Any accomplished professional will have an active interest in social media. It’s helpful to ask about inspiring brands to find out what makes your candidate excited.
Do they look for stand-out visuals, innovative campaigns, a slick tone of voice, or truly original content design?
The most appealing factors will probably be the elements they’d apply to your campaigns and posts!
How Do You Stay On Top of Social Media Trends?
Social media changes often and fast.
Continued professional development, such as attending webinars, following industry publications, and taking online courses, is a good way for a social media manager to demonstrate a commitment to staying on point.
Ask these questions, and you should have a solid idea about the suitability of each social media candidate and get a feel for whether they’d be an excellent fit for your brand.
