How To Hire A Social Media Manager

Over 90% of businesses use social media to reach their customers. However, just being on social media isn’t enough. You also want to make sure your social media presence is as strong as possible. Working with an experienced social media manager can help you do just that.

Adding a social media manager to your team can help expand your brand and ultimately make your business more money. But how do you hire the best social media manager for your needs? Keep reading to find out.

What Does a Social Media Manager Do?

Given that almost everyone is on social media these days, what sets a social media manager apart?  How do they differ from regular social media users?

Unlike most of us, social media managers do more than just post about what they’re doing or which places they’ve been to.

The main responsibility of a social media manager is to improve a business’ social media presence and they do this by:

• Coming up with and implementing a social media strategy
• Drafting a social media calendar
• Planning, creating, and scheduling content
• Engaging the audience
• Tracking results
• Keeping up with trends

The list varies depending on your business’ needs but this is usually what the role of a social media manager entails.

Benefits of Hiring a Social Media Manager

Given what they have to bring to the table, there’s no question that hiring a social media manager is a smart move especially if you’re still in the process of introducing your brand.

Below are some of the advantages you’ll enjoy by hiring a social media manager:

Allows You to Focus on Growing the Business

Time is a valuable commodity especially for business owners and though it does look simple, implementing a social media strategy takes a lot of time.

Having someone who can focus on not just creating content but also coming up with high-quality ones will be a huge relief on your part.  More importantly, it will give you more time to focus your energy on higher-value tasks aimed at growing your business.

Gives Your Brand Consistent Social Media Content

Nothing could be worse than having people search for your brand only to find a social media page that hasn’t been updated for quite some time.

You don’t have to worry about your business ending up in the same situation when you have someone to take care of content regularly.

The best part?  They don’t just publish content just for the sake of having one.  You have to keep in mind that social media managers are experts so you’re assured that every piece of content that gets posted is top-quality and one that your audience is likely to consume.

Improve Engagement

One of the biggest contributions a social media manager can bring is when it comes to engagement.

Social media managers can help you boost your business’ engagement through creative ideas that attract audiences.  These fresh ideas not only bring in more new leads, but they also give existing followers a reason to continue supporting you.

Since you’ve got your hands full, having a social media manager also gives you someone who can regularly respond to social media comments.  This is an essential part of engagement that may be difficult to achieve on your own.

What to Consider When Hiring a Social Media Manager

Getting the right person to take care of your social media is crucial which is why it’s important to make sure that they have most of the qualifications you’re looking for.

If you’re not sure where to begin, below are some of the considerations you should look out for:

Set Clear Expectations

Knowledge of social media and current trends is already a given since they’d be managing social media channels.  The more important question is perhaps what they can do to take your business to the next level with the use of social media.

What sort of strategy can they recommend given your present state on social media?  Are they capable of putting together content from selecting images down to writing copy?  Do they understand your social media goals and know how to interpret results?

The point is social media management isn’t simply about sharing content.  It’s about sharing content that makes sense both to your audience and to your business goals.

Understanding of Necessary Tools

While tools can easily be learned, it’s still more advantageous to hire someone who will no longer require training on the tools you’re using.

Are they familiar with scheduling tools like Buffer or Hootsuite?  How about project management tools like Asana or Trello?  Are they capable of putting up simple graphics using Canva?

They don’t have to be experts in any of these tools but basic knowledge of each will allow for a smooth transition.

Previous Experience

When it comes to social media management, experience can go a very long way.  Anyone can claim that they’re experts on social media just because they are always on Facebook or Instagram but do they actually have experience growing a brand?

Look for someone who has a track record to show.  Someone who has a detailed portfolio and testimonials from past clients that prove that they are who they say they are.

Were they able to grow their past client’s following on Twitter?  Are they sensitive to deadlines?  How good are they when it comes to increasing engagement?

These will give you a better grasp of how they work and if they do have what it takes to get things done.

Price

Though price isn’t really a major consideration when hiring a social media manager, it’s worth noting especially because social media management is results-based.

This means that performance is measured based on the ability of the social media manager to meet the goals you set.  Were they able to increase your follower count on Facebook?  Did the post they crafted perform well in terms of reach and engagement?

Like any other position, performance and experience come at a price.  You can expect seasoned social media managers to ask for a higher rate and newer ones to be more affordable.

Hiring someone fulltime will definitely be more expensive and can cost you around $54,000 per year. The current price range for freelance social media managers is between $8 per hour to $50 hour for newbies, $50 to $100 per hour for intermediate, and $100 and above for seasoned ones.

Working with a freelancer gives you more flexibility in terms of work arrangement and money.  It also gives you dozens of options to explore with all the freelance marketplaces you can find on the internet.

Final Thoughts

Leveraging the power of social media can spell success for any business especially if you can get the right person for the job.  While finding that person is easier said than done, the information provided should give you a headstart and allow you to effectively narrow down your choices until you find the right fit.

Now that you have all the knowledge you need, the next step is to hire a social media manager who can help take your business to new heights.