Social media is an essential tool for businesses and brands looking to stay relevant and attract customers. Over half of millennials and Gen X, as well as nearly 50% of boomers, use social media platforms to research products. To maintain a strong presence on social media, many businesses hire a social media manager. However, it’s important to carefully evaluate potential hires to ensure that you find the most suitable candidate for the job. Follow these tips to recruit the best social media manager for your business.
What’s a Social Media Manager?
A social media manager is responsible for representing your brand and interacting with the public on social media platforms. Their primary role is to grow your brand and increase its presence on the various social media platforms you choose to use. Hiring a skilled and experienced social media manager can help ensure that your brand effectively engages with its audience and achieves its goals on social media.
What Does a Social Media Manager Do?
A social media manager’s role depends on the specific objectives of your business. They will assess your marketing plan and determine its future implementation, identify your target audience, and create a content schedule. They should also have expertise in paid advertising, be up-to-date on current content trends, and have a strong understanding of influencer marketing. Additionally, they will oversee the visual representation of your brand across all platforms and develop and execute a conversion strategy to turn followers into customers.
How Much Will You Pay for a Social Media Manager?
There are two main options for working with social media managers: hiring them as full-time employees or as independent contractors. Full-time social media managers have a national average salary of $50,473. Independent contractors can be hired on a fixed monthly or hourly basis, on a retainer, or on a per-project basis. The hourly rate for a newly minted social media manager with less than three years’ experience is typically between $15-$50, while those with three to five years’ experience charge $50-$100 per hour. Top-shelf social media managers may charge over $120 per hour. The rate you pay will depend on the platforms you need help with, the manager’s experience, and the type of business you have.
Tips to Help You Hire a Social Media Manager
One challenge of hiring a social media manager is finding a qualified candidate who will be effective at their job. Many people believe that simply having a social media account is sufficient to be a good manager, but this is not the case. To ensure that you hire a social media manager who can help your business succeed, consider the following factors:
Experience and proven track record of success in social media management
Strong understanding of your target audience and the platforms you use
Skills in paid advertising, influencer marketing, and content creation
Ability to develop and execute a conversion strategy
Strong communication and collaboration skills
By considering these factors, you can increase your chances of hiring a social media manager who can help your business thrive on social media.
Does the Prospect Understand Your Brand?
It’s important that your social media presence aligns with your brand values and direction, as inconsistency can confuse your audience. To ensure that your social media manager understands and supports your brand, consider creating a test as part of the interview process to assess their ability to adapt to and enhance your brand. By hiring a manager who understands your brand’s backbone, you can ensure that every action they take helps lift your brand value and keeps it aligned with your goals.
Can They Handle Customer Care?
While there are many aspects of your social media strategy that can be automated, it’s important to remember that customers should not be one of them. Customers often turn to social media to address their customer service needs, and it’s essential that your social media manager has strong people skills to handle these interactions effectively. Look for a candidate who is able to assist a wide range of customers with different behaviors and needs.
Are They Able to Handle Several Channels?
To effectively leverage multiple social media platforms, it’s important to find a social media manager who has experience and success on a variety of platforms. While proficiency on one platform is a good start, it does not necessarily translate to success on others. Look for a candidate who is comfortable using and managing multiple platforms, as this will allow them to juggle tasks and use tools like social scheduling more effectively.
Do They Possess Strong Collaboration Skills?
To ensure a successful collaboration with your social media manager, it’s important to find a candidate with strong teamwork and collaboration skills. This is especially important if you plan to hire a remote manager. Look for candidates who have experience using common collaboration tools and know how to use them effectively. This is a good indication that they have collaborated with others in the past and are comfortable working as part of a team.
Do They Have a Strong Online Presence?
A candidate’s online presence is a valuable indicator of their ability to represent and grow your brand on social media. As part of your pre-hiring process, be sure to thoroughly review their online history and track record. Pay attention to not just the number of followers they have, but also the quality of those followers. For example, are there industry influencers following them? This can give you a good idea of the value and reach of their online efforts. If a candidate has a poor or unsatisfactory online presence, it may be best to consider other candidates.
Work With Only Top-Notch Social Media Managers
To stay relevant and monetize your social media presence, it’s important to have a strategy in place. Hiring a skilled and experienced social media manager can help ensure that your strategy is effective. However, not all candidates who claim to be able to deliver success on social media are able to do so. Research and evaluate potential hires carefully to ensure that you find the right candidate for your business. Get2Work can help you find pre-vetted top talent and avoid poor quality work. Contact us today to find the best social media managers and other top talent for your business.