Five Useful Criteria for Hiring Your First Social Media Manager

Social media was not initially something many businesses took seriously, and it took quite some time before they completely understood the impact it was making. They soon understood that it was not just a passing fad, neither was it only a means of updating others about personal lives and sharing important photos.

They finally got the most important aspect – it could be useful as a tool for promoting their brands, grow their audience, and increase sales and engagement.

Today, many of us understand the power of social media when it comes to businesses having a significant presence on different platforms. However, the skill of managing it is often challenging to master, particularly when you have many accounts on your hands and trying to keep up with your business at the same time.

And that is where a social media manager steps in. you most likely may not have the expertise of managing your social media accounts, but the manager is here to reduce the burden. They also assist you to create meaningful connections for your brand, which lead to very satisfying results. Because they are so important to the success of your company, it is critical that you find the right person to handle the job.

With that in mind, what are some of the criteria to use when looking for a social media manager? Here are a few tips.

Do they understand what your brand is about?

Before hiring someone to take charge of your social media strategies, you must ensure they understand what your brand is about. The last thing you want is someone that has a different idea than what you want them to communicate – having a different brand voice every time will confuse current and potential customers.

Even though the person might have exciting and innovative ideas for you social media accounts (which is not a bad thing), all those ideas need to make sense for your business and your vision. If they do not understand that, then they are not a god fit.

The best social media managers you will get need to have the ability to adapt to the voice of your brand, and they must have an innate understand of how to connect with your customers on social media.

Can they manage multiple channels?

If you would like your business to make a significant impact on multiple channels on social media, then the manager you are looking for needs to have the capability of handling different accounts at a glance. That also means they do not simply rely on their good memory to do an excellent job – they must also be familiar with all the tools that make their work more productive and engaging.

Because of his, ensure that the first social media manager you hire knows all the ins and outs of at least one social media management software, such as Sprout social, Hootsuite or Buffer. When they use one of these tools very effectively, that will be the indicator that they are highly organized, and they are more than capable of raising your social media game on numerous platforms.

Are they willing to collaborate?

It is not a requirement that your social media manager steps into your office each day. In fact, they might even be working from home, which is a reality of the current day working conditions. However, they must always be willing to work with you and collaborate as much as possible. That means theymust always be up to date with everything that goes on in your business, so that they can update all social media accounts effectively and with the correct information.

Therefore, if they have familiarity with communication tools such as Trello or Slack will help them in boosting your social media communication. If they know any of these tools, that also means they have collaborated successfully with a team before, and youwill be in good hands.

Are they good writers?

When they have this understanding, they can write captivating and interesting sentences that encourage the users to purchase, or engage with the post at least. They do not need to use so many words for it – even a few sentences are enough to convey the message.

When doing the interview, consider telling the applicants to write numerous versions of a story or headline, preferably giving them the background story and allowing them to get creative with it.  In this way, you can test how creative they are in person, and see the level of their writing skill.

Is their online presence strong?

All the above criteria is good in theory, but you cannot afford to ignore this aspect either – otherwise, it will be similar to applying for a job without sending a CV. When you are looking for a social media manager, you need them to have a prominent presence on social media; preferably on multiple platforms.

This does not relate to the number of followers they have – that alone is not significant enough to drive their understanding of engagement. What it involves is the type of content that they share with their followers regularly, and whether they are experts in their own industry. They must also have high levels of engagement with their followers, which certifies them as genuine and that they know what they are doing.

Final thoughts

Hiring a social media manager for your business is a task you must take seriously, as it has the potential of making or breaking your business online. For that reason, you should have a specific set of criteria to use when looking for the right person, and you are sure to gain success.