Tips For Hiring a Social Media Manager

Social Media. It's a big thing now. I sat down and realized the other day that my job didn't exist just a few years ago. Social Media Marketing or Social Media Manager wasn't a thing! But a lot of businesses are now hiring to fill this position and I'm glad they are!

I have been doing Social Media Marketing and Managing for over 3 years now and I love it. But I often find that, since this is a new job position, people are unsure of how to direct those they hire. I have definitely been left alone to make many crucial social media decisions. On the complete opposite end, I've had people monitor my work SO closely they might as well be doing it themselves. There's a reason you hire people for jobs. It's because they're good at it and you are not.  

So whether you over-monitor or don't even know where to start - here are some of my tips for you when it comes to hiring a Social Media Guru! 

1) Hire someone with lots and lots of social media experience 

This seems obvious but I find that a lot of the older generation just assume that the younger generation knows everything about social media. Honestly most people in their 20s are pretty efficient at sharing their opinions on Facebook and sharing their most recent meal on Instagram. But do they know about Social Media Analytics, Promoted Pins on Pinterest, Paid Advertising on Facebook? You need to hire someone who's familiar with these things. And in order to hire someone who's familiar with these things, you need to know about them so you can ask!

Here's a great article on basic Social Media channels for Business. - The 7 Best Social Media Channels For Business Marketing

I recommend you familiarize yourself with the position you're filling.

2) Once you hire a Social Media Guru, don't assume they need no guidelines 

Before you hire for a social media position, you should create guidelines. Or, if you're absolutely unsure where to begin, have the Social Media Guru make a schedule they think would be most beneficial. You can review the guidelines and approve them so you can make sure the person you hired is sticking to them. At least for the first few weeks of social media posting and managing, you should be aware of all that is being posted. Unless you knew the person you hired quite personally, you need to make sure they are reliable. 

3) Don't over-manage your Social Media Guru 

The reason you hire someone who has experience and knowledge in Social Media is because you want them to come and do something better than you could. I personally have had people watch and direct me like a hawk. I went to school for Marketing. I took classes in Social Media Marketing. I have managed over 50 different social media accounts for over 10 different types of businesses. The reason you hired me is because I should know what I'm doing. If you truly want your business to flourish sit down and let the Social Media Guru tell you what they think would be best for all your accounts. I recently worked for a business and tried to fix their Pinterest account. They were quite angry when I finished and they discovered I had deleted a lot of (ugly) pins. Their Pinterest account, in all honesty, wasn't super attractive visually. The photos were small and blurry. That's the point of Pinterest. It's visual. It's about how the pin looks. They didn't quite grasp the concept of Pinterest. This is a situation where you need to let your social media guru do what they think is best. Because I'll be honest - I will quit social media jobs where the people want to stick with their same old ways and don't want to grow their social media accounts. My purpose is never to disrupt but to grow and improve social media accounts. 

4) Hire someone who has a passion or interest in your business 

I've turned down a lot of social media managing jobs because they were businesses I had no interest in or had little knowledge in. I have a lot of social media knowledge, but I have little car knowledge - so I probably wouldn't do social media for a car company. When you're hiring, make sure the person you're interviewing has some sort of passion or interest in what you're doing. I do so much better at my job when I'm passionate about what I'm posting! 

5) Explain your brand to the person you're hiring 

One important thing with social media is creating a consistent voice. When I post to social media accounts I'm never posting as myself. For instance I recently started working for a whiskey company. Mind you, I am a 21 year old girl and they don't want their customers to know that it's a 21 year old girl telling them about whisky. For this account I definitely write with a more masculine voice. Make sure when you're hiring someone that they are able to be your business brand and voice in a sense. 

6) Explain your vision to the person you're hiring 

All business owners have a vision (or at least I hope they do)! Explain to your social media guru all your goals. Not your social media goals, but your business goal in general. Tell them the big picture. This will help them set social media goals for you. They can then sit down and brainstorm ways that Social Media can help aid you towards your big goals. For instance you probably don't just want more social media followers - you probably ultimately want more sales! Have the social media guru think of ways that they can increase sales through your social media channels. 

There you have it. Some simple guidelines coming from a Social Media Guru herself.