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Things To Consider When Hiring a Social Media Manager

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Hiring a social media manager can be extremely helpful in allowing you to focus on your business while they build and handle your social media presence.  

Many of us business owners are great at what we do, but when it comes to social media, doing it in-house can fall flat. Brands are scrambling to find innovative ways to reach customers, which puts social media experts at a premium. Organizations can leverage the skills of a social media manager right from the start. You need to hire the right person for the job, no matter if you outsource it to an hourly expert or hire a full-time employee.  

To help you start your search for the perfect social media manager, we've outlined a few things to consider.

Determine What Your Social Media Goals Are

It’s important to know what your social media goals are before you even begin looking for someone to manage your accounts. Do you want to grow your following?  

Are you looking for more engagement with your customers? Are your goals financial in nature, such as sales, conversion, and repeat customers? Outline your goals, and include which accounts you are looking to grow, add, or omit from your online presence. Consider where you want customers to land when they do click through, or if you want them to stay on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Tiktok.  

Decide if you want to turn your social media accounts into a social community, humanizing your brand even further! Figure out if you want your content repeated across all social media or if you want to strategize for each platform. Social media planning is just as important as posting and scheduling content. Determine your budget for this role, and if it will be a full-time position or if you will be reaping the benefits of hiring a freelancer.  

Take into account workload and fair compensation for the position. Check to see if your content can be repurposed in different ways such as outsourced blog posts being made into videos for YouTube for more visibility. You may want to consider hiring a social media manager to assist you in achieving your goals if you're unsure of your specific needs.

Finding the Right Manager for Your Brand

The best place to start if you’re looking for a social media manager is right here on Legiit. Our on-site recruitment process simplifies sifting through the many candidates available.

By using Legiit, you will have access to our dispute resolution process, so there's no risk for you. Let us help you find the perfect contractor or team member. It's quick and easy to sign up and access vetted social media managers that meet your needs and budget, and you can read their reviews before hiring them. Here are considerations for hiring the best social media manager for your business:

Check Them Out

An impressive social media presence is a must for any candidate applying for a social media position.  

Note the tone and interactions of each candidate's social media presence. When it comes to marketing, pre-existing connections can be helpful as you try to expand into new areas. Review the candidate's work for another employer's social media presence to see if the candidate is a good fit.

Ask Them Questions

Whether your company is new to social media or has been doing it in-house, it’s important to ask the candidate to be honest about what they would do (or do differently).  

Ask to see a portfolio! You should ask about social media management experience, successes, failures, and adjacent skills that pertain to the job. Ask them how they organize their workload and how they plan content. Have them tell you about a time when they had to problem-solve. A made-up, realistic scenario would work well to figure out how the candidate would fare in a real situation.

As a final question, ask them how they measure performance and how they communicate that data to you. (Once hired, schedule regular meetings to ensure that you are measuring your goals based on mutually agreed-upon key performance indicators.)

Get References or Reviews

The candidate's reviews or references should provide a good sense of how he or she handles other clients.  

Even if the candidate has no reviews or recommendations, but you would like to give them a chance, it's okay to ask for a trial run. Give an estimate of how long your trial run will last, and describe your expectations, such as circulating posts among your team before they are published. One of the most significant benefits of using a freelancer is that you can work on one project at a time.

Ask Them to Describe Your Brand

The best way to discern your candidate’s knowledge is to find out what your candidate already knows about your brand.

This determines if they have done their homework. A solid candidate will have questions for you regarding your company and your social media goals.

Look for Strategy

Creating and following a social media strategy is crucial for a talented social media manager.  

You want to hire someone who will craft a plan for your daily, weekly, and monthly social media posts and follow it without you constantly guiding them. It is important to find a manager who can tailor the strategy to your own unique customer base. When interviewing candidates, find out what tools they'll use to strategize and what kind of role you should expect to play in the process if they are.

Don't D

Changing trends require someone with a fresh perspective that a more seasoned professional might not have. Do not rule out younger candidates.

They grew up on this technology, and often have an edge over everyone else in terms of what’s trending. That said, be sure to monitor your accounts closely until your new hire is well-versed in your branding, voice, and expectations. Businesses tend to prioritize experience when sorting through applicants. However, you won't find many people with significant social media expertise.  

Having years of experience in this field may not provide a significant advantage to a new grad who is only a few months out of college.

Do I Need to Promote the Content or Are They Doing Everything for Me?

Lastly, figure out who is doing what. You don’t want your admin to be repeating work you are already paying for. Setting your expectations in writing before starting your contract or hiring an SMM is vital to ensure success and that nothing gets missed or duplicated.

Social Media Account Security

There are protective measures you can take when hiring someone to manage your social media accounts, as handing over the keys can be scary. The following three contracts should be considered when signing a social media manager:

Social Media Management Contract

A contract between a social media manager and their client is among the most important contracts. You and your Social Media Manager need to ensure a fair and productive relationship, and each element plays a crucial role in this. The contract will specify the following:
  • Your expectations of service
  • Compensation for your SMM
  • Estimated completion timelines
  • Who pays the expenses?
  • Conditions of payment
  • A clause stating who owns the work
  • Liabilities
  • Early termination of the contract
  • Copyright agreement
Your social media manager and you will both be protected by a contract that outlines the items above and more.

NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement)

In general, a nondisclosure agreement protects the details of your work and ideas.

You typically use it prior to hiring someone or forming a business relationship. Both parties agree not to share details about their work when they sign. Specifically, this includes information such as passwords, ideas presented, accounting information, etc. for social media managers working with clients.  

Thus, if it doesn't work out, you wouldn't be able to use any of their ideas or pass on any information about them; on the other hand, they wouldn't be able to share any information about you. Having an independent contractor agreement ready can be helpful when hiring freelancers for your business (for example, graphic designers, videographers, and assistants). You have a legal contract that binds you to keep the contractor's information confidential in case it does not work out.

Independent Contractor Agreement

Please note that if you are hiring a freelancer, they may also have contracts for you, such as an Independent Contractor Agreement. This protects them and is a normal agreement to have in place. Like a social media contract, it specifies services, a payment schedule (hourly or retainer), and a confidentiality clause that protects your company.

Conclusions

Your social media manager will be responsible for updating your social media accounts and planning posts. It's crucial that the person you choose be able to act on those results, whether you monitor your social media analytics yourself or your social media manager does. It is important for the manager to use the data provided to make decisions about everything from the best time to release new announcements to whether posts with images or videos get more views.  

Your social media manager will benefit from this information, and you will also gain a better understanding of your customers. You need to know what to expect before starting your search for a social media manager if you've decided it's time. As you take your business to the next level, having the right credentials in mind will enable you to choose the best representative of your brand.

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