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Council Post: Four Things To Consider When Hiring A Social Media Marketing Manager

Having a social media presence is nonnegotiable for today’s businesses. It’s a crucial part of the overall marketing strategy, helping brands increase their awareness and generate website traffic.

According to Buffer’s 2019 State of Social report, 73% of marketers believe that their efforts through social media marketing have been “somewhat effective” or “very effective” for their business.

As social media continues to grow, so does the demand for social media marketing managers.

Business owners have numerous responsibilities, which can make it difficult to post content consistently to Facebook or Twitter. However, I’ve found that hiring a social media marketing manager can help with this significantly. Having someone in this role can help free up your time, allowing you to focus on other areas while strengthening your brand’s online presence.

A team member who can help manage social media efforts is a valuable addition to any brand’s marketing team. Here are four things businesses should keep in mind.

1. When To Hire A Social Media Marketing Manager

How does a business know when it’s time to hire someone to help with social media efforts? While every organization has different needs, there are a few signs that it’s time to hire this position.

If a business is struggling to manage incoming leads from its social channels, it’s a good idea to add someone to the team. Likewise, if customer service requests are going unanswered, it’s time to take action. Brands shouldn’t allow their social media accounts to collect dust over time.

Maintaining a social media presence can be time-consuming, especially as a business owner. Hiring a social media marketing manager enabled me to save time and stress later down the road.

2. Hiring Full Time Versus Freelance 

When hiring someone to help manage social media efforts, businesses should consider whether they want to employ someone on a full-time or freelance basis. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages.

For instance, hiring a full-time social media marketing manager requires a more significant financial investment. However, this person can form a relationship with the brand and, therefore, is more likely to be in tune with the company’s goals.

Freelancers can be a more cost-effective, flexible option for businesses. However, they may not get to know the ins and outs of the company like a full-timer. Brands may have to spend time continuously guiding and updating freelance employees.

Businesses must weigh the pros and cons of each hiring situation. A business might also consider employing someone on an as-needed basis and transitioning them into a full-time employee based on their performance. This approach allows the business to keep an eye on its budget while also managing the expectations of the hire.

3. Skills To Look For When Hiring

It’s not as simple as hiring someone who knows how to use social media. Social media marketing managers play many roles, which include creating content, building a social content calendar, strategic planning, answering customer queries and more.

There are several vital skills businesses should look for when hiring a social media marketing manager:

• Able To Adapt To The Brand’s Voice

A business’s social media presence must align with its brand voice and tone. Otherwise, customers will quickly become confused.

A skilled social media marketing manager should be able to adapt to the brand’s voice or be able to switch between numerous voices for multiple brands. They should also understand how to connect with a business’s target audience on social media.

• Proficient At Managing Multiple Accounts

These days, many businesses juggle numerous social media accounts. Each channel has a different persona and its own best practices in terms of content, captions and customer support.

A business that maintains numerous social accounts needs a social media marketing manager who can keep up with multiple networks. It’s also essential to make sure this person is familiar with social media management tools such as Buffer, Sprout Social, or Gain that will help them to become more productive.

• Dedicated To Collaboration

Social media marketing managers shouldn’t be isolated from the rest of the team. Regardless of whether they come to the office every day or work remotely, they should be willing to collaborate with the business owner as well as the brand’s marketing team, if there is one.

Businesses need someone who can stay current with what’s happening so they can run social media accounts effectively. It’s vital that the candidate has experience using communication tools such as Slack or Trello – this means that they have likely collaborated successfully with a team previously.

4. How To Create Content Together

When a business hires a social media marketing manager, it might expect to find someone who can do it all. However, maintaining a social media presence requires a team effort. In today’s workplace, it has become increasingly crucial for business owners and executives to play an active part in their organization’s social media efforts.

Depending on the size of the team, business owners and other employees should work together with their social media marketing manager to create some content — especially video and other forms of real-time content. For instance, other team members and I regularly contribute to social media efforts by participating in video interviews, appearing in pictures, or offering industry tips in posts.

As the faces of the business, those in leadership roles should work alongside social media marketing managers to create engaging content for social media.

Amplifying Your Social Media Marketing Strategy

Hiring a social media marketing manager is one of the best ways for a business to take its social media marketing strategy to the next level. However, an organization must consider a few things before bringing on a social media marketing manager. By knowing when to hire someone, what skills to look for and how to collaborate with them, the business will reap the full benefits of a social media marketing manager.

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