Companies can find social media managers by using agencies, or advertising on job boards. More commonly, freelancers are being found via online platforms such as Upwork.
Finding Social Media Managers can be a daunting and frustrating task, especially if the business has never recruited for any social media positions in the past. This guide will navigate you in finding and hiring that perfect social media manager for your organisation.
Table of Contents
What does a social media manager do?
Social media is an emerging and fast moving job field. There is a lot of confusion around what a social media manager does and doesn’t do.
The main responsibility of A Social media manager is to manages social media accounts and plan/schedule posts. This can involve working with designers and copyrighters as well as external companies and partnerships.
An in-house social media manager usually has different job roles and responsibilities than a freelance social media manager. In-house social media managers are usually more involved with planning, whereas a freelancer’s focus is on marketing and getting posts out.
What are the main daily tasks of a social media manager?
- Create and implement a social media strategy to meet the business objectives.
- Publish social media content which aligns with the strategy and brand voice.
- Research the competitor
- Find influencers which reflect the businesses values and can increate company awareness
- Data analysis and reporting
- Monitor social media trends, news and PR opportunities.
What shouldn’t a social media manager do?
- Email marketing
- Paid ads management
- Photography
- Graphic design
- Business consulting and advice
- Video editing
Some social media managers may have the extra skills above, but should not be expected.
9 reasons why businesses need a social media manager
#1 To create a strong online presence
Having a solid Social media presence is crucial to business growth and success.
#2 To help grow brand awareness through reactive posts
A good social media manager will help keep the business current by prioritising when posts go out and reacting to events . Social media managers spend time writing targeted captions and reacting to posts in the brands voice.
#3 To understand the competition
Your social media manager will look to your competitors, industry experts and influencers to understand what works and doesn’t! They will then use this knowledge to strategically grow and position the business in the online marketplace.
#4 To respond faster to queries
People will need information and want answers in real time if they have issues with a product/service. A social media manager will manage and monitor comments and messages, and quickly gives people the answers they need. Having a social media manager will attract new customers/clients
#5 For a more efficient customer experience
Social media managers will be social listening to ensure all brand mentions are monitored and dealt with effectively regardless of where they happen.By hiring a professional to handle the job, you’re investing in your business’s long-term growth and reputation.
#6 Contact industry influencers.
Potential customers are already on social media following other people. Social media managers will identify influential accounts and will work strategically to harness their power to amplify your message.
Think of this as a way to strategically borrow someone else’s audience so that even when your audience is small, you can still reach the right people.
#7 To provide more time for other team members
Social media accounts can be managed by people within the company as an extra task but this could present inconstancies. Hiring a professional social media manager whose sole purpose is the social media side of things will allow you to redirect your time on other aspects of the business that is within your niche. Social media is time-consuming and can take up a lot of energy and focus.
#8 So you don’t need to know how everything works
One of the benefits of hiring a social media manager is that they love being on social media! So, if you hate Facebook, don’t ‘get’ Twitter and don’t always want to be on your phone, outsourcing your social is a no-brainer.
Social media managers live for social media… their phones are almost glued to their hands! And because of that, they know how everything works, even on the constantly changing platforms, so you won’t ever need to worry about learning how to use new features to get your business in front of the right people.
#9 Social media marketing is in-demand
Social media is growing each day and as everything has a digital presence it’s never been such an important tie to set your company off on the right foot.
Pros of hiring a freelance social media manager
- For flexibility and on-demand working conditions.
- To work to specific requirements.
- Contract can be on 0 hour contract.
- Freelance social media managers invest in their learning to stay on top of there game.
Pros of employing an in-house social media manager
- More accountability will sit with the in-house social media manager
- More time and reliability dedicated to the job
Pros of working with an agency
- Teams can be large
- Very broad experience over different situations
- Use best practices
Where to find a social media manager
A great place to look for a social media manager is on Upwork. Being able to search through top rated profiles, ask questions and setup a video call to find out more makes the hiring process seamless. The online talent pool is also massive, you could potentially be hiring from countries such as Thailand, Mexico or even Croatia
The best thing about Upwork is that there is a rating system and you can read past feedback before you make judgment and hire.
Hiring a social media manager remotely
A massive benefit of hiring a remote social media manager is that you are not limited to only working with people within your local area. The best talent maybe in cities or countries further away such as Thailand.
What makes a good social media manager?
- Good communication and customer service skills
- Creativity and copywriting
- Extra skills such as design, art directing and photography
- Efficiency & organisational skills
- Marketing knowledge and a strategic approach
- Willingness to learn
- knowledge of more than one language
Final thoughts
A great Social media manager will have the experience to grow the business online create more brand awareness and reach new customers all over the world.
