Honestly, running a business or brand online is very frustrating and also feels like a permanent job. And matching footsteps with Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, and all others in between? That’s another hard level. 

Well, if you’re thinking about hiring someone to manage your social media in a good manner, then congrats, you’re making a smart move. A good social mediar (SMM) will help your brand to grow, to connect more with your audience, and also help you in boosting up your sales. But now the question that appears in your mind will be, how do you find the right social media manager?

Then now you’re just a few lines away from your answer. In this article, we’ll talk very clearly about how you can feel confident and trusted while hiring a social media manager for your brand, which is fit perfectly for you and your brand as well. 

1. Know what a social media manager actually does:

Firstly, you should know that a social media manager isn’t just a person who posts a few pretty and attractive photos online. They wear many hats. 

Here’s what many of them do:

1. Plan content for you according to your brand.
2. Write captions for your post and also prepare a schedule for your posts. 
3. Reply to comments and messages. 
4. Monitor outcomes. 
5. Run ads for you if required. 
6. Always stay on trends or on what’s working. 

Some managers are experts in writing, some love to work with data, and some focus on advertisement or content creation. That’s why deciding in advance about what you need is good so that you can select SMM as per your needs. 

2. Get clear on what you need:

Ask yourself a few main questions:

1. What are your goals—more followers? Increase in sales? Just presenting your brand more professionally on social media?
2. Are you looking for someone to work part-time, full-time, or just as a freelancer?
3. Which platforms are in your priority list?
4. In which field do you need help—writing, graphics, clips, or in all of them?

Suppose you’re a small, handmade chocolate business. You might need someone who’s good at Instagram and TikTok, has knowledge about how to take shots of products, and can write in a warm tone and friendly sound. That’s your beginning point. 

3. Should you hire in-house, a freelancer, or an agency?

There are a few ways to go about this:

In-house

It’s best if you have enough budget and are looking for someone who’s completely a part of your team. 

Freelancer

It’s good for those who have a small budget or whose projects are flexible. Who can adjust their scale up and down whenever needed? 

Agency

It’s perfect for people who have a huge budget, but here you get the whole team, not just a single person. 

There’s no correct answer—it’s just about what will work perfectly for your business at the moment. 

4. Look for the right experience:

Some social media experiences are different. You need someone who has worked earlier with the brand as yours—or at least who has knowledge about your type of audience. 

What to look for:

1. Previous account they’ve handled
2. Specific outcomes 
3. How does their content look and feel to you?

If you’re concerned with beauty products, then you need someone who has managed beauty and skin health-type content. 

5. See how they think, not just what they post:

It’s not a big deal to post a quote graphic; many people can do this, but a good social media manager thinks about the topic like a strategist. 

Ask things like

1. How do you plan your whole month’s content?
2. How do you know about what’s working and what’s not?
3. What would you do if engagement started declining suddenly?
4. What’s your process of learning about a new brand?

In short, you need someone who can understand your objectives and can connect everything back to them. 

6. Make sure they’re creative and flexible:

Social media keeps changing continuously. One week, carousels are the tea, and the next week, reels or something that is completely new. 

You need someone who’s:

1. Aware of trends
2. Strong enough to try new things
3. Filled with innovative and fresh ideas

Ask them about their past work where they have run creative campaigns or gave some funny ideas. This will help you in understanding whether they will bring energy to your brand or not. 

7. Check their skills and tools:

A good social media manager will be familiar with tools like:

1. Later, buffer
2. Canva, Adobe
3. Instagram insights, Meta Business Suite 
4. Facebook Ads Manager, TikTok Ads

Social media managers don’t have to be tech geniuses, but it’s important for them to have complete knowledge about the basics, and they should be open to learning about new things if it’s required. 

8. Pay attention to how they communicate:

Your social media manager will speak as your brand. Which means his/her style and tone are very important. 

Here’s what to look for:

1. Are they able to write captions that sound similar to your brand?
2. Are they able to understand your brand’s voice—funny, professional, casual , or whatever it is?
3. Are they able to handle the DMs your brand will receive from your customers or some tricky comments positively?

Best to test this is that you just have to ask them to write a few captions as samples or replies to an imaginary customer comment. Then see if it feels like your brand.

Wrapping it up

It’s a big step to hire a social media manager for your business, but it can also change the game of your business. If the manager is right, then he/she will take your ideas, energy, and personality of your brand and then apply them in online life. 

Don’t forget:

• Know what you want.
• Ask smart questions.
• Go for experience and passion. 
• Trust your guts.

You don’t want or need any fancy resume—what you actually need is someone who genuinely cares about your business or brand just as much as you care.