What to Know Before Hiring a Social Media Manager

Hiring a social media manager seems straightforward until it isn’t. Business owners often assume that if someone can post regularly, use hashtags, and reply to comments, they’re good to go. But social media, when used strategically, is much more than just posting content.

It’s about building brand identity, fostering engagement, generating leads, and creating a lasting presence across platforms. Getting this right requires more than a few likes and followers; it calls for someone who understands audience behavior, content strategy, analytics, and brand voice.

Before you bring someone on board, there are several things you should know to make sure you’re choosing the right professional and setting your social media strategy up for success. Let’s dive into what to know before hiring a social media manager, so you avoid common pitfalls and get the results your business deserves.

1. Understand What a Social Media Manager Actually Does

Many people confuse social media managers with content creators, community managers, or influencers. While there’s overlap, a true social media manager handles much more than scheduling posts.

They are responsible for:

Creating platform-specific strategies
Monitoring analytics and performance data
Running paid campaigns
Managing community engagement
Staying updated on algorithm changes
Aligning content with business goals

If you expect someone to “just post a few things,” you might miss out on what a seasoned manager could actually bring to your brand.

2. Know Which Platforms Matter for Your Business

Not every business needs to be on every social media platform. A good social media manager will help you determine where your audience is most active and where your message will be most effective.

Platform strengths vary:

Instagram & Facebook: Ideal for B2C, lifestyle, fashion, and retail
LinkedIn: Best for B2B, corporate, and professional content
X (formerly Twitter): Great for news, thought leadership, and trending content
TikTok: Perfect for younger demographics, short-form content, brand trends
Pinterest: Highly visual, useful for niches like design, food, and DIY

Before hiring, clarify which platforms you want to prioritize and ask the candidate about their experience on each.

3. Evaluate Strategy, Not Just Aesthetics

A polished Instagram grid or a few viral posts can be impressive but they aren’t the only markers of effective social media management.

You need someone who can create and execute strategy, not just pretty graphics. Ask prospective hires to walk you through a social media content calendar they’ve built or how they’ve used performance metrics to improve a campaign.

Ask questions like:

How do you plan and schedule content around product launches?
How do you balance promotional posts with value-driven content?
What tools do you use for scheduling and analytics?

Look for someone who can explain why something worked not just what they posted.

4. Clarify Expectations Around Engagement and Community

Some business owners expect their social media manager to reply to every comment, DM, and tag. Others consider that a customer service task. There’s no right or wrong it just needs to be clearly defined.

Engagement is a major part of growing your audience, but it’s also time-consuming. Some managers specialize in strategy and content, while others are more hands-on with community interaction.

Before hiring, define:

Response time expectations for DMs and comments
Tone and guidelines for responding to users
Crisis management protocols
Tools (like Sprout Social or Hootsuite) for handling responses

5. Make Sure They Understand Branding and Voice

Your social media manager becomes your brand’s voice. That means they need to understand your tone, values, audience, and overall brand identity. A disconnect here can do more harm than good.

Ask them to review your website or past content and draft a few sample posts. This will show you how well they pick up your style and how they plan to improve it.

They should be able to:

Replicate and evolve your tone consistently
Write captions that align with your marketing goals
Adjust messaging based on audience segments
Understand brand guidelines, fonts, and image aesthetics

It’s not just about writing well it’s about writing on-brand.

6. Don’t Overlook Their Analytical Skills

Beyond the visuals and witty captions, great social media managers understand numbers. Metrics help them optimize strategy and prove ROI.

Whether they’re running ads or tracking organic performance, they should be comfortable digging into:

Engagement rates
Follower growth over time
Click-through rates and website traffic
Paid campaign ROI
Conversion metrics tied to goals

Ask candidates how they’ve used data to shift strategy or improve underperforming posts.

7. Know What Tools and Processes They Use

Modern social media managers rely on a range of tools to schedule posts, manage analytics, create content, and run campaigns efficiently.

Some common tools include:

Scheduling: Buffer, Later, Hootsuite
Design: Canva, Adobe Suite
Analytics: Google Analytics, Sprout Social
Project Management: Trello, Asana, Notion

Familiarity with these tools improves workflow and allows for better collaboration. Make sure your hire is tech-savvy enough to work independently while keeping you in the loop.

8. Budget Realistically for the Right Fit

Social media management isn’t just a “side task.” It requires planning, writing, creativity, reporting, and consistency. That kind of effort takes time and expertise and the cost should reflect that.

If you’re expecting daily content, platform growth, engagement, and ad support, you’ll likely need to invest more. A part-time freelancer may be fine for basic needs, but for real growth, a dedicated expert or agency may be better suited.

Final Insights

Hiring a social media manager should be more than a transactional decision. You’re trusting someone to represent your brand, engage with your audience, and shape your online identity.

Take the time to vet candidates, understand your needs, and build a strong partnership from the start. With the right person in place, your brand will grow beyond likes and shares it’ll start building community, trust, and meaningful engagement.

If you’re looking to scale your marketing efforts without managing everything in-house, social media outsourcing can be a smart and scalable solution. Consider exploring outsourcing companies that specialize in social media services and have a track record of working with businesses in your industry.

Done right, social brings them in and email keeps them coming back. Explore the 7 expert strategies fueling email ROI this year.