Social media marketing is a powerful tool that can help you increase brand awareness, grow your business, communicate with customers, and drive traffic to your website. In fact, 97% of small businesses use social media to reach new customers (hopefully, you’re one of them!). However, 85% of business owners admit they’re not sure which social media tools they should be using. It’s not enough just to have an account; you need an active social media presence if you want to reap all the incredible benefits of social media marketing.
But it may not be realistic for you to do the social media marketing for your business. You have enough on your plate without adding the pressure of having to produce high-quality and original content, monitor engagement, and successfully run ads.
What is a Social Media Manager?
A social media manager represents your company across social networks like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. They create content, plan campaigns, respond to comments, and help you grow your business.
Since the person who manages your social media channels is responsible for your reputation online, you need an experienced professional you can trust. Knowing what to look for when hiring for this position can seem daunting. Everyone uses social media, right? So, what qualifies someone as a social media ‘expert’? Here’s a list of 10 questions to help you find the best candidate!
Top 10 Questions to Ask a Potential Social Media Manager
1. What online communities have you managed previously?
You’re looking for a social media manager, not a social media user, so you want someone who has the ability to build and engage with your online community.
2. Which social media channels do you suggest for our business, and why?
This question will tell you two things: 1) If the applicant has done any research on your company before the interview. 2) How knowledgeable they are about the various social platforms and channels.
Notice if they mention overall strategy, demographics, and style or frequency of messaging.
3. What goals should we set for each of our social media accounts, and how do you define success?
You may not want to continue the interview if their answer is to get as many likes and shares as possible. Since your ultimate goal is conversions, you need to know how the applicant plans to get you there.
Ask what their first goal will be if they take over your social media management. Let them walk you through their goal development process and how they define success.
4. What strategies would you use to generate leads on social media?
The applicant should be able to outline at least two or three specific strategies that will guide leads through your sales funnel. Ask what strategies have worked for them in the past. Let them tell you stories about their best social media campaigns and what made them successful.
5. Tell me about SEO and its relationship with social media.
There are several techniques for using social media to improve SEO. You want to make sure they understand the latest Google algorithms and what is rewarded and punished. They should also know the latest social policies and algorithms. Part of this conversation should be Google Analytics.
6. Which social media management tools do you use?
Let this be an open-ended question. It’s not a good sign if the candidate is only familiar with free software that merely allows them to schedule posts to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Ask them what kind of experience they have with user experience (UX) analytics tools.
7. What are the relevant metrics for tracking ROI on social media?
The essential measures of social media’s return on investment (ROI) are engagement, brand reach, lead generation, and conversions. An experienced social media manager is knowledgeable about specific terms in Google Analytics and the data they can obtain from each platform. Engagement alone, without conversions, doesn’t equal success.
8. How do you handle negative comments or a social media crisis?
Since your company’s social accounts should be used for lead generation and customer support, ask about their experience with both of these. You need a social media manager who will be kind and empathetic when they respond to negative comments.
Do they have personal experience with a social media crisis of any kind? If so, how did they deal with it, and what were the results?
9. How do you stay on top of the new trends and updates in social media?
The world of social media is constantly changing, and you need someone who learns and adapts with it. They need to be willing to practice new techniques, update their strategies, and stay on top of the latest trends.
10. Tell me about your biggest social media failure.
Everyone has failures, so what you really want to know is how they handled the failure. Their answer will provide insight into their coping skills and how they manage negatives. Listen closely to how they resolved the issue, and what they did (or didn’t do) to make sure the failure wouldn’t happen again.
Bottom Line
Social media management is an essential element of digital marketing. Today’s customers expect you to be active on social media. Hiring a social media manager will take the burden of maintaining your social accounts off your shoulders. These interview questions will help you choose someone who has valuable experience and understands the importance of analytics. Remember, your social media manager is responsible for the online presence and reputation of your business.
Our expert social media management team has all the qualities you need! Contact us today for a free consultation and learn more about how we can help you reach your social media marketing goals.