Social media managers take a company’s brand and make it known via different platforms. Making a brand known could be done through advertisements, hence, the reason why social media managers are involved with a company’s marketing or advertising team. 

Guide For Hiring a Great Social Media Manager

Remember, social media managers play an important marketing role for your businesses; they are the front-line person who interacts with customers and clients through personalized chats. Additionally, social media managers create and publish daily content on all of your business’s social media platforms via Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube – pretty much any app, software, or website people spend inordinate amounts of time on these days.

How Many Social Media Managers Are There? (and other statistics)

As of 2021, there are over 25,000 social media managers in the US alone. For social media to be consumed by a younger demographic (think teens and young adults), it’s surprising that the average of social media managers is in the late 30s. 

Social media users are dominated by women, specifically younger women, and use it more frequently than males. The country with the most number of social media users in China, with Douyin and Tiktok as the most used app in the country and for the year.

No information regarding social media consumption for singles versus partnered individuals exists yet. However, social media consumption has seen an increase in February of 2019, composed of individuals earning a median income of $75,000. 

How Much Do Social Media Managers Earn? 

Social media managers earn an average of $63,000 annually. For entry-level social media managers, they earn about $40,000 if they have about a year to 5 years of experience. For social media managers who have had experience with the role for up to a decade, they have average earnings of $60,000. 

The salary also varies depending on how prominent the company is. More lucrative companies like BMW may pay more for their social media managers. Some companies may not even need social media managers and rely on their existing customer base as their marketing strategy via word of mouth, or a rewards system for posting content related to the company. These usually are held via contests

What Interview Questions Should You Ask Social Media Manager?

Recruiting qualified individuals for the role of a social media manager is relatively easy. There’s a big pool of candidates but recruiting the best one may be difficult when all of them seem similar in capability. If this is the case, there are a few things recruiters can ask to find out which potential candidates stand out.

Recruiters can ask what skills the candidates possess that will help them be successful social media managers. Most importantly, they should ask candidates how much time they spend on social media. After all, the ones who know the ins and outs of a certain product or service are most likely better prospects for the role. 

What To Look For When Hiring a Social Media Manager

1. What Backgrounds Should You Consider?

Social media managers don’t necessarily have a degree but most recruiters will encounter individuals with backgrounds in business or marketing. A lot of social media managers are actually Bachelor’s degree holders for Communications. 

An online certification organization called eMarketing Association also helps individuals apply for the role even without a proper degree. Communications degree holders have more expertise on the best way to interact with customers. This should help the recruiter narrow down their options.

2. What Is The Ideal Social Media Manager’s Personality?

Social media is inherently geared towards extroverts, although this can be disproven based on what and how content is posted. Extroverts are more likely to post content related to themselves on social media. Introverts may spend more time using social media but not post something about themselves. These mindsets have their own pros and cons.

Going beyond personality types, social media managers should be able to empathize with their customers (or followers). The ability to see things from a customer’s perspective helps a social media manager understand if they’re on track with their goals to making the brand known. This skill turns a social media manager into the role of customer service.

Companies can let a social media manager and dedicated customer support collaborate and discuss how to proceed with scenarios where customer service is needed.

3. Is It Okay To Hire Introverts Social Media Managers?

Introverts will still work well as social media managers. Introverts value privacy (just as much as extroverts do) and will manage social media pages with less risk. They’re more inclined to be analytical and can take on the role of social media strategists and growth hackers. These two roles require an individual to remove themselves from a scenario to see the bigger picture, in contrast to how extroverts need to be able to immerse themselves in customers’ experiences to adjust their strategy.

Recruiters who want social media managers that would be willing to act as strategists and growth hackers can hire introverts instead. 

Few Other Considerations When Hiring Social Media Managers

Age should not be an issue regardless of what the statistics show, but younger minds offer a fresh perspective. They’re more likely to be familiar with social media apps and current trends for the market. Recruiters should steer clear of individuals applying for the role if they don’t have any idea of what Facebook is, but then, anything is possible these days.