How to Hire a Social Media Account Manager
Let’s rip off the band-aid: Social Media has become a career.
A lot has changed since the early days of Instagram: video has become king; photos of your food are still relevant, but only to niche pages; businesses have utilized the platform to both grow their audience as well as showcase their brand in a new light; and small businesses have grown faster than ever in marketing their products and services!
If you aren’t convinced that Social Media is a necessity and you’re viewing it as a “fad” or something that you’re “kind of trying out, you are missing out on severe market share! 55% of consumers learn about new brands on Social Media; Instagram, Tik Tok, and other platforms have become search engines as opposed to a reprieve from the real world! Prior to Facebook, Myspace, or even Instagram, word of mouth referrals were king. Print advertising (Penny Savers / billboards / flyers / mailers / etc.) and television commercials were some of the only way of discovery besides word of mouth: consumers were sought out, and discovery of new brands wasn’t as easy as a Google search.
“55% of consumers learn about new brands on Social Media”
But let’s fast forward to 2022: grandma is a master at posting on Facebook about how proud they are of you; you get updates on your friend’s lives and what they are doing all via a 24 hour story on Instagram; your classmate posted a trendy dance and went viral on Tik Tok!
The world has changed and will continue to be ever-changing. Small businesses infer the success they see on social media by other companies and are starting to hop onboard the trend so that they can also receive similar success. However, there is one major mistake that most small businesses make when deciding to start:
They are all hiring younger employees solely because “they are young and know how to use each platform”
The reality is: age ≠ experience. Time and time again, businesses ranging from small to large have fallen victim to the stereotype that just because someone is younger, they are more in tune with social media and therefore will help promote their business properly. Some businesses even go as far as having their own children run the account as a “passion project” since they know better.
As a business owner, you wouldn’t hire an employee to run your business without prior experience, so why should you view Social Media differently? The key is to view social media as a full time job, with actual responsibilities and metrics / tasks associated to it. How do you qualify someone who wants to run your social media?
Experience
Has the applicant worked for other businesses in your industry?
Does the applicant utilized different platforms or just one?
Credibility
Has the applicant actually ran a social media account for other businesses or just their own?
Does the applicant know how to create engaging content and understand how to build an audience?
Questions like the above are a necessity when interviewing or even hiring a new social media account manager. Accountability, consistency, and patience are major keywords that should be included within your job description. If your brick and mortar business took over 10 years to gain traction and become known, do not expect the same results within a year from social media! Don’t be like everyone else who doesn’t take social media serious for their business.
