Are you looking to hire a social media manager but aren’t sure what to ask the candidates when interviewing them? You need to hire someone interested in being the voice for your company, who will represent your entire business online..
Here are some tips on what to ask a social media manager before you hire them.
Tips on interviewing a social media manager! bestsmallbizhelp.com/2012/11/what-t…
— Jason Hunziker (@jhunziker1) December 2, 2012
1) Social Media Results.
A social media manager's job is to help generate interest in your company and your products and services. The first thing to ask a candidate is for case studies or recommendations. Look at the engagement they have brought to other companies.
If they only brag of adding so many followers, but show no increase in actual engagement (retweets, likes, comments), then they are not the candidate for you.
Using interns or those who use Facebook a lot, without good qualifications, are not usually the ones you want running social media, according to Wendy Hwang of Formic Media. If they have brought engagement and active followers, that is a good step towards becoming your social media manager.
2) Integrate Marketing Strategy With Social Media.
Another question to ask is how they may integrate marketing to their social media management. As social media is one area of marketing, potential candidates could include marketing firms that will integrate social media into their other efforts.
Does the company only handle social media, or do they have business in other marketing types offline? Any advertising you do on social media should match up with advertising and marketing elsewhere, to provide one coherent push to all potential customers.
Your fan base may get confused if they see one slogan offline and a completely different approach online, as that weakens the brand. If your marketing company is effective at social media, try using them; otherwise, your social media manager should be aware of all your marketing efforts and keep the social media strategy relevant and consistent with it.
3) Social Media Strategy For Your Business.
If your candidate is still viable, ask how they plan to utilize social media for you:
- Do they intend to tweet once per day? per week?
- Will they respond to most messages and retweet others?
- How many Facebook statuses will they post in a day or week?
- What will the content of that information be?
Lori Riviere of It Marketing Concepts says to ask for a proposal on what they plan to do for your company, because “it is important to have someone who understands the end goal is to drive sales and profits helping you navigate the social media stratosphere.”
If your manager is not properly navigating Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media platforms you may have, that is engagement and business you may have lost. If they cannot provide a solid answer on the time and effort they will bring to your business, they may not be the right fit.
Most businesses need a social media presence but are not effective at it. If you decide to hire a social media manger, ask how they will utilize the services. These tips on what to ask a social media manager can help determine if they are a strong fit for your business. If they are, hire them!
