Having a social media presence is crucial for success in today’s market. Social media has become a primary way for people to discover and purchase new products, which means hiring a dedicated social media manager can seriously benefit your business. With help from a social media professional, your business can maximize its online potential, expand its reach, enhance customer engagement, create brand awareness, and ultimately increase revenue.
This blog post will explore the benefits of hiring a social media professional. We’ll also share some tips on how to hire the right candidate.
Table of contents
- What is a social media manager?
- What does a social media manager do?
- The professional expertise of a social media manager and how it drives results
- Skill sets to look for in a top-performing social media manager
- The average salary of a social media manager
- How to hire a top social media manager
- FAQs about a social media manager
- Make social media management a breeze with Birdeye
What is a social media manager?
A social media manager is a professional responsible for managing and executing social media strategies for a company, organization, or individual. Their primary goal is to increase brand awareness, engage with the audience, drive website traffic, and ultimately generate leads and sales.
They may work independently, as part of an in-house team, or for a digital marketing agency. The skills required for the role may include social media marketing, content creation, analytics, copywriting, customer service, and project management.
What does a social media manager do?
There are now six major social media platforms that each claim one billion or more monthly active users. According to a study, 40% of shoppers said they bought something after spotting it on social media. As a result, social media management can take up a large chunk of your overall marketing efforts.
A social media manager will take on several tasks, including:
- Managing and creating content
- Schedule posts
- Engaging with followers
- Social listening and monitoring
- Analyzing metrics
- Building brand awareness
- Handling customer service inquiries
- Crisis management
- Developing strategies to increase engagement and reach
Social media managers are responsible for creating a consistent unified voice, messaging, and visual identity across all of your business’s social media platforms. They’ll also make sure all posts, comments, and interactions align with your company’s brand values and goals.
Better yet, a social media expert has various tools that can track and measure the success of current social media campaigns. They can then use this data to draw out future strategies and content creation.
The professional expertise of a social media manager and how it drives results
A social media manager’s professional expertise is key to driving successful results for your company’s online presence. Social media manager qualifications possess unique skills and knowledge that let them effectively create, manage, and keep social feeds updated and engaging.
Multiple social media platforms management
To stay connected to your audience and remain active on a variety of social media networks, you need a dedicated manager who knows how each platform works and has the skills to create content accordingly. This person should have plenty of knowledge about all aspects of digital media in order to deliver timely content that will satisfy your followers.
Each year, social media users demand more and more unique content. In 2020, social media ad spend stood at approximately $132 billion, with spending expected to surpass the $200 billion mark by 2024. Since the social media manager understands the channels better, it becomes their task to come up with social media marketing strategies and campaign ideas that resonate with the audience.
Develop a social media marketing strategy
Developing an effective social media marketing strategy is critical for businesses that want to maximize engagement and build brand recognition. Social media managers can leverage insights from analytics to decide which social platforms are best suited to reach target audiences and craft content that will resonate with the right people.
Social media managers can also identify core topics and craft a content calendar that weaves in seasonal updates, promotional campaigns, and engaging topics. From regularly interacting to staying ahead of social media trends, social media managers continuously work on improving user experience and transforming fans into loyal customers.
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Content development
Social media managers are also responsible for creating high-quality content that resonates with your customers and supports your company’s marketing and sales goals. Sharing posts that entice people to interact with your brand while engaging in conversations helps create a sense of belonging among your followers. Social media managers also stay up-to-date with the latest technologies in social media and digital marketing to ensure that the company’s content remains relevant.
Social media public relations in real-time
Working in social media today requires a fast-paced approach to staying ahead of the ever-changing curve. . It’s also important for your social media manager to be familiar with public relations strategies.
A social media manager will keep close track of social conversations about your brand so they can quickly respond where necessary and timely. By staying alert, a social media manager can quickly identify and avert any brand crisis before it gets out of control.
Drive sales through social commerce
Social media management isn’t limited to just creating admirers, followers, and fans for your brand. The next and most crucial phase for businesses is converting followers into customers and driving sales.
To help with this, a social media marketer can do the following:
- Create relationships with key influencers in your industry
- Leverage user-generated content via social media campaigns
- Test to maximize the reach of your social campaigns
- Identify opportunities to cross-promote products and services
- Run promotions or offer special discounts or deals on social media
By doing this consistently and tailoring it to each platform, you can turn social media followers into customers and drive increased sales for your business.
Reporting and analysis
Another critical aspect of a social media manager’s role is analytics. They employ a diverse range of social media management tools to monitor and assess the outcome of your social media efforts. This information is then used to shape strategies and content production.
By recognizing opportunities for improvement, they can boost your company’s social media performance. Many managers use social media listening tools to keep them up-to-date on what, where, and who is talking about their brands. This helps the company stay competitive and identify new opportunities.
Skill sets to look for in a top-performing social media manager
A social media manager needs the right skill set to ensure that your social media accounts run smoothly and to keep your followers engaged. The top-performing social media managers are those who have a solid understanding of strategy, content creation, social media analytics, time management, and creativity.
Additionally, they must be comfortable interacting with people online and have excellent communication skills. They must be able to see the bigger picture from individual tactics used in managing multiple accounts. It also helps if they are interested in social media management trends and know the right mix of content to get the most out of campaigns. An eye for detail sets great social media managers apart from the rest and ensures that their content is top-notch.
Brand management skills
A social media manager understands the importance of maintaining and building a company’s brand and has the skills and knowledge to create a consistent voice, tone, and visual identity across various social media platforms.
Community building skills
The various social media platforms play a crucial role in getting like-minded customers to form a community that actively exchanges their ideas, views, and knowledge on multiple topics. A social media manager should be able to build, engage, monitor, moderate, and channel these community discussions or conversations into building a reputation for your company. They should understand how to implement social media campaigns that drive engagement and grow the community.
Analytic skills
Social media managers also need strong analytical skills. To ensure the effectiveness of your social media efforts, you need to be able to track the success of your campaigns in terms of both engagement and sales and also understand the way social media algorithms work. By focusing on social media insights and understanding how best to adjust posts for maximum impact, social media managers can ensure their efforts are always successful.
Industry knowledge
A social media manager can leverage industry knowledge in several ways, including staying up-to-date with trends and conducting research on the target audience and competitors. They will also use data to inform decisions, network and collaborate, and provide insights and thought leadership. These strategies can help create relevant and engaging content, tailor social media strategies, make data-driven decisions, expand the reach of campaigns, and position the business as an industry expert.
By looking for these fundamental skill sets, you can make sure you have a top-performing social media manager on your team who will drive successful results and help to build a positive reputation for your company.
The average salary of a social media manager
The expected salary of a social media manager can vary based on location, industry, experience, and education. The average base salary for a social media manager career in the United States is around $73,800 annually. However, this can range from $40,000 for entry-level positions to over $160,000 for experienced managers in high-demand industries.
Education is also a factor that can impact a social media manager’s salary. Employers prefer applicants to have a social media manager degree or a degree in marketing, communications, or a related field. A master’s degree or advanced certification in digital marketing or social media can also increase a social media manager’s earning potential.
In larger cities, the average salary for a social media manager tends to be higher due to a higher cost of living. Additionally, many social media managers in industries such as technology, finance, and media tend to get higher pay.
How to hire a top social media manager
Hiring a media manager can be challenging, but with the right approach, it can position your business for short-term and long-term success. Here are some tips to help you find and hire the best social media manager for your company:
- Define the role and responsibilities: Understanding your expectations and the manager’s deliverables is essential. This includes defining the responsibilities, skills, and experience you’re looking for in a candidate.
- Create a detailed job description: Creating a detailed job description will help attract suitable candidates and make it easier to compare and evaluate applicants. Make sure to include a list of qualifications, skills, and responsibilities that you are looking for.
- Evaluate resumes and cover letters: Review the resumes and cover letters to determine if the qualifications for social media manager are a match with the candidates who apply. Search for candidates who have relevant experience, education, and skills. It’s also good to ask for examples of their work and see how they’ve performed in past roles.
By following these steps, you’ll be able to find the right person for the job and build a successful social media strategy for your company.
FAQs about a social media manager
Most businesses can benefit from having a social media manager. However, certain types of businesses that can particularly benefit from having a social media manager are those that have a strong online presence, rely heavily on customer engagement, and have a large audience on social media platforms.
Yes, having a dedicated social media manager can be invaluable for companies that want to grow on social media for marketing and engagement. An excellent social media manager helps a business increase its online presence, reach a wider audience, and effectively engage with customers. They can also provide valuable insights and data that can inform future marketing efforts and help the business stay ahead of the competition.
Yes, if you are looking to hire a social media manager for a small business, you can significantly benefit from having a dedicated digital marketer to help increase your social media presence, reach a wider audience, and effectively engage with customers. They can also provide valuable insights and data that can inform future marketing efforts and help the business stay ahead of the competition.
There are a few different ways to find and hire a social media manager. You can look for independent freelancers on sites like Upwork or Fiverr, or you can use specialized platforms like Birdeye. You can also try social media agencies, employee referrals, and professional networks. No matter where you find a social media manager, carefully vet candidates and check their references before making a final decision.
Make social media management a breeze with Birdeye
With Birdeye Social, you get a unified platform that lets you publish content, engage with customers and followers, listen to insights as well as analyze reporting data – all in one convenient place. Watch a free demo and schedule a call with a Birdeye product expert.
This blog post is part of our Social Media Management Guide
About the Author
Birdeye Staff Writer
Originally published
