Questions To Ask When Hiring A Social Media Manager?

If you own a small business, there may come a point when you need to hire a social media manager to handle your accounts. Unfortunately, these days just about anyone can (and will) call themselves a social media expert. So how do you find someone who’s legit?

Below are some of the most important questions to ask when hiring a social media manager—so you can choose a partner who understands strategy, execution, and results.

Questions to ask before you hire

1. How many years of experience do you have in social media management? If you’re hiring an agency, you can often find this on their website. If you’re interviewing an individual consultant or employee, look for work-related experience. Having a personal Instagram account since high school isn’t the same as managing social media for a business.
2. Can you provide references? References help you avoid fly-by-night social media managers. Look for someone who has built long-term client relationships. Consistent relationships often indicate satisfied clients and steady performance. If a candidate can’t provide a few solid references, that’s a sign to proceed with caution.
3. What companies are “killing it” on social media—and what are they doing right? Social media success depends on authenticity, so it’s important to hire someone who “gets” your voice and values. Their answer should reveal what they consider good strategy—and whether it aligns with how you want your brand to show up online.
4. Which social media channels would you recommend for my business? This question reveals how well they understand platforms, demographics, and marketing objectives. It’s rare that a business needs to be on every platform, so be wary of anyone who recommends setting up shop everywhere without a clear reason.
5. Tell me about your most successful social media campaign. A strong candidate should answer this easily and clearly: What was the goal? What was the strategy? What results did they achieve? Ask for URLs, screenshots, or examples whenever possible. When you hire a social media manager, results matter.
6. How do you measure the success of your work? Their definition of success should match your goals. For some businesses, that might mean pageviews. For others, it could mean leads, appointments, newsletter sign-ups, store visits, or online sales. Likes and comments are nice—but conversions count. Also ask how they plan to measure success. Creating content is only half the job. A good social media manager should know how to track performance, analyze data, and apply insights to future campaigns.
7. How do you handle negative comments or complaints? Social media isn’t always positive. People are often quicker to complain than to praise. Your social media manager should know how to respond professionally, defuse legitimate concerns, and protect your brand reputation. They should also recognize when to ignore or remove obvious trolls.
8. What could we improve about our current social media messaging? This question shows whether they’ve reviewed your content ahead of time (did they do their homework?) and whether they can offer honest feedback. If someone says, “Nothing—everything is perfect,” they may not bring much value or may be trying to flatter you.
9. Do you take your own photos? Can you create graphics and videos? What tools do you use? This is a practical, nuts-and-bolts question about capabilities. Many small businesses don’t have photographers, designers, or videographers on staff. A good social media manager should be able to create high-quality content (or clearly explain what they outsource and how they manage it).

Learn more about our social media management services

Hiring a social media manager? Jus B Media offers full-service social media management across all platforms. Contact us today to learn more about our social media services.