Social media has become a critical growth channel for businesses, and behind every strong brand presence is a skilled social media manager. According to the Social Media Marketing Industry Report, 83% of marketers say social media increases brand exposure, 73% see higher website traffic, and 65% credit it with lead generation—making effective social media management a clear business advantage.
From planning content and engaging audiences to analyzing performance and adapting to constant platform changes, social media managers help businesses stay competitive and visible online.
If you’re looking to hire a social media manager for your business, understanding the role, required skills, and tools is essential. This guide breaks down what to look for when hiring, helping you choose the right expert to drive consistent results and measurable growth across platforms.
A social media manager is responsible for planning, executing, and managing a brand’s presence across social media platforms. Their goal is to increase awareness, engage audiences, and support business objectives through consistent, strategic social media activity.
Core responsibilities include:
- Creating and scheduling content across social platforms
- Managing comments, messages, and audience interactions
- Monitoring performance and analyzing key metrics
- Aligning social content with brand voice and business goals
- Staying updated with platform trends, features, and algorithm changes
How does it differ from a strategist or a community manager?
While a social media strategist focuses on long-term planning, campaign direction, and goal-setting, a social media manager handles the day-to-day execution of that strategy. A community manager, on the other hand, concentrates primarily on audience engagement, conversations, and relationship-building. In many teams, a social media manager may cover aspects of all three roles, especially in smaller organizations.
When hiring a social media manager, businesses should look for a balanced mix of creative, strategic, analytical, and technical skills. These abilities ensure your brand stands out, engages the right audience, and delivers measurable business results, not just vanity metrics.
Here’s how each skill adds value from a business perspective:
Each social media platform works differently. A strong social media manager understands:
- Platform-specific content formats and best practices
- Algorithm behavior and content distribution patterns
- Basic paid advertising concepts, such as objectives, targeting, and budgets
- How organic and paid strategies work together
- Platform-specific post formats, size, and best time to post
This knowledge ensures content and campaigns are tailored for maximum visibility and performance.
2. Creativity
As social platforms become more competitive, brands expect social media managers to deliver ideas that stand out, not just post regularly.
Creativity helps you:
- Turn everyday content into scroll-stopping posts
- Design campaigns that align with trends without losing brand identity
- Repurpose content across platforms while keeping it fresh
Strong creative skills allow you to visualize opportunities others might miss and adapt quickly to changing audience preferences.
3. Copywriting
Good social media copy doesn’t just inform, it drives action. A skilled social media manager can:
- Write clear, engaging captions that match the brand voice
- Craft strong hooks for feeds, Stories, and short-form videos
- Use CTAs strategically to encourage clicks, sign-ups, or purchases
Effective copy ensures that visuals and messaging work together to deliver impact within limited attention spans.
4. Handling Brand Interactions
Social media is a two-way channel. Managing conversations is just as important as publishing content.
This includes:
- Responding to comments, DMs, and reviews professionally
- Managing complaints, questions, and feedback with empathy
- Maintaining consistency in tone across public and private interactions
Strong communication and active listening help build trust and protect brand reputation.
5. Stay Updated with Platform Trends and Algorithm Changes
Social media changes fast – formats, algorithms, and user behavior evolve constantly.
Social media managers must:
- Track emerging trends, features, and content formats
- Identify which trends align with brand goals (and which to skip)
- Adapt content strategies based on platform updates
Staying current helps brands remain relevant without chasing every trend blindly.
6. Managing Stakeholder or Client Relationships
Whether working in-house, at an agency, or independently, relationship management is a critical skill.
This includes:
- Setting clear expectations and timelines
- Sharing regular updates and performance insights
- Being proactive with ideas and improvements
- Communicating challenges transparently
Strong relationships lead to long-term collaboration and better campaign outcomes.
7. Analysis and Reporting
Data-driven decision-making separates average social media managers from great ones.
Key responsibilities include:
- Conducting account audits to identify gaps and opportunities
- Tracking KPIs like engagement, reach, clicks, and growth
- Creating reports that translate data into actionable insights
- Optimizing strategies based on performance trends
- Use social media analytics tools and third-party reporting tools
Clear reporting also helps demonstrate the value of social media efforts to stakeholders.
8. Budget Awareness
Even if you’re not managing finances directly, understanding budgets is essential.
Social media managers should:
- Allocate spend effectively across platforms and campaigns
- Avoid waste by identifying low-performing tactics early
- Balance organic efforts with paid support when needed
Budget awareness ensures resources are used strategically to achieve goals.
9. Project and Workflow Management
Social media management involves juggling multiple tasks, timelines, and approvals.
Strong project management skills help you:
- Plan content calendars weeks or months in advance
- Coordinate with designers, writers, and marketers
- Track approvals, revisions, and deadlines efficiently
- Ensure campaigns align with broader marketing goals
Organized workflows reduce errors and improve consistency across channels.
Today, social media managers are expected to do more than just post content. They are responsible for brand presence, audience engagement, performance tracking, and continuous optimization. By strengthening these core skills, social media managers can adapt to platform changes, scale their efforts, and deliver real business impact.
Businesses can hire social media managers in different ways depending on budget, scale, and long-term goals. Each option offers distinct advantages and trade-offs.
An in-house social media manager works full-time for your brand.
Best for: Established businesses with consistent content needs and long-term growth plans.
Pros
-
Deep understanding of your brand, voice, and audience
-
Close collaboration with internal teams
-
Full ownership of strategy and execution
Cons
-
Higher cost (salary, benefits, training)
-
Less flexibility to scale up or down
A freelance social media manager supports your business on a contract or retainer basis.
Best for: Startups, small businesses, and brands needing flexibility.
Pros
-
Cost-effective and scalable
-
Access to specialized, up-to-date expertise
-
Faster execution without long-term commitment
Cons
-
Limited availability compared to full-time staff
-
Requires clear communication and goals
Agencies provide social media management through a team-based approach.
Best for: Brands managing multiple platforms, campaigns, or regions.
Pros
-
Access to multiple specialists and tools
-
Structured processes and reporting
-
Ability to handle high-volume work
Cons
-
Higher cost than freelancers
-
Less direct control over individual creators
These managers combine social media with skills like paid ads, influencer marketing, or analytics.
Best for: Businesses looking for growth-focused, strategic support.
Pros
-
Broader strategic impact
-
Better alignment with performance and ROI goals
Cons
-
Higher rates due to expanded skill set
A social media manager’s role goes far beyond posting content. Their day-to-day responsibilities focus on building brand presence, engaging audiences, and delivering measurable results aligned with business goals.
Content Planning and Publishing
Social media managers plan content in advance using content calendars to ensure consistency across platforms. This includes coordinating visuals, captions, hashtags, and posting schedules in line with platform best practices and audience behavior.
Community Management
They monitor comments, messages, mentions, and reviews and respond in a timely, brand-appropriate manner. Community management helps build trust, strengthen relationships, and turn followers into loyal customers.
Performance Reporting
Tracking and analyzing performance is a core responsibility. Social media managers review metrics such as engagement, reach, clicks, and conversions to understand what’s working and refine future content and campaigns.
Paid Support and Promotions
While not always full-time ad specialists, social media managers often support paid promotions—boosting posts, coordinating campaigns, assisting with targeting, and aligning organic and paid strategies for better results.
Brand Safety and Crisis Handling
Social media managers protect brand reputation by monitoring conversations, flagging potential risks, and responding calmly to negative feedback or sudden issues. During crises, they follow predefined guidelines to ensure consistent and responsible communication.
As social media becomes a core growth channel, businesses and agencies are hiring social media managers with a stronger focus on strategy, execution, and measurable outcomes. Below is a practical, modern approach to hiring the right social media manager.
1. Define the Role Based on Business Goals
Before starting the hiring process, businesses should clearly outline what they want social media to achieve. The responsibilities of a social media manager can differ widely depending on whether the focus is on visibility, engagement, lead generation, or conversions.
Typical responsibilities may include:
- Content planning and publishing
- Community management and direct messages
- Performance tracking and reporting
- Supporting paid promotions and campaigns
- Maintaining brand voice and handling sensitive situations
A clear role definition helps attract candidates whose skills align with your actual needs.
2. Decide the Right Hiring Model
Choosing the correct hiring model ensures you get the level of support your business truly needs. Each option offers different benefits depending on budget, workload, and long-term goals.
Common hiring models include:
- In-house managers are best for brands with ongoing, high-volume content needs
- Freelancers, ideal for flexibility, niche expertise, or short-term projects
- Agencies are suitable when strategy, execution, ads, and analytics are needed together
Selecting the right model upfront prevents wasted time and mismatched expectations.
3. Create a Clear, Outcome-Focused Job Description
A strong job description acts as both a filter and a roadmap. Instead of listing vague platform knowledge, it should explain what success in the role actually looks like.
An effective job description should cover:
- Key outcomes and performance expectations
- Platforms and tools the candidate will manage
- Content formats they’ll be responsible for
- Collaboration level with marketing, sales, or support teams
Clear expectations attract higher-quality applicants and reduce churn.
4. Source Candidates Where They’re Most Active
Social media managers are often already visible online. Tapping into the right channels increases your chances of finding experienced, motivated candidates.
Effective sourcing channels include:
- LinkedIn and professional networks
- Industry-specific communities and social groups
- Freelance marketplaces for trial or contract roles
- Referrals from peers, partners, or team members
Reviewing real profiles, portfolios, and case studies is more reliable than resumes alone.
5. Evaluate Skills Using Real-World Scenarios
Instead of relying only on interviews, businesses should assess how candidates think and execute. Practical tasks provide deeper insight into their problem-solving abilities.
Helpful evaluation methods include:
- Creating a short content plan for your brand
- Analyzing sample metrics and suggesting improvements
- Writing responses for common customer interactions
These exercises reveal creativity, communication skills, and strategic thinking.
6. Check Tool Proficiency and Reporting Skills
Modern social media management requires fluency with tools and data. Candidates should be comfortable using scheduling, analytics, and collaboration platforms.
During evaluation, assess their ability to:
- Use social media management and analytics tools
- Track performance across platforms
- Translate data into simple, actionable insights
Strong reporting skills are essential for stakeholder alignment and ROI tracking.
7. Onboard With Structure and Clarity
A well-planned onboarding process ensures the new hire can deliver results quickly and confidently. It also reduces the risk of brand inconsistency or miscommunication.
A solid onboarding plan should include:
- Brand voice, tone, and content guidelines
- Access to accounts, tools, and creative assets
- Defined KPIs, workflows, and approval processes
- Clear rules for handling negative feedback or crises
Effective onboarding sets expectations early and builds long-term success.
Hiring a freelance social media manager gives businesses access to specialized expertise without the long-term cost and commitment of a full-time hire. For startups, small businesses, and even growing brands, freelancers offer flexibility, speed, and results-driven support.
Below are the key benefits from a business perspective.
- Cost-Effective and Scalable Support: Freelance social media managers help reduce overhead costs, including salaries, benefits, office space, and training. Businesses can choose monthly packages based on their needs and scale services up or down as goals change, making it a budget-friendly option.
- Access to Specialized Expertise: Freelancers often work with multiple industries and platforms, giving them up-to-date knowledge of trends, algorithms, and best practices. Businesses benefit from this cross-industry experience without investing in in-house training.
- Faster Execution and Flexibility: Unlike internal teams with multiple approval layers, freelancers can move quickly. They adapt fast to campaigns, product launches, or trend-driven opportunities, helping brands stay relevant in real time.
- Results-Focused Approach: Freelance managers are hired to deliver outcomes—engagement, reach, leads, or conversions. Their success depends on performance, which means businesses get a partner focused on measurable results rather than just posting content.
- Easy Trial and Low Commitment: Businesses can test a freelancer’s performance without long-term contracts. This reduces hiring risk and allows companies to switch strategies or specialists if goals change.
- Fresh Perspective and Creative Ideas: An external expert brings new ideas, unbiased insights, and creative approaches that internal teams may overlook. This helps brands stand out in crowded social feeds.
- More Time for Core Business Activities: By outsourcing social media management, business owners and internal teams can focus on operations, sales, and growth while knowing their online presence is handled professionally.
Managing multiple platforms, clients, and campaigns can quickly become overwhelming without the right tools. SocialPilot is built to simplify daily workflows and help social media managers stay efficient, organized, and results-driven.
Here’s how SocialPilot supports social media managers at every stage:
- Multi-Platform Scheduling: Schedule posts across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Pinterest, and more from one dashboard.
- AI Pilot for Faster Content Creation: Generate captions, hashtags, and post ideas tailored to brand tone and audience goals in seconds.
- Visual Content Calendar: Plan, preview, and adjust content schedules easily with a drag-and-drop calendar view.
- Centralized Account Management: Manage multiple brands or clients without switching logins or tools.
- Advanced Analytics & Reporting: Track engagement, reach, clicks, and growth with export-ready, client-friendly reports.
- Custom Report Builder: Create platform-specific or combined reports with only the metrics that matter.
- Client & Team Collaboration: Share post previews, collect feedback, and get approvals before publishing.
- Bulk Scheduling & Automation: Upload and schedule content in bulk to save time on repetitive tasks.
- Brand Safety & Approval Controls: Maintain consistency and avoid errors with role-based access and approval workflows.
- Scalable for Freelancers and Agencies: Easily grow from managing one account to dozens without increasing complexity.
SocialPilot helps social media managers focus less on manual work and more on strategy, creativity, and growth, making it easier to deliver consistent results at scale.
Your Path to Social Media Success
Social media success today goes far beyond posting content. For businesses, it requires a clear strategy, consistent execution, active audience engagement, and performance that directly supports business goals. Hiring the right social media manager, especially a skilled freelance professional, ensures your brand stays visible, relevant, and competitive across platforms.
As your social presence grows across channels and campaigns, having the right tools in place is just as important as having the right talent. SocialPilot helps businesses and social media managers collaborate efficiently, schedule content at scale, track performance, and maintain brand consistency from a single centralized dashboard.
Explore SocialPilot’s pricing plans and start your free trial today without adding card details to manage social media more efficiently and focus on growth.
