If your DIY social media posting or that niece who claimed to be an Instagram expert aren’t getting results, you may want to up your game. It may be time to consider hiring a social media manager for your business.

Social media is a sophisticated business. When we first started Pearl Consulting NYC 3 years ago, we provided organic social media services for our clients. Now we’re more focused on the writing part of the business, so when we help our clients with planning their marketing strategy, part of that is helping them find the best social media managers for their needs. Yes, they can choose to DIY it, but learning the ins and outs of the various platforms takes valuable time away from what they do best.

Here are five things we look for when shopping for the right social media manager:

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1. Industry and Platform Knowledge

Social media managers, especially freelancers, tend to specialize in specific industries and platforms. An E-Commerce business looking to sell a beach tote may need a social media manager with experience promoting fashion accessories on Instagram, while a service-based accounting business might be better served by someone who specializes in LinkedIn content.

When speaking to social media managers, ask them about their expertise in your industry and what platforms they know well. Targeting your strategy to a few specific platforms is more cost-effective and efficient than blasting content to every platform out there.

Digital marketing agencies often have expertise in a wider range of social media platforms and industries than freelancers do, but they also tend to cost too much for a nascent solopreneur or small business. However, one agency that’s experimenting with an accessible lower-cost offering is Kielo Digital, whose membership model is unique and perfect for a solopreneur or small business owner trying to DIY their social media with a little bit of professional support.

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2. Services

There are generally two social media service categories: organic, which is simply posting content and hoping people read it, and paid, where you pay for ads on platforms like Facebook or Instagram. Make sure to ask if the social media manager you’re vetting specializes in organic, paid, or both.

Social media algorithms now highly favor paid content, as anyone who has tried to grow a Facebook Business Page can attest. However, most of our clients start out with organic social media content as it’s free to post and allows them to test what content resonates with their target audiences before splurging on ads. We do not recommend using the “boosted posts” option promoted by Facebook or taking any DIY approach to paid social media, as you may be flushing your money away in a crowded marketplace.

Social media managers who focus on organic strategies will likely provide several of the following services:

Growth - More followers will result in greater visibility for your content. An experienced social media manager can grow your following through hashtags or by connecting with businesses in your target niche. Make sure to ask how your social media manager will grow your account. Do they engage with followers personally, use automated software, or buy followers? We strongly recommend avoiding buying followers, as they are unlikely to engage and in some cases can get your account banned.

Creating content - Some social media managers create copy and targeted video content. They can interview you, review your website materials, and decide how much of your existing content, such as blog posts or videos, can be repurposed for social media. It’s preferable, especially in the beginning of your work together, to take a strong hand in guiding the direction of the content so that it accurately represents your brand. Some social media managers will want to have a monthly session with you to discuss the themes you want to cover, events you want to promote, and any videos or written content you’re created so they can find strategic ways to use it. Take full advantage of that and follow their advice about what works!

Scheduling and posting your content - One of the main advantages of hiring a social media manager is that they can post your content on a regular, consistent schedule, frequently with the help of scheduling software like Buffer, Hootsuite, Planoly, or Later. Social media managers can create a calendar for you so that you can quickly review all your upcoming posts.

Engagement - Engagement is when someone responds to your post with a comment, “like'' or share. Engaging in return by replying to their comments and liking their re-shares is one of the most effective tactics to gain followers. Ignore your followers and you may lose them. A social media manager can do this for you, but personal responses from you may feel more authentic to your target audience.

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3. Cost

Most social media managers can provide their services a la carte and/or as packages.

A la carte - Some social media managers will allow you to pay them hourly, per week or per project (for example, creating an Instagram bio or starter grid) and don’t require a retainer. Often, these are people who may just be starting out in the business or want the freedom of customizing a package that suits their clients’ needs. The advantage of a la carte is that it is often a lower-cost way of investing in a social media manager and testing out the fit. The disadvantage is that it may not offer the strategic approach needed to get the results you want and it may be hard to measure results from a one-off experience.

The range of a la carte services can vary significantly. We’ve seen $25/hour for post creation, $80 for a one-time hashtag discovery session, and $225 for a bio “facelift.”

Service packages - Most social media managers offer packages that include various combinations of services including growth, content creation, post scheduling, and engagement. It’s very common for social media managers to offer content creation and post scheduling as core services, and growth and engagement as more expensive add-ons. Some may require a retainer of 3-6 months’ investment to work with them, because it may take that long to see the results you want.

Most experienced social media managers’ organic social media packages range from $600 to $2,500/month or more, not including any work with influencers. We found that the sweet spot for most starter packages is between $800-$1K, which often includes some growth and content creation/scheduling of posts.

For less than $600/month you’ll probably just receive basic content creation and maintenance. But to gain traction on any platform you’ll need a package that includes growth.

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4. Reliability

Recently I reached out to social media managers that had been recommended to me as a good fit for a client. I received no response from two of them. I also contacted one recommended, well-known social manager who dropped the ball on setting up a call after we went back and forth a few times on packages. I removed those people from my list of recommended social media managers and stopped following their accounts.

The only social media managers we recommend are the ones who actually respond and follow through on our requests for information. If they don’t have a good system for collecting referrals or if they ignore DMs then it is likely they will be equally unresponsive to our clients.

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5. Results

When hiring a social media manager, ask to see examples of accounts they have worked on. What kind of growth have they seen in these accounts and what tactics did they use to get there? How often should you be posting each week to see the results you want? You’ll also want to know the type of metrics they provide to show your progress, the expected range of followers you may gain, and the number of impressions and views you’re getting now and what you should expect in the future.

Define some measures of success that make sense for your goals. You’ll need a little patience to reach those goals; it can take between 3-6 months to see results.

Looking for a social media manager or some ideas to improve your content marketing strategy? Drop us a note and we’ll see how we can help.

5 Things To Consider When Hiring a Social Media Manager [Social Media Tips]