The Top Qualities in Social Media Managers to Look For in Your Business

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By now, you know the importance of having a solid social media presence for your business. Your social media pages give current and potential customers instant access to your products and services. It’s the digital platform where people hang out via their smartphones, tablets, and computers. Over 50% of the world’s population uses social media — whether Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter — because it provides immediate communication to people worldwide.

Have you ever come across a Twitter page for a favourite brand, only to find that it hasn’t been updated since 2018? Or an Instagram page from an organization you admire that lacks creative images? It’s always disappointing when companies either forget to update their social media or don’t think doing so is essential to good business. 

Your online presence is equally as important as your physical presence — if not more. Online, you’re actively interacting with other businesses and customers 24-7. Furthermore, you want to appeal to people of all ages, including the millions of millennials and Generation-Z folks out there who spend a big chunk of their lives online.

To do this well, you need a talented social media manager. Here are some top qualities that recruitment agency IQ PARTNERS suggests you look for when hiring this integral role to join your team.

1. Branding and Marketing Experience 

If a candidate lacks any previous marketing experience, it might be a sign to move on to someone who does. While such knowledge is teachable, it’s also a skill that develops over time, and you may not have the time to give your new manager a Marketing 101 course.

One of the critical aspects to successful social media managing is staying on brand at all times. This includes the style, tone of voice when writing text, and overall aesthetics. Look for people who have had at least one year working in branding and social media, so you know they understand how to work well with the rest of the marketing team.

2. Tech and Internet Savvy 

Perhaps it goes without saying that the best social media managers are also technology and internet experts. Do you know those people that always send you the latest memes and know about social platforms that most people have not even heard of yet? Such people are the managers you’ll want to hire.  

They’ll be teaching you new tricks of the online trade, and your company will benefit significantly from their expertise and ability to navigate the internet. They’ll know all about social media managing programs like Hootsuite and will take your online presence to a whole new level.

3. Organized and Attentive to Detail

You can’t build an online social presence without possessing acute organizational skills and be attentive to detail. This person will juggle many tasks and wear several different hats — and perhaps manage other team members. 

You’ll need to see evidence that they utilize tools such as work back and Google Calendar schedules. Your new team member must be able to stay on top of work, even when things become hectic. 

4. A Sense of Humour

When you think of recent social media posts that you’ve seen, which come to mind? There’s a big chance that the ones you remember straight away are posts that made you laugh. While there are definitely times in life that require reflection or observance, being able to laugh and not take everything too seriously is vital to good social media because it creates a visceral connection with your audience.

You want your posts to be memorable and for your audience to want to keep coming back. You want people to like, save, and share your posts not just because of the quality of your products and services, but also because the content is worthwhile. 

Find someone who isn’t just tech savvy, but someone who can also convey wit and humour in their writing and visuals when posting on your social platforms.

5. Flexibility 

The great thing about working in social media is that you don’t necessarily have to operate out of an office. And with the current pandemic, someone who is willing to work from home or remotely can be a real benefit to your company since you may not always be working in-person. 

Look for someone who isn’t committed to working full-time hours from a regular office — a social media manager who wouldn’t mind working remotely and without constant, in-person supervision.

Your best bet to finding someone with these qualities is to work with an established recruitment agency. Pulling from exclusive talent pools, they’ll discover the best person who will make your marketing team better than ever.

Before you hire your upcoming manager, review these tips to get the very best person for the job!