Too often companies place Social Media Manager positions low on their totem poles of recruiting importance. That or teams delegate this responsibility to untrained marketing or communications pros who aren’t focused solely on social.
As a Social Media Manager myself, this has always baffled me—especially when nearly three in four employees say their employer does not know how to promote their employment brand on social media.
Because of this skills gap, it’s imperative for every company, no matter how big or small, to have a strong social media strategy in place—and have a quality head devoted to social media.
Once you prioritize hiring the right person for this role, do you know what to look for? I’ve managed the employer-facing social media channels for Glassdoor, the fastest growing jobs and recruiting marketplace, for more than a year. In that time, I’ve come to appreciate the skills that have helped me excel as well as others I need to improve.
Five Qualities to Look for in a Social Media Manager
1. Social Media Managers Are Well Organized
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that organizational skills have to be your No. 1 priority when hiring a Social Media Manager, but it certainly tops my list. While my primary focus is launching social campaigns and writing blog posts, a million things come up every day that also demand my attention.
Personally, being organized includes making to-do lists, communicating effectively with my boss and teammates about what I’m working on and where I need their help, and providing status updates when necessary. It’s vital for a Social Media Manager to adopt a “to-do list” mindset. If you could peer into my brain, you’d find a list of tasks I need to complete, organized in order of importance.
More often than not, your Social Media Manager will be the liaison between many internal teams (I work with recruiting, PR, sales and marketing teams on campaigns on a weekly basis), making it vital to stay up to date on all projects you’re working on. I use Evernote to stay organized, but I’ve also heard that Asana is great for teams.
Lastly, a strong organizer can handle an editorial calendar with ease. Whether you use a structured calendar system or not, your Social Media Manager must be able to schedule social messages and campaigns everywhere from 24 hours out to a week or two.
