Hire the Top 3% of Freelance Social Media Managers

Demand for Social Media Managers Continues to Expand

As social media usage keeps booming—attracting more attention and advertising dollars than ever before—so does the need to hire high-quality social media managers.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of advertising, promotions, and marketing managers—including social media managers—is expected to grow by 6% annually until 2032, outpacing the average growth rate across occupations generally.

Globally, social media is projected to reach 6.05 billion users by 2028, up from 5.17 billion users today, reports Statista Market Insights. In parallel, social media ad spending is expected to rise significantly, from $219.8 billion in 2024 to $255.8 billion in 2028. With business owners investing more in their social presence, it’s all the more important to hire social media managers who can plan and manage these ad campaigns effectively, as well as elicit as much value as possible from organic reach.

What Distinguishes the Strategic Focus and Daily Responsibilities of a Social Media Manager From a Social Media Marketer?

While there is some overlap in the tasks conducted by social media managers and social media marketers, the key difference between them lies in their scope of work.

Social media managers lead the broader brand presence and overall strategy across social platforms. Their role is comprehensive: It includes content planning, community engagement, and long-term strategic goals. A social media manager for a small business or early-stage startup will likely handle a wide variety of tasks, such as content creation, calendar management, running social media ad campaigns, and strategy and reporting. A social media manager for an enterprise with multiple social media accounts and brands might oversee strategy for just one or two of these accounts, with the help of a social media content creator.

Social media marketers, on the other hand, are strictly focused on demand generation. Social media marketing experts often run campaigns and promotional activities designed to drive immediate results for digital marketing goals such as new leads and conversions. Their attention is on short-term projects, including social media marketing campaigns and influencer marketing. Daily responsibilities can involve running ad campaigns, tracking ad performance, and analyzing user behavior through social listening. More senior experts may handle social media marketing strategy as well.

Social media managers can often support social media marketing efforts, but the reverse is not always true.

What Attributes Distinguish Quality Social Media Managers From Others?

The most exceptional social media managers for hire combine creativity, collaboration, technical proficiency, and empathy in their work. These professionals excel at shaping an online presence and driving engagement on social media platforms, which have become the primary communication channels for countless brands. They are experienced in achieving tangible results for the brands they represent.

With this in mind, here’s what to look for in a freelance social media manager:

Knowledge of platform best practices – Social media networks can differ greatly, and top managers in social media are always aware of the unique characteristics and algorithms of each platform. They know that what works on Instagram might not work on LinkedIn or TikTok. This knowledge sets them apart when it comes to optimizing content and strategies for each social media site.

Brand voice mastery – Social media managers must ensure that a brand’s voice is consistent, authentic, original, and engaging across all social channels.

Knowledge of analytics and segmentation – Expert social media managers excel at dissecting audience demographics, behaviors, and preferences. This enables them to create highly personalized social media content that resonates with specific segments of the customer base. Brands thrive on precise targeting and high engagement rates, and a top-quality social media manager is able to generate them.

Engagement expertise – Social media experts are able to spark conversations and create a community around the brand. This goes beyond basic customer service and peppering posts with trending hashtags; it’s about building strong relationships that elevate brands and make audiences feel seen and valued.

Proficiency with social media management tools – There are several tools that are valuable for analyzing user behavior, content, and campaign performance. An excellent candidate will have firsthand experience in native posting and analytics tools like Meta Business Manager, TikTok Studio, and X for Business, as well as third-party tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout Social, and Google Analytics.

Performance optimization skills – Whether it’s for paid or organic campaigns, social media experts will analyze metrics and tweak their strategies in pursuit of optimization. Expect candidates to discuss tactics like A/B testing, adjusting posting times, and experimenting with different types of content, but be wary of those who pursue engagement farming practices such as sharing provocative content rather than cultivating genuine connections to reach goals.

Content calendar acumen – Social media managers are masters of content planning and scheduling. They create detailed content calendars that outline what content will be posted when, and on which social media sites. Tech-savvy managers will also integrate their content calendar with key processes, and deploy automated notifications, reminders, and updates for every stakeholder they work with. The resulting calendar should always be a key asset that maintains a steady flow of content.

People management skills – The old adage says that all good managers are people managers. A top social media manager understands how to run a machine that relies on collaboration between creative and analytical team members to increase the quality and quantity of interactions that achieve marketing results.

Strategic planning ability – Exceptional social media managers are exceptional strategists. They don’t throw content into the void and hope it sticks. Instead, they plan social media campaigns that align with primary and secondary goals, using their expert knowledge of social channels to maximize results. This involves understanding projects, deadlines, metrics, outcomes, and reports.

Creativity – Social media managers are always close to the creative effort. Whether they need to design social posts themselves or oversee a team of creators, you’ll want to see creative muscle in a candidate. The best social media managers are both creatively gifted and excellent at providing feedback to colleagues on their creative work.

Crisis management skills – In the event of a crisis, social media managers are first responders with two key responsibilities: keeping a cool head and collaborating on a communications plan that includes timely and thoughtful responses appropriate to social channels. Because candidates cannot easily seek out crises, you may find yourself interviewing people who haven’t experienced one firsthand. In that case, look for qualities that would benefit them in an emergency, such as levelheadedness, organization, and the emotional maturity and sensitivity to navigate potentially delicate or troubling topics.

A talent for trendspotting and experimentation – It’s difficult to make your posts stand out from the crowd when new features and industry trends are emerging constantly, but good social media experts strive to be ahead of the curve. You’ll want someone interested in new formats, such as Instagram Reels and TikTok challenges, but not so overly confident that they take unnecessary risks with your brand.

Complementary Skills for Social Media Managers

You may wish to hire a social media manager who has additional skills and experience helpful to your specific job. These include:

Influencer management – Nowadays, most brands collaborate with influencers in one way or another, and these collaborations require a specific set of skills to bear fruit. Behind the scenes, you’ll usually find a social media manager negotiating contracts, coordinating influencer marketing campaigns, and tracking performance.

Product launch strategies – By now, using social media to introduce new products and services is a must. Social media experts know what to do when there’s a launch ahead: Create buzz through pre-launch teasers, plan live launch events, and conduct post-launch follow-ups.

Customer engagement – Engaging with customers doesn’t just mean responding to comments and messages, but also acknowledging positive feedback, deploying strategies to attract potential customers, providing customer service, and more. Effective customer service skills are crucial, such as the ability to provide timely solutions, and following up to ensure satisfaction.

Deep experience with a wide range of social platforms – Having experience with Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Reddit is rare, as most social media managers tend to be platform specialists in just a few networks. Extra knowledge and experience are an opportunity for extended strategies and further reach and engagement. This knowledge can be useful when a brand is exploring a new channel, or when a new business is trying to build a cohesive social presence from the ground up.

Content marketing experience – A well-rounded candidate will have a working knowledge of other types of content marketing, including email marketing, SEO, and thought leadership content, and know how to amplify various content types on social.

Does Industry-relevant Experience Play a Significant Role, or Is Platform Experience More Crucial?

Ideally, you’ll want to hire a social media manager with both industry and platform experience, as they both come into play when managing social media channels. This is rare, though, and ultimately, the best answer will be provided by the context—that is, the type of company that is hiring and the projects that the social media manager will be addressing.

Industry experience is valuable for understanding aspects like regulations and audience expectations of a particular sector or vertical. For instance, some industries have specific requirements on what must be included in related advertising, such as specific details or disclaimers. Other industries, like healthcare and financial, are dotted with communications regulations that make industry experience critical.

Platform experience is a huge asset as well—it’s how social media managers leverage features, channels, trends, and behaviors specific to each social media site. For example, no seasoned social media manager would fill their Friday calendar spots with LinkedIn posts, as this is the day when activity on that platform starts its weekly slowdown.

A balance of industry-specific and platform experience is ideal, but not always mandatory. Industry knowledge ensures compliance and relevance, while platform expertise maximizes strategic execution and engagement.

How Can You Identify the Ideal Social Media Manager for You?

It’s not hard to find a social media manager for hire; there are plenty out there. The difficult part comes with matching the right skill set and attributes to fit your business needs. To identify the best candidate for you, make sure you understand what the company needs, first and foremost. Then evaluate candidates based on their skills and experience, while matching them to the available budget. Here’s what to consider to find the right fit:

Relevant experience with your use case – This is probably the clearest signal you’ll pick up. A strong candidate has relevant day-to-day experience under their belt, having built marketing plans for recognizable brands and accounts during their career. On top of the household name, look for campaigns they’ve managed, and ask about strategies implemented and outcomes achieved, such as increasing follower count. You’ll also want someone who has worked on projects similar to yours. Let’s imagine you have to identify the best social media manager to build a community centered on skincare. In this use case, you’d want candidates with experience in the beauty and cosmetics markets, skilled in driving conversations about body image, self-perception, and other sensitive topics. Use cases are important to turn a more or less abstract search into a focused one.

Appropriate channel expertise – A broad understanding of all principal social media platforms is important and desirable, but make sure your candidates match your project’s requirements as well. If a brand is only looking to enhance its Instagram presence, it’s better to identify platform specialists with deep Instagram expertise than one with mid-level knowledge of every social media platform there is.

Suitable seniority – Junior, mid-level, and senior managers are very different types of candidates, and it’s important to recognize what the company needs in order to identify the best matches.

• Junior social media specialists have one to two years of experience and will know how to execute and manage daily priorities, such as scheduling posts and running various reports with common social media tools.
• Mid-level social media strategists have three to five years of experience, are familiar with broader strategic concepts such as social media marketing strategy and engagement strategy, and have weathered at least one social media crisis.
• Senior managers offer more than five years of experience, can handle big budgets, lead a social media team, and excel in strategy, innovation, and social media analytics. They may have wider content marketing experience and are ideal for complex, demanding projects.

Budget – Don’t let the budget rule your entire hiring process, but bear in mind that it will shape what kind of candidate you can expect to attract and what responsibilities you can reasonably assign to them. If the role is a junior one that handles basic tasks like posting updates, responding to comments, and simple social media content creation, a limited budget will be adequate. On the other hand, if the role demands someone with a comprehensive background in strategy overhaul and managing high-stakes campaigns, expect to pay more for that expertise.

How to Write a Social Media Manager Job Description for Your Project

When writing a detailed job description for a social media manager, there are five things to keep in mind:

• Desired level of seniority
• Your company’s overall social media goals
• The responsibilities of the position
• The skills needed to perform those duties
• Budget

Begin by indicating the level of seniority you’re looking for in the job title, which will help candidates self-select. For best results, choose a level of seniority that aligns properly with the level of responsibility and budget allocated to the position.

Next, define the job summary and key responsibilities, which will largely be driven by the company’s goals. By providing an overview of the role, the goals you wish to achieve, and the responsibilities the professional is expected to assume, you can significantly narrow the pool of candidates. Responsibilities might include developing social media strategies, creating and optimizing content, copywriting, paid social such as facebook ads, and analyzing and reporting on social media performance using tools such as Hootsuite and Google Looker Studio.

Then you’ll want to include desired skills and attributes in your job post. The nature of the role you’re hiring for will help you identify the primary and secondary skills needed to fulfill it, such as brand voice mastery and product launch strategy.

Finally, you can include information about the company, such as team culture and values, to further attract the right people.

What Are the Most Important Social Media Manager Interview Questions?

The interview questions to ask when you hire a social media manager will vary based on the specific role and skill set required. For instance, a role that prioritizes content creation will merit questions related to creativity and storytelling, while a strategy-focused role will be better served by questions on social media analytics and planning.

But there are a few essential questions to understand the candidate’s abilities, whatever the demands of the job:

How do you develop and implement a social media strategy?

A qualified candidate should be able to outline their process for creating a social media strategy in detail. This includes conducting research, setting measurable goals, choosing appropriate social media platforms, planning content, and managing interactions. They should also highlight how they measure performance and adjust strategies based on data.

Can you describe your approach to content creation and curation?

Candidates should discuss their methods for generating content, structuring a content calendar, and maintaining brand voice. They should also mention how they curate content. Creativity and a sense of aesthetics are key points to look for.

How do you grow a social media community?

This is an opportunity for the candidate to explain their approach to community building and customer experience. This includes responding to comments, initiating conversations, and using tactics like polls and user-generated content. They should also talk about how they handle negative feedback and crises.

How do you stay updated on social media trends?

An ideal candidate will demonstrate a proactive approach here. They might mention following industry websites and specialized forums on Reddit, taking courses, and regularly reviewing social media platform guidelines.

Can you give an example of a successful social media campaign you managed?

Candidates should provide a concrete example, detailing the campaign’s strategy, tools, platforms involved, and the outcomes achieved. Pay special attention to metrics like growth in followers, or business results like increased sales.

How do you handle analytics and reporting?

The candidate should explain their process for tracking social media metrics, analyzing data, and generating reports. They may highlight KPIs they focus on (e.g., engagement rate, conversion rate) and how they use this data to inform future strategies to stakeholders.

How do you adapt content for different social media platforms?

This question assesses the candidate’s understanding of platform-specific nuances. For example, Instagram and TikTok emphasize short videos, while Reddit showcases more text-based posts. They should discuss how they customize formats, tones, and schedules to suit each platform.

Why Do Companies Hire Social Media Managers?

Broadly speaking, companies hire social media managers to manage and enhance their social media presence.

This usually translates into advancing three core areas within social media: strategy, content, and community.

Social media managers design and execute tailored strategies to increase brand awareness, drive engagement, and boost sales. They create content and/or oversee a team of social media content creators. Most can ideate engaging social media posts, videos, and visuals that capture attention and encourage interaction. Consistent content production is a must for developing an authentic brand voice, which in turn is vital for growing a loyal following. This leads to the third cornerstone reason to hire a social media manager—they excel in community management. Direct interaction with the target audience is something most brands simply cannot afford to ignore when nurturing trust and loyalty.

Essentially, these experts help a company stay ahead of social media trends, and they’re responsible for integrating them with broader marketing efforts. As social media use and digital marketing spending continue to rise, expert social media managers will only become more important to companies seeking to connect with their customers.