By Jordan Grice
While there are plenty of tools to help agents manage their social media marketing plan, at times it’s still too much to handle alone. If this sounds familiar, then hiring a part- or full-time social media manager may be a move worth considering.
Finding and onboarding someone to manage your social media presence and strategy can be daunting. However, if done correctly it can take a real estate professional’s digital presence to a new level.
From assessing the skills a candidate should have to knowing what to pay them, here are five things to consider when hiring a social media manager for your team.
What’s Your Goal?
It’s essential to establish what results you’re looking to achieve. Do you want to grow your following from 100 to several thousand in a few months? Or is improving the quality of the content on your website more important?
Whatever the case, set goals and timelines when developing your social media strategy. Those goals will serve as benchmarks and milestones that your new hire will shoot for. Having defined plans will also help determine if you need a full- or part-time manager versus a freelancer or third-party service.
Knowing the Role
While the title may offer some insight, it’s vital to understand what a social media manager does.
They help curate and create photos and videos for your brand on social media while also managing content calendars and posting schedules.
This role also focuses on your community management and customer service needs by engaging with your followers and staying up to date on trends and best practices for each of your platforms.
Lastly, they track data and analytics from each of your platforms, which you can then use to inform any tweaks in your marketing strategy to best position your brand to succeed across digital platforms.
Finding the Talent Pool
Sure, job boards like Indeed and LinkedIn can be a good starting point when looking for candidates, but those aren’t the only sources for talent.
Social media groups, for example, can yield some solid recommendations, or you can try your hand at freelance marketplaces like Fiverr. Local universities can also provide ready and willing candidates in the marketing field to work with a company for the experience.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to tap into your network. If you notice a colleague or peer who is crushing it on social media, ask them who is handling their strategy. A best-case scenario is you get a reference to their social media manager who, if they are part-time or freelance, may be willing to take on some extra work.
Valuable Skills and Experience
A social media manager should have a mix of experience in planning, managing and executing social media marketing strategies across different types of social media platforms. They should also have experience using various analytics tools and reporting findings and potential solutions for strategy development.
Writing and content production is critical to the role, and candidates should also have a creative side to them with samples of their work that they can pull up. Ask for their portfolio or samples to review, along with their resume and cover letter.
There is no such thing as a perfect candidate, but these skills mixed in with an eagerness to learn and grow are a good recipe for a successful candidate.
Reel Them In
A solid job description is a great way to catch the attention of premium candidates. As you craft the description, be sure to outline the position, the daily tasks and expectations you’ll have, and the skills you are looking for in a new hire.
Sell your business and the benefits of working with you and your brand. Candidates who come across your listing should get excited reading about your company and the plans for the role.
Also, be aware of what the going rate is for a social media manager in the market. Depending on their experience and the market, $20 to $27 an hour tends to be the general range.
Note—this is also subject to change with consultants, agencies and freelancers.
Jordan Grice is RISMedia’s associate content editor. Email him your real estate news to jgrice@rismedia.com.
