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20 Social Media Manager Interview Questions

yellow background with pink circle. Photo of a black woman with a pony tail looking at a phone interview for social media manager

It’s no secret that social media has become a nearly essential part of marketing in today’s world. People flock to platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram for everything from keeping up with former work colleagues and professional networking to leveraging social media for recruiting—or doing research before making important purchasing decisions.

Essentially, social media (and social media managers) have the world’s attention—and the best ones know what to do with it.

If you’re looking for a savvy professional to fill this role for your team, you need some solid social media manager interview questions. Let’s see what those are as we discover more about this vital role in your company.

What is a Social Media Manager?

A social media manager is a marketing professional who works to showcase a company’s brand across various relevant social channels. These experts are responsible for creating social posts that may contain news updates, graphics, memes, or links to blog posts and case studies to help increase awareness of what you do, build community, and help boost organic traffic to your website.

As an essential member of a marketing team, a social media manager owns the creation and publication of a company’s content on the platforms they’ve identified as important to your audience. They do it all according to a well-planned calendar with the goal of expanding a company’s social reach and engagement.

Why Is a Social Media Manager So Important to a Marketing Team?

To answer this question, it’s first important to understand the high value of expert branding strategies in today’s business climate. It is what gives your company its unique identity and position in your industry. Your brand makes your business memorable and encourages consumers to consistently seek you out and buy from you.

It’s a vital asset that must be honed and expressed to your current and prospective clients or customers. Your brand is a crucial tool to help you stay competitive in today’s fast-paced environment.

Your marketing team, and in this case your social media manager, define and ensure that everyone understands what you do, how it relates to their needs, and what you can offer them.


RELATED: 30+ Best Marketing Interview Questions to Ask


What Should Someone Look for in a Social Media Manager?

Only you know the answer to this as it relates to your business and your marketing needs.

Some may imagine a social media manager as someone comfortable spending all day online, dreaming up clever Instagram posts or replying to customer comments on Facebook. That may be one aspect of who they are and what they do, but there is much more to look for in your ideal social media manager.

Here are some top traits to consider when searching for your social media manager:

  • Are they creative and always willing to come up with and try out new ideas to see how they fare in your social media universe?
  • Are they innovative and ready to take existing trends and adjust them to their employers’ needs? For instance, they might take an industry trend and tweak it in a way that promotes your business or your services.
  • Are they detail-oriented, deeply connected to your brand, and organized? They can keep a tight calendar to stay on track and connect with the target audience.
  • Do they pay attention to important KPIs using data analytics and continually monitor posts and how they perform?
  • Are they willing to shift strategies as needed? If they notice that a particular strategy isn’t doing well, they’re ready to find something that will resonate more.
  • Are they great copywriters who understand your brand’s voice and the power of succinct text that connects with your audience?

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20 Interview Questions for Social Media Managers

Now that you know more about social media managers and all that they can do for your company, you might have started thinking about some essential interview questions.

We’ve come up with the following 20 questions for social media managers that you could use in your next interview.

Background and Experience Interview Questions

  1. How did you get started working in social media management?
  2. Can you describe a social media campaign you’ve worked on from start to finish? What were some details and results you’re proud of? Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?
  3. Which social media platforms are you most experienced with? Are you open to diving into other platforms besides those you regularly use?
  4. What is your favorite type of content to use in your social media posts with other companies? What worked best: infographics, memes, or text-based posts that provide a link to longer content?

Social Media Skills and Strategy Interview Questions

  1. How do you develop your social media strategies for a brand?
  2. How do you handle negative posts and comments that criticize a brand?
  3. Can you describe how you measure the success of a social media campaign? What KPIs do you track regularly? Do you use an analytics tool to measure engagement or something else?
  4. How do you stay up to date on platform updates?
  5. How do you determine the best platform for a given brand, campaign, or product? Do you look at demographics or buying patterns, for example?
  6. Can you describe your approach to content calendar creation and social media scheduling?

Scenario-Focused Interview Questions for Social Media Managers

  1. Can you describe a time when your social media campaign didn’t go as planned? How did you and your team address it? Were you able to correct it? What was the result?
  2. Has a previous employer faced a public relations crisis that you had to handle with an urgent social media response? How did you handle it, and how did it turn out?
  3. How would you handle a tight deadline for a time-sensitive event, such as a product launch where there were last-minute product tweaks?

Soft Skill Social Media Manager Interview Questions

  1. How do you handle feedback from marketing team members, managers, or clients regarding your social media strategies and posts?
  2. Can you describe your attitude toward collaboration, especially in a cross-functional and cross-departmental context, when working on a project?
  3. How do you prioritize and manage multiple requests or work on simultaneous campaigns for different staff members or departments?

RELATED: Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills


Technical and Digital Tool Questions for Social Media Professionals

  1. What tools do you use for social media management and analytics? Which ones have you used, and which ones do you find most effective, such as CoSchedule or Hootsuite?
  2. How do you approach and ensure branding consistency across multiple platforms?
  3. Have you managed paid social media campaigns? If so, how do you manage and allocate your social budgets? Do you have a social spending strategy?
  4. Vision-Based Questions for Social Media Managers About the Future of Social
  5. How do you keep up with social media trends? For example, do you read relevant trade materials or join online professional groups?
  6. Where do you see the future of social media marketing in the next five years? Do you think AI, AR, and VR will take center stage?

Social Media Manager Candidate Interviews

Finding the right social media manager is a blend of assessing each social media candidate’s experience, current skills—soft and specific—and future vision. In this evolving and essential marketing role, adaptability and forward-thinking can be as crucial as previous experience and expertise. We hope these questions will help you touch on those considerations.

If you’re looking for a top social media manager candidate now, contact us. Insight Global is a leading marketing staffing agency able to help you source, vet, and interview your next social media manager.

 

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