7 Questions You NEED to Ask Before Hiring a Social Media Manager in Regina

Make sure the money you're allocating toward a social media presence for your business is well spent! Here are 7 Questions You NEED to Ask Before Hiring a Social Media Manager in Regina:

 

1. What is their experience in the social media management industry?

How long have they been managing social media accounts for businesses? A common misconception is that if you are active on your personal social media accounts then you can easily manage social media accounts for businesses.

It’s important to have confidence in the social media manager you’re hiring. You want a social media manager who understands the fundamental principles of social media and keeps up with the ever-changing trends. You want a social media manager that will showcase your business online in the best way possible by using the different features available on each social media platform.

At Grey Dove Design House (GDDH), Sarah alone has 10 years of experience managing social media for businesses of varying industries. She continually stays up-to-date on the latest industry trends and understands the marketing principles behind social media and functionality of the main platforms. 

 

2. What is included in the cost of services? 

Do you know how many posts you will receive at the cost you’re committing to? Does that figure include all platforms your social media accounts are on or only one? Will content vary from social media platform to platform or are they the same across the board? Are reels and stories included? Is there a set-up fee? Are there any additional costs you can expect?

It’s good to hammer out exactly what is and isn’t included at the beginning so you know exactly what you can expect.. Common add-ons can include a monthly fee for a social media scheduling tool, stock images and advertising.

At GDDH we don’t charge our clients for the social media scheduling tool we use. A bonus? The scheduling tool we use gives our clients the capability to also use it if they wish to. We also have community management and engagement built into our pricing so your business can appear active on its social accounts. All posts come with a corresponding story and we incorporate a variety of content to hack the algorithms.

 

3. What is the strategy for working toward your business goals? 

You’re hiring a social media manager for a reason. What is that reason and have you communicated this to the social media manager you’re planning on hiring?

Goals should be determined at the beginning of the contract so the social media manager can create a strategy to make sure efforts are made to reach these goals. Does the social media manager have some preliminary ideas that are realistic in meeting these goals? Will the social media manager create a communications strategy once hired?

At GDDH we meet our prospective clients and go through a questionnaire so we can fully understand your business, its needs and wants. Once we receive this information we are able to conduct research on our end and propose a strategy to communicate effectively on our client’s social media accounts and work toward meeting their goals. We also set-up meetings every quarter with our clients to review the progress on meeting these goals and pivot when necessary. Every month you can expect analytics on how your social media accounts are performing to be in the know as well!

 

4. What is your expected involvement in the social media management process?

Are you expected to create content and share it with the social media manager every month? Or are they crafting the copy and if so, how are they getting their information? How will the social media manager get its visuals for social posts? Do you want some control over your company’s social media accounts or do you never want to look at social media again? Who responds to inquiries on social media?

It’s best to establish your involvement expectations at the beginning so there’s no confusion or disappointment later on. Some social media managers create copy from scratch while others expect it to be handed to them. Some engage with the business’s social media audience while others only post.

At GDDH we craft the copy from scratch. How? We become industry experts with every client we take on. We sign-up for newsletters, we read articles on industry content and we do thorough research at set-up. Will we have questions during the contract? Of course. That’s why we have a touch-base meeting monthly to cover any questions we may have or request visuals that aren’t already in our content bank. Responding to inquiries? No problem. We have a process in place where we check all our social media accounts three times a week.

 

5. What happens if a few months into the contract, you don’t like the direction they’ve taken?

What if you’re not on the same page as the social media manager? You don’t have the same vision as your social media manager and aren’t a fan of what’s being shared to your company’s social media accounts? What happens then?

Can you break the contract? How much of a voice do you get? This is your business after all. Your baby. Will the social media manager agree to change direction to be aligned with your vision? Will you trust that although you may not see eye to eye, that you’ve hired the social media manager as an expert and therefore, they will know best?

At GDDH we take pride in creating open two-way communication. We want your feedback and we will make suggestions based on our knowledge of social media for business. We will explain our methodical approach and change based on your preference if you still desire although we will communicate upfront that we may not reach your goals with this alternative method depending on the scenario. If it’s still not working out we will happily go our separate ways and wish you all the best on your future endeavors.

 

6. What are value-adds for using this social media manager A over B?

As mentioned earlier, social media managers vary on the level of service provided. Most have experience in complimentary creative industries that can help give your business an upper-hand in the marketing department. Whether it’s graphic design, photography, videography, marketing or communications. All of these are great assets when hiring a social media manager.

I recommend creating a list of the social media manager’s you’re seriously considering and asking each what the value-adds they provide are. A value-add can be connections to photographers and videographers for visual content, industry experts, photo and video editing services and more! Find out what value-ads the social media managers you’re considering have and choose the social media manager that best suits your company’s needs.

At GDDH we bring marketing, communications and graphic design experience to the table. Allowing us to easily edit a logo, image or video with ease and make sure what’s being shared to your business’s social media accounts is both enticing and engaging! 

 

7. What are the terms of payment and do they accept credit cards?

When does the social media manager expect payment for services rendered and within how many business days of being invoiced? Are you paying for work done for the month prior or the upcoming month? Are the correct taxes being collected and do they have a method of payment preference? 

These are all good to know when starting with a social media manager. If any of this information is missing on the contract it would be smart to get clarification on the areas missing. Most social media managers accept credit cards but what if they don’t? Or what if there’s an extra fee for paying by credit card? Know the payment terms when entering the contract.

At GDDH we take payment for set-up and the first month of social media management at the beginning. We accept cheque, e-transfer and credit card and do not charge our clients the fees accumulated from credit card transactions. We’re upfront on our payment terms with all clients as we do not wish any surprises on our clients at invoicing time.

 

There may be more questions stemming from the ones above that can also be included when interviewing social media managers. Hiring a contractor for your business’s social media management is as important as hiring employees. Everyone needs to be on the same page and business goals need to be met. 

 

Contact

Ask the right questions before hiring a social media manager for your business. If your company is seeking more information on Grey Dove Design House's Social Media Management Services in Regina, or just want to talk shop, contact us. Call us at 306.502.5778 or send us a line here.