15 Social Media Manager Interview Questions to Ask

Social media is crucial to any business wanting to grow their brand online and engage with an audience. As a business owner, you probably don’t have time to run your social media strategy to the fullest extent. That’s where hiring a social media marketing manager comes in handy. Finding the right person for this important job can be challenging. To help you in this process, we have compiled a list of interview questions that will help you assess who is most qualified for the job.

• Social media manager job description
• A note on paid social media
• Social media manager interview questions
• FAQ: What are the essential interview questions to evaluate a potential social media manager’s skills? 

Social Media Manager Job Description

The role of a social media manager is inherently social. This individual should possess a genuine excitement for telling brand stories and engaging with people. Moreover, they should have a comprehensive understanding of your business’s overall marketing mix and how social media can support your marketing goals. The right social media manager is creative, a great communicator, a good writer, and has excellent interpersonal skills.

Additionally, the right social media manager should know how to use analytics to determine KPIs such as the return on investment (ROI) of social media efforts. Strong analytical skills and a data-driven approach mean they can design campaigns and scale accordingly. Lastly, they should be skilled at buyer personas to ensure they are putting out the right messages that reach the right audience.

A Note on Paid Social Media

In some cases, paid social media activities are handled by a separate PPC team. However, in other situations, it falls under the responsibility of the social media manager or is a collaborative effort between the PPC and social teams. If your company follows the latter approach, it is important to seek a candidate with experience in managing or monitoring social advertising.

Social Media Manager Interview Questions

1. What social media platforms have you worked with?

Interviewer tip: Ensure that the candidate’s experience aligns with the platforms your business is actively using.

2. What are your morning routines as a social media manager?

Interviewer tip: Look for habits that demonstrate their ability to handle brand mentions, content shares, comments, and other engagements across your active social platforms.

3. What tools do you use for scheduling, tracking, and measuring social media?

Interviewer tip: Assess their process for publishing content and their familiarity with tools that connect social media activity to business key performance indicators (KPIs).

4. In your opinion, what is the purpose of social media for businesses today?

Interviewer tip: Look for candidates who recognize that businesses can have multiple objectives for their social media efforts, and ideally, they should align with your business’s goals.

5. If you notice a sudden increase or decrease in social media activity on a particular network, what steps would you take next?

Interviewer tip: Evaluate their critical thinking skills by assessing how they would investigate and understand the reasons behind the traffic anomaly.

6. How does social media marketing fit into the broader digital marketing mix?

Interviewer tip: Expect an answer that demonstrates their understanding of the relationship between organic search marketing, paid search marketing, content marketing, and social media marketing. Look for indications of their knowledge about other pillars of digital marketing.

7. Can you share an example of a crisis you had to handle as a social media manager?

Interviewer tip: Real-world examples provide valuable insights into the candidate’s experience and storytelling abilities. Bonus points can be given for an exciting and effective crisis management story.

8. How frequently and promptly do you respond to comments? How do you handle negative feedback?

Interviewer tip: Assess whether their philosophy aligns with your company’s approach to engagement and if they inquire about existing processes for addressing negative comments.

9. How do you determine which social media platforms to invest the most time and effort in?

Interviewer tip: A skilled social media manager understands the importance of identifying the platforms where their brand’s audience is active and focuses their efforts there. Look for answers that reflect this understanding.

10. What criteria do you consider when deciding to explore new social media platforms, such as a new Yik Yak or Blab?

Interviewer tip: Avoid candidates who advocate for joining every new social platform. Look for thoughtful questions they use to evaluate the relevance and usefulness of a platform for an individual business.

11. Can you mention some companies that are excelling in social media?

Interviewer tip: Gain insights into their knowledge and social style, as well as the industry leaders they pay attention to.

12. How do you stay updated with the latest trends and best practices in social media marketing?

Interviewer tip: Listen for mentions of relevant blogs, books, conferences, experts, and courses that they follow to stay informed.

13. Share an example of a memorable interaction you had as a business representative on social media.

Interviewer tip: Their response will shed light on their approach to representing brands on social media. If they don’t have an example, this probably means that they don’t have as much experience as you want.

14. Are you able to separate your personal and business presence on social media?

Interviewer tip: Consider the quote from Bruce Clay, Inc.’s Content and Media Manager, Virginia Nussey, who emphasizes the importance of a unified personal and professional online presence for brand advocates.

15. What ideas do you have for generating excitement about our business on social media?

Interviewer tip: Encourage candidates to provide specific examples that showcase their creativity. Try to get them to come up with actionable strategies that align with your business goals.

With these interview questions and tips, you can feel confident that you hiring a skilled social media manager who will enhance your online presence. Remember to evaluate their experience, skills, and ability to think strategically while nurturing engagement and brand development.

FAQ: What are the essential interview questions to evaluate a potential social media manager’s skills?

A competent social media manager is the linchpin of a brand’s online presence. Whether you’re an established corporation or a small startup, the person you entrust with your social media strategy plays a pivotal role. To ensure you make the right choice, here are some key interview questions designed to evaluate a potential social media manager’s skills effectively.

1. Understanding of Platforms: Begin by asking the candidate about their knowledge of various social media platforms, their strengths, and which platforms are most suitable for different businesses. A strong social media manager should have a deep understanding of the landscape.
2. Content Strategy: Inquire about their content creation and curation strategy. Can they explain how they maintain a consistent brand voice and engage with the target audience effectively? Look for insights into content calendar management and the use of multimedia.
3. Analytics Proficiency: A successful social media manager must be data-driven. Ask about their experience with social media analytics tools and how they have used data to refine their strategies. Request specific examples of past campaigns that were improved based on analytics.
4. Crisis Management: Crisis situations can occur in social media. Ask the candidate how they have handled negative feedback or public relations crises in the past. Their ability to handle such situations calmly and professionally is crucial.
5. ROI Tracking: Social media should contribute to the bottom line. Ask the candidate how he or she measures and tracks ROI (return on investment) for his/her social media efforts, looking for someone who understands key performance indicators, their impact on business operations, and how they can be measured.

Communication, adaptability, and creativity are three essential traits needed to become an effective manager of social media. Candidates must be able to effectively articulate their ideas while keeping pace with ever-evolving social media trends and showing their ability to develop engaging content that engages users.

Successful brand management in the digital era hinges upon finding an exceptional social media manager. These interview questions can help you accurately assess each candidate’s abilities and potential to contribute to advancing your social media strategy.

Step-by-Step Procedure:

1. Begin by evaluating a candidate’s knowledge and comprehension of social media platforms, their use across businesses, and whether or not they fit the bill for these.
2. Inquire about the candidate’s content strategy, including content creation, curation, and maintaining a consistent brand voice.
3. Assess the candidate’s proficiency in social media analytics and their ability to use data to improve strategies.
4. Ask about the candidate’s experience in handling crisis situations on social media.
5. Inquire about the candidate’s ability to track and measure the ROI of social media efforts, including knowledge of key performance indicators.
6. Evaluate the candidate’s communication skills, adaptability, and creativity throughout the interview.

By following these steps, you can comprehensively evaluate a potential social media manager’s skills and make an informed hiring decision.

This article was updated on November 10, 2023.

Kristi Kellogg is a journalist, news hound, professional copywriter, and social (media) butterfly. Currently, she is a senior SEO content writer for Conde Nast. Her articles appear in newspapers, magazines, across the Internet and in books such as "Content Marketing Strategies for Professionals" and "The Media Relations Guidebook." Formerly, she was the social media editor at Bruce Clay Inc.

See Kristi's author page for links to connect on social media.