How to hire a marketing/social media manager

How to hire a marketing/social media manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step marketing/social media manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a marketing/social media manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new marketing/social media manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The marketing/social media manager hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A marketing/social media manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, marketing/social media managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of marketing/social media managers.

   Type of Marketing/Social Media Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Marketing/Social Media Manager	Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services. They work with art directors, sales agents, and financial staff members.	$19-31
   Head Of Marketing	The head of marketing primarily oversees all marketing departments and operations, ensuring to convey the message of the brand. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies and business plans, preparing and allocating the budget for all departments, identifying new opportunities and assets, and analyzing consumers' needs... Show more	$44-97
   Web Manager	Web Managers are responsible for managing websites for organizations. Their duties include managing website upgrades, testing for website performance, implement a strategy to increase web traffic and subscribers, troubleshooting website issues, and responding to security breaches... Show more	$25-60

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Media Marketing
   • Instagram
   • Facebook
   • Twitter
   • Digital Marketing
   • Content Strategy
   • Linkedin
   • Social Strategy
   • Marketing Campaigns
   • Project Management
   • Content Development
   • YouTube
   • Social Platforms
   • Social Media Management

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Access how to effectively drive traffic, generate leads and sales and boot ROI as efficiently as possible.
   • Manage the company Facebook page; promote inventory through Pinterest
   • Update Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest daily to engage target college student consumer.
   • Create an organic Instagram following from scratch.
   • Implement CRM tools to track sales and contacts.
   • Integrate social media, SEM and SEO into existing communications.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your marketing/social media manager job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A marketing/social media manager salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, marketing/social media managers' average salary in alabama is 35% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level marketing/social media managers earn 38% less than senior-level marketing/social media managers.
   • Certifications. A marketing/social media manager with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a marketing/social media manager's salary.

   Average marketing/social media manager salary

   $52,613yearly

   $25.29 hourly rate

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   Entry-level marketing/social media manager salary

   $41,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing a marketing/social media manager job description

   A marketing/social media manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a marketing/social media manager job description:

   Marketing/social media manager job description example

   Zenni Optical pioneered the online eyewear business in 2003 to make prescription eyewear affordable and accessible to everyone. Based in Marin County, California, Zenni offers men, women, and children the freedom to express their personal style and individuality through high-quality prescription glasses and sunglasses. With its curated collections and thousands of frames, Zenni has sold over 40 million pairs of glasses since its founding. Zenni is proud to be the Official Eyewear Partner of the Chicago Bulls and the San Francisco 49ers.

   Position Summary

   We are looking for someone with a passion for paid social to join our growing team. You will bring best-in-class strategic and executional knowledge of paid social to contribute to the growth of Zenni. You will directly manage paid social, making daily optimizations. You will work on a team of three paid social experts to drive revenue growth for Zenni.

   Essential Responsibilities:

   Partner with social leadership to develop and implement paid social strategies

   Day-to-day optimization of Zennis paid social accounts including Meta, Snap, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter

   Monitor and analyze trends of core KPIs

   Monitor competitor activities in paid social utilizing 3rd party tools

   Report on and communicate performance results to internal stakeholders

   KPI forecasting

   Budget forecasting

   Collaborate with other media team members to ensure alignment of brand messaging

   
   

   The Ideal Candidate would possess:

   2+ years of paid social experience working primarily with DTC brands

   Proven track record of driving company growth through paid social

   Experience managing 1MM+ monthly paid social budgets

   Experience with end-to-end account management including but not limited to: audience selection, campaign creation, ad copy writing, optimization and reporting

   Experience working with competitor monitoring tools

   Strong data analytics and strategy background

   Proficiency in excel

   Experience with incrementality testing preferred

   Agency experience preferred

   Ability to support Pacific Time Zone business hours

   Benefits

   Your choice of PC or Mac hardware and accessories
   

   Excellent health benefits that the company pays for and a 401k with company match

   Can work 100% remotely or from one of our Bay area offices- your choice!

   Annual employee eyeglasses stipend

   Great Work Life Balance

   Interesting projects with opportunities for growth and professional development in a financially stable, successful, growing Company

   #LI-EW

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find marketing/social media managers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your marketing/social media manager job on Zippia to find and recruit marketing/social media manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as swipe files, exit five, marketinghire, american marketing association.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit marketing/social media managers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new marketing/social media manager

   Once you have selected a candidate for the marketing/social media manager position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new marketing/social media manager. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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