How to Find the Right Social Media Manager: A Practical Hiring Guide

Why hiring the right social media manager matters

Knowing how to find the right social media manager is more than filling a role. For Shopify and WooCommerce stores, B2B SaaS teams, and service businesses, the right hire turns social channels into predictable revenue drivers - not just vanity metrics. This guide focuses on practical evaluation, clear role definitions, and tracking setups that prioritise profitability, accurate attribution, and long-term growth.

Define outcomes before titles

Start with business outcomes: reduce CAC, increase LTV, lift incremental monthly revenue. A social media manager hired to improve brand awareness alone differs from one tasked to run performance creative, manage paid social campaigns, and optimise funnels. Spell out KPIs (MER, CAC, conversion rate) and required technical skills (tracking, creative testing, analytics) in the role brief.

• Primary KPI: e.g., $ incremental monthly revenue or % decrease in CAC
• Required tools: Meta Ads, TikTok Ads, GA4, Google Tag Manager, Klaviyo/HubSpot
• Experience level: in-house vs. agency vs. freelance

Candidate archetypes and what they deliver

Not every social manager carries the same strengths. Common archetypes include:

• Performance-focused operator: strong paid social, creative testing, and ROAS attribution
• Content-first community builder: organic strategy, brand voice, and audience growth
• Hybrid growth specialist: combines creative, paid, and analytics to move revenue metrics

Choose the archetype that aligns with your growth stage - early-stage brands often need a hybrid growth specialist; scaling stores usually benefit from a performance-focused operator.

Interview blueprint: skills, process, and culture fit

Structure interviews around three pillars: technical skills, process orientation, and cultural fit. Use practical exercises - a 60-90 minute take-home task (e.g., audit one campaign and propose a 30/60/90 plan) - and ask for tangible examples showing revenue impact. When evaluating answers, prefer specificity (sample KPIs, cost-per-acquisition ranges in the US market, platform-level learnings).

For teams that value data pipelines and clean attribution, include a tracking-focused question: how would the candidate validate campaign performance in GA4 and server-side setups?

Practical red flags and green flags

Green flags: measurable case studies, understanding of funnel metrics (TOF→MOF→BOF), and familiarity with US payment/commerce stacks (Shopify, Stripe, Klaviyo). Red flags: vague success stories, an exclusive focus on vanity metrics, or inability to explain attribution adjustments in GA4 or server-side tracking.

For teams that want a second opinion on role design or measurement frameworks, Prebo Digital publishes frameworks and service breakdowns that clarify outcomes and retainer models - see our services overview to align role expectations with agency vs. in-house responsibilities. Learn more about our company approach on the About Us page.

Funnel breakdown: where the social manager adds value

Map responsibilities to the funnel so you can assess fit empirically.

Assessing technical chops: tracking, attribution, and reporting

A strong social media manager knows platform mechanics and also how to measure impact in a US commerce stack. Ask candidates to explain:

• How they reconcile platform-reported conversions with GA4 and server-side events
• Their approach to creative-level A/B testing and incremental lift measurement
• How they integrate social data with marketing automation (Klaviyo/HubSpot) and the wider analytics layer

Sample conversion tracking diagram

Below is a simplified flow you can use to test a candidate's understanding of data integrity and attribution.

User click → Platform pixel → Server-side event → GA4 event → Attribution model → Reporting

Ask candidates to detail where data loss frequently occurs in this flow and how they'd validate each hop. Practical answers should include checks for pixel duplication, server-side deduplication, and cross-device attribution nuances specific to the United States ad landscape.

Hiring model: full-time, contractor, or agency mix

Decide on a hiring model based on capacity, required scale, and desired speed. Example US scenarios:

• Early-stage DTC brand: contractor or fractional manager for creative tests and channel strategy
• Scaling Shopify store: full-time performance manager plus agency partnership for paid scaling
• B2B SaaS: in-house manager integrated with demand-gen and product marketing

Onboarding checklist for first 90 days

A structured 90-day plan reduces wasted time and clarifies expectations.

• Week 1-2: Audit current accounts, tracking, and creative library
• Week 3-6: Run prioritized tests mapped to TOF/MOF/BOF
• Week 7-12: Scale validated tests, implement reporting cadence, refine attribution

If you need a measurement-ready onboarding template or a second opinion on test prioritisation, Prebo Digital outlines structured frameworks for testing and scaling in our homepage and service pages. For quick questions about engaging external talent, see our contact page.

Example scoring rubric (practical)

Use this rubric to compare candidates objectively and prioritise hires that move revenue-oriented metrics rather than traffic alone.

Final checklist before offer

• Confirmed measurable case studies with US-relevant KPIs
• Clear plan for first 90 days tied to revenue outcomes
• Agreement on reporting cadence and attribution standards

Knowing how to find the right social media manager takes a mix of role clarity, process-driven interviews, and tracking literacy. Hiring someone who prioritises incremental revenue over surface-level metrics positions your brand to scale efficiently and sustainably. Explore the framework and see a real-world example to adapt this approach to your store or product.

Sources

• How to Hire a Social Media Manager - HubSpot
• How to Hire a Social Media Manager - Social Media Examiner
• Social Media Usage in the United States - Pew Research Center
• How to Hire a Social Media Manager - Indeed Hiring Guide