How to Hire the Best Social Media Marketer

If you're looking to hire a social media marketer, the Philippines is an excellent place to source top talent at affordable rates compared to the US and other Western countries. Filipino social media professionals are known for their strong English skills, creativity, and hard work ethic.

However, hiring the right person is key to getting the best results for your business. Here are some tips on how to find and hire the best social media marketer in the Philippines:

1. Define Your Needs

Before starting your search, clearly define the scope of work and the specific skills and experience you're looking for. Do you need someone to develop your social media strategy from scratch or to execute an existing plan? Which social media platforms will they be managing? What specific goals do you want to achieve - brand awareness, engagement, lead generation, sales?

Having clear job requirements will help you attract the most qualified candidates and make the hiring process more efficient. Consider creating a detailed job description that outlines the responsibilities, required skills, nice-to-haves, and your company culture.

2. Source Candidates

There are several ways to find social media marketers in the Philippines:

• Online job boards: Websites like JobStreet, and Indeed have a large pool of Filipino candidates and allow you to post your job ad and view resumes.
• Freelance platforms: Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr are popular freelance platforms where you can find experienced Filipino social media professionals.
• Social media: Use LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social media sites to search for and connect with potential candidates. You can also join relevant Facebook Groups and post your job opening there.
• Referrals: Ask your network if they can recommend any good social media marketers based in the Philippines. A referral from a trusted source can save you time vetting candidates.
• Starfish: We're different than a traditional staffing company or recruiter. We work closely with each of our vetted experts to ensure they will help your business grow with skills to solve your most challening problems, saving you significant time and effort compared to recruiting and training on your own.

3. Evaluate Skills

When evaluating a social media marketer, look for the following skills and qualities:

Hard skills:

• Proven experience developing and executing social media marketing campaigns
• Knowledge of major social media platforms and best practices for each
• Excellent writing skills and ability to adapt copy for different audiences
• Proficiency with social media management, analytics, and design tools
• Understanding of digital marketing concepts like content marketing, SEO, PPC, email marketing, etc. Nice to have but not required.

Soft skills:

• Creativity and ability to develop compelling social media content across formats
• Strong communication and collaboration skills
• Proactive problem solver with good judgment and decision making abilities
• Highly organized and detail-oriented
• Flexible and thrives in a fast paced environment

To evaluate a candidate's skills, look at their portfolio of past work and results. Have them walk you through a successful campaign they ran and their process. You can also give them a small test project to assess their abilities.

4. Assess Industry Knowledge

While not a must-have, it helps if the social media marketer has experience in or knowledge of your specific industry. They'll have a better understanding of your target audience, competitors, trends, and terminology. Ask about their experience in your industry and get their initial ideas for your social media strategy.

5. Consider Other Factors

In addition to skills, consider the candidate's availability, time zone, and communication style to ensure they'll integrate well with your team. If you're outsourcing, having some overlap in work hours helps collaboration. Make sure they are responsive, professional, and fluent in English (both verbal and written).

Hiring a skilled Filipino social media professional is one of the best investments you can make to grow your business in today's digital world.