10 Mistakes Companies Make When Hiring Social Media Managers

For a lot of companies… social media managers are hired to do a job the Boss doesn’t have time to do. And for others, companies are looking for a creative genius to take their brand or organization to the next level. In this blog, I want to talk to those who have the power to hire, and why you should rethink your “what we’re looking for” section of a job posting. 

The issue isn’t what you’re asking for, the issue is that what you are looking for is different from what you’re expecting. Social media managers are expected to be the quiet face of the brand. They can be blamed, shamed and disregarded for the next 50 years if they follow the wrong trend, pair the wrong sound or even comment the wrong emoji on an influencers TikTok. 

The expectations placed on social media managers have grown tremendously, but many organizations are still hiring for the role as if it’s simply someone who “posts on Facebook.” If you want someone to elevate your brand, then you also have to create an environment where they’re actually able to do that.

Here are ten of the biggest mistakes organizations make when hiring a social media manager.

1. Expecting One Person to Be an Entire 6-Person Marketing Department

Here is what it actually costs to hire the individual roles you're asking one person to handle:

 Graphic Designer: $61,000 – $66,000

 Photographer: $42,520 – $46,921

 Videographer: $60,000 – $75,000

 Website Manager: $60,000 – $90,000

 Copywriter: $60,000 – $81,000

 Event Planner: $56,000 – $65,000

 Total cost for an entry-level team: ~$339,520

National average pay for a Social Media Manager: $45,000 – $84,000.

Stop expecting a single salary to cover an entire creative agency.

2. Hiring Someone for Their Creativity, Then Micromanaging It to Death

You hired them for their fresh perspective, but the second they pitch an idea, it gets shut down. Instead of leveraging their talent, you force them to copy whatever dry, outdated template the last person was using. Why pay for innovation if you just want a robot to press "publish"?

3. Disregarding Their Expertise Just Because They Lack "Seniority"

If you vetted them and hired them because they’re qualified, treat them like they’re qualified. New hires are subject-matter experts, not interns, children, or distant relatives who need to sit at the kids' table. Listen to the person you are paying to know this stuff.

4. Demanding Growth While Refusing to Let Them Touch the Brand

If your branding hasn’t driven real results in years, doing the exact same thing won't magically work now. Social media strategy doesn't start with a single post—it starts with the core brand identity. If you won't let your manager audit and evolve what’s broken beyond the Instagram grid, don't blame them when engagement stays flat.

5. Expecting Flawless Output with Zero Support or Onboarding

No designer. No photographer. No budget. No team. Just immediate, aggressive deadlines. If a Social Media Manager is going to wear five different hats, give them the grace and runway to research, learn the brand, and build a real long-term strategy before demanding front-facing content on day one.

6. Expecting Overnight Miracles from a Brand-New Strategy

Rebuilding trust, shifting perception, and building an audience takes time. Honestly? A new social media manager shouldn't even touch your live accounts for the first 2–3 months while they build a proper pipeline. It’s always quality over quantity. If you don't have content to post in the meantime, that proves why you needed to hire them in the first place—don't rush the process.

7. Gatekeeping Decision-Makers and Key Meetings

A SMM cannot communicate your organization's mission if they’re left out of the room where decisions happen. If other departments control all your graphics and branding, then your SMM is just a glorified posting bot. But if you want them to drive real strategy, engagement, and sales, put them in every high-level marketing and comms meeting.

8. Substituting "Just Make Something Look Nice" for an Actual Strategy

Just make a post."

"Make it pop."

"Make it look nice."

That isn't direction—it's laziness. Expecting your team to read your mind instead of providing clear business goals and feedback is a fast track to wasted time and mediocre content.

9. Hiring to "Modernize" the Brand, Then Terrified to Change Anything

You can’t modernize a brand while insisting everything stays strictly the same. Even multi-billion-dollar global brands evolve their look, tone, and approach to stay relevant. Protect your core values, but be fiercely open to changing literally everything else.

10. Thinking Social Media Is "Just Posting Pictures"

A Social Media Manager holds the keys to your public reputation, customer relationships, and brand voice. They have to navigate cultural nuance, current trends, and audience sentiment daily. Choosing the wrong word or the wrong emoji is the difference between going viral for the right reasons and getting your entire company canceled. Treat the role with the weight it actually carries.

At the end of the day, your social media presence is the front door to your entire organization. A great Social Media Manager can be the highest-ROI asset on your marketing team, or they’ll be the most overworked scapegoat in your company. It all comes down to how you set them up from day one.

If you're hiring a Social Media Manager just to take a tedious task off your plate, admit that and hire an administrator. But if you’re looking for a creative powerhouse to scale your brand, protect your reputation, and drive real business growth, you have to give them the trust, budget, seat at the table, and breathing room to actually do it.

Set the standard, pay for the expertise, and get out of their way. Trust me! Your engagement numbers (and your new hire) will thank you.