In our last post, we talked about the five mistakes that many companies make when they hire people to manage and operate their social media programs. Today, we shift the focus to what should be front and centre when looking for the right people.

To start, companies need a strategic plan or roadmap about where they want to go with social media – even if their initial foray is relatively modest. This will provide insight into the person who should be hired first, as well as those who could be hired later.

For the first hire, the focus should be on someone who has a variety of skills, including, of course, experience with social media.

This person needs to have strong communication and writing skills, as well as a good grasp on marketing and business development. Having someone who can also provide strategic insight would be valuable.

This is important because a company’s initial efforts will play a major role in whether social media will succeed or fail. As a result, it makes no sense to hire someone who lacks enough experience or the right skills.

In other words, don’t hire a junior employee simply because they are inexpensive and enthusiastic about social media.

With a solid person in place to establish a social media program, companies can then look for social media evangelists and tacticians to help support day-to-day operations.

These are people who are going to be on the front lines, talking to people online or in person at conferences, meet-ups and other events.

Again, you want people with strong communication skill, and enough confidence and experience to know what they can handle, and when they need to circle back for support.

These positions can be high-pressure given the flow of information come at them so it is important to have people who can stay cool when things get hot.

If there is enough social media activity to justify the investment, it makes sense to hire people to monitor social media activity. While this is a tactical position, it requires people with enough knowledge and experience to recognize situations that require attention and action.

At the same time, these people also need to quickly determine whether specific social media activity should be routed to particular departments so they can take the appropriate action.

The hiring process depends on how a company wants to approach and embrace social media. Regardless of whether it’s a small operation or a significant part of the business, it is crucial to hire people with the right skills and experience.

This is particularly important for the first person hired because they can make or break your social media efforts.