Have you ever hired (or have been thinking about hiring) someone to manage your social media?
Do you know what you should be looking for? Are you worried you won’t get your money’s worth out of the job?
Today, there are many types of jobs and tasks you can have your assistants accomplish for you. When it comes to your social media manager, however, they need to be implementing a job that goes past just button-pushing.
This week I dive into everything you should be looking for when it comes to someone managing your social media and why you should take feelings out of it and just look at the facts.
Biggest Takeaways:
A social media manager can be a huge expense for a business, so it is not crazy to think you should expect a huge return out of having one. This results in a big difference between an assistant who can schedule your content and post to your pages versus someone who is creating, engaging, connecting, and building up your brand. This week I want to make sure you know what you should be looking for when it comes to a social media manager and how to be sure they are worth your time and money.
Recommendations:
Check out Better Marketing With Bella and get an idea of what it is like to have all your content needs created for you. When marketing is done right you get to focus on the “why” of your business while we focus on the “what” to show it off.
Follow me (@Bella Vasta) on Instagram to see the success stories of my clients killing the business. Nothing makes me happier than getting to shout them out for all their hard work and effort!
Take a look at my Mastermind group; a beautiful community where we come together to learn and grow. Each month we have different themes on what we are talking about, HR experts come in to answer questions, and 3 years’ worth of material to answer almost anything you might want or need to know. Here you can learn from other members what works for their business (including having a social media manager!) and keep each other accountable in daily business.
Links:
Better Marketing With Bella
Mastermind
Jump Consulting
Intensives
Let’s Connect
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Transcript:
This is episode 283 of Bella in Your Business.
Hi there, I’m Bella Vasta from Jump Consulting. You might know me from CBS, NBC, Fox, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, or maybe you’ve seen me speak on stage or read my book The Four Dogs That Every Business Owner Needs.
In any case, get ready because you’re about to get your hashtag Bella Butt Kickin’ in this next episode of Bella in Your Business.
So what do you say? Let’s get ready and jump!
Welcome to another episode of Bella in Your Business. My name is Bella Vasta, your host and coach. And today we’re going to be talking about ways to know if your social media manager is worth the pay. Yeah, we’re going to go deep into it. I’m going to give you a couple of metrics that you can really use to decide whether or not they are actually worth it.
But first, before we get into that, I want to give you a couple of quick updates about what’s going on in my world. Perhaps you follow me on Instagram at @BellaVasta, or perhaps you’re on our weekly Friday emails. You might know some of this, but I just finished two incredible intensives in Dallas, Texas. It was a lot of fun. I rented an Airbnb, my clients came to me, and we workshopped all day for eight hours.
It’s so interesting because so many of you struggle with the same topics, but the way in which we solve them is drastically different because each one of you has different needs, dreams, visions, lifestyles, and reasons why you do what you do. I’m really careful every single time about getting my clients to go deep and figure out what they truly want.
Next week, we’re welcoming our first intensive here in Arizona. I have a business owner flying in from the East Coast—it’s beautiful here, 70 to 80 degrees, not a cloud in the sky. We’re going to do an all-day intensive, and of course, she’s making it a business expense and taking a day for herself. I even encouraged her to take a drive up to magical, beautiful Sedona.
If that sounds like something you’d want to do, go ahead and reach out to me. I’m booking quite far out right now—I’ve got trips planned for May, June, and July. So if intensives are something you’ve been thinking about, don’t wait.
Now, let’s talk about what’s going on in the Mastermind. The Mastermind is my private community where people pay under $150 a month—month to month, no contracts—to join an incredible space filled with growth and collaboration. I like to call it a Thanksgiving buffet—you pick what you need.
We have expert sessions, HR calls every month, and a searchable repository of three years’ worth of HR questions. But the special sauce is the mindset. These members have a “can-do” attitude. They experiment, they test, they collaborate, and they lift each other up. There are countless side calls happening between members—people helping people.
About half of the Mastermind members are also in Better Marketing with Bella, which makes for incredible synergy.
Now, let’s get into today’s topic—your social media manager.
You might not have one yet, or maybe you’re thinking about hiring one. Maybe your office manager or assistant posts for you. But here’s what I want you to realize: just because someone posts for you doesn’t mean they’re an actual social media manager.
They might just be a button pusher.
And today, we’re going to talk about how to identify whether they’re a true strategist or just clicking buttons.
This role can easily be outsourced. It could take about fifteen minutes a day or maybe five hours of batching per month. But I’ve seen people paying $30–$50 an hour for someone to spend four hours a day on social media, and that’s crazy. That’s a huge expense—especially when it’s not systemized.
What you need is clarity—a scope of work. Every role in your business should have one, including this one.
You need to know what you expect, what goals they’re working toward, and how you’ll measure success.
When I coach my clients—whether in Better Marketing with Bella or intensives—I often find people overspending without realizing it. Sometimes we shave $2,500 off their bottom line in one call. That’s one call paying for itself!
So let’s break it down.
If your “social media manager” is just following instructions, posting what you give them, and not strategizing or thinking critically—they’re not worth $30+ an hour.
If all they’re doing is clicking buttons, they’re a virtual assistant. They should not be paid more than $20 an hour.
So, ask yourself:
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Are they responsible for creative concepts?
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Do they handle inbound and outbound social activity?
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Are they engaging and collaborating—or just posting?
Inbound means they’re responding to comments and messages. Outbound means they’re tagging other businesses, collaborating, commenting on other pages, and building relationships.
If they’re not doing outbound activity, they’re missing half the game.
Social media is like a networking event. Imagine standing silently in a room waiting for others to talk to you. You’d look ridiculous. That’s what many of you are doing online.
You need to be initiating, reaching out, building relationships.
In Better Marketing with Bella, we teach this two-way strategy—social isn’t just “posting.” It’s connecting, conversing, and creating community.
If you’re new here, visit jumpconsulting.net/marketing to learn more. That’s where you can see how we provide your entire marketing package every month—graphics, videos, emails, captions, and strategy.
You can also check out jumpconsulting.net/mastermind or jumpconsulting.net/intensive if you’re curious about the other programs I mentioned.
Now let’s talk about KPIs—Key Performance Indicators.
If you’re evaluating whether your social media manager is doing well, don’t just look at likes or followers. Those numbers are fine to track, but they don’t measure real success.
Social media is about relationships.
Your most valuable KPI? Meaningful interactions.
Ask:
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How many meaningful conversations are happening?
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How many collaborations are being created?
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How many creative ideas are being pitched?
Other metrics include:
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Number of posts created and scheduled
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Email open or response rates
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Number of tagged partners or collaborations
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Unique concepts generated each month
These are real indicators of value.
If someone just posts without strategy or engagement, they’re not managing—they’re uploading. That’s a virtual assistant, not a social media manager.
The difference is huge. A true manager strategizes, creates, analyzes, and builds your digital relationships.
This is why my clients in Better Marketing with Bella have seen up to 500% engagement growth.
The program works because it blends professional content with personality. We provide polished marketing assets—but you bring your brand’s heart and voice.
We even teach you how to create branded GIFs, reels, and social posts that stand out in your community.
If you’re currently focused on hiring and think you don’t need marketing—think again.
You always need marketing.
Because there are only two problems in business: getting clients and getting employees.
And while you’re busy recruiting, your marketing determines who applies—and who stays.
Inflation is high. Wages and costs are rising. You’re going to need to raise your rates. But if your social media doesn’t reflect professionalism and trust, people won’t pay those higher rates.
Your social media is the first impression.
When someone sees your posts, they’re already deciding whether you’re worth $45 for a visit—or just another $18 pet sitter with cute dog pictures.
“Happy Caturday” posts won’t get you anywhere. You’re wasting time and money posting meaningless fluff.
Your marketing should make you look like Cinderella at the ball, not like you rolled out of bed in sweatpants.
Your brand must shine.
Marketing isn’t optional—it’s essential.
Because even when you’re busy, people are still watching. They’re deciding if you’re trustworthy, if your employees are happy, and if your brand stands out.
The businesses thriving right now are the ones whose social media tells a story.
When you feature your employees, you’re not just showing appreciation—you’re recruiting.
My clients get DMs saying, “I want to work for your company,” because they’ve built culture in public.
That’s what strong social media does.
Better Marketing with Bella doesn’t just hand you content—it holds you accountable.
In fact, this year we trained social media managers in January. We coached them for eight weeks, tracked progress, and worked alongside business owners. We created KPIs, accountability, and structure.
There’s no other program in the pet industry that does that.
We not only give you the assets—graphics, reels, emails—but also teach you how to use them strategically.
And at a fraction of the cost of hiring an agency.
Hiring a freelancer to do what we deliver could cost anywhere from $900 to $3,500 per month.
Better Marketing with Bella starts at $497 a month.
That’s why this program works—it’s complete, strategic, and affordable.
If you’re a loyal listener, email me at [email protected] and I’ll give you a special discount.
Thank you for spending your time with me today. I hope this episode helps you re-evaluate your approach to social media—and your expectations for those managing it.
Because your success is our success.
So what did you think? Did you love this episode? I sure hope you did because I put a lot of love into this for you.
The best way you can show me that is by going to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever you listen to your podcasts and leaving a review. I just might read it on the next episode.
And remember—when life gets you down, always keep jumping.
Thanks for listening.