Hiring a social media manager is a big decision for many businesses. You want to know that the person you’re paying can actually help your business grow.
However, simply asking, “Have you gotten good results before?” isn’t enough.
A good social media manager should be able to explain what they have worked on, which goals they were targeting, and how they measured success.
Before hiring someone, it’s reasonable to ask for proof of results. Here’s how to do it without making the process unnecessarily complicated.
Ask for Specific Examples
Start by asking the social media manager to show you examples of previous work.
Instead of asking for a general portfolio, be more specific.
For example, you could ask:
- Can you show me a previous client you managed?
- What were the goals of that campaign?
- What did you change or improve?
- What results did you achieve?
- How long did it take to see those results?
This gives you more useful information than simply looking at a collection of social media posts.
Keep in mind that results can vary significantly depending on the business, industry, audience, budget, and starting point.
Look at the Right Metrics
Not every social media metric tells you whether a campaign was successful.
For example, gaining followers may be useful for some businesses, while generating website traffic, enquiries, or sales may matter more for others.
Business.govt.nz recommends choosing metrics and key performance indicators based on your business model and goals.
Depending on the business, you might ask to see results such as:
- Follower growth
- Engagement
- Reach
- Website traffic
- Leads
- Enquiries
- Bookings
- Sales
- Cost per lead
- Return on advertising spend
The important question is not simply “How many followers did you gain?”
Instead, ask:
“How did your work contribute to the business goal?”
Ask for Before-and-After Data
One of the easiest ways to understand someone’s work is to compare performance before and after they took over.
For example:
Before: 5,000 monthly website visits from social media
After: 8,000 monthly website visits
Or:
Before: 20 enquiries per month
After: 35 enquiries per month
This doesn’t automatically prove that the social media manager caused every improvement. Other marketing activities or changes within the business could have contributed as well.
Nevertheless, before-and-after data can help you understand what changed during their time managing the account.
Ask How They Achieved the Results
Numbers alone don’t tell the whole story.
Suppose a social media manager tells you that they increased engagement by 200%. That’s interesting, but you should also ask how they achieved it.
For example:
- Did they change the content strategy?
- Did they introduce video content?
- Did they change posting frequency?
- Did they improve the creative?
- Did they use paid advertising?
- Did they change the target audience?
- Did they improve community engagement?
Understanding the process gives you a better idea of what the manager actually contributed.
It also helps you determine whether their approach could make sense for your business.
Ask for Screenshots or Reports
If a social media manager cannot share confidential client information, they may still be able to provide anonymised screenshots or reports.
For example, they might remove the client’s name and sensitive information while showing:
- Reach
- Engagement
- Follower growth
- Website clicks
- Leads
- Campaign results
- Monthly performance changes
This can give you a clearer picture without requiring the manager to reveal private client information.
However, don’t expect every manager to hand over complete client account data. Client confidentiality should also be respected.
Ask About Their Role
Another important question is:
“What exactly did you do for this client?”
A manager might show you impressive results from an account, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they were responsible for everything.
Perhaps they only created the posts. Maybe they managed the entire social media strategy. Alternatively, they may have worked as part of a larger marketing team.
Ask what their responsibilities were.
For example:
- Content planning
- Copywriting
- Graphic design
- Video creation
- Community management
- Social media advertising
- Analytics and reporting
- Strategy
This helps you understand what experience you’re actually hiring.
Be Careful With Impressive Numbers
Large numbers can look impressive, but context matters.
For example, saying “We generated 1 million impressions” sounds impressive. However, impressions alone don’t tell you whether those people became customers.
Similarly, a large increase in followers doesn’t necessarily mean the business generated more revenue.
Instead, ask what happened further down the customer journey.
For example:
Social media post → Website visit → Enquiry → Customer
Business.govt.nz recommends measuring what audiences do after seeing marketing messages and using that information to adjust future marketing activity.
Therefore, try to connect social media activity with the actual goals of the business.
Ask for References or Testimonials
Another option is to ask whether previous clients are willing to provide a testimonial or reference.
A testimonial can help you understand:
- What it was like working with the manager
- How they communicated
- What work they completed
- Whether the client was satisfied
- What improvements the client noticed
However, testimonials should be considered alongside other evidence rather than used on their own.
A manager with strong testimonials should still be able to explain their strategy and show relevant performance data.
Don’t Expect Guaranteed Results
Social media performance can change for many reasons.
Audience behaviour, content, competition, advertising budgets, platform changes, seasonality, and the business’s own offer can all influence results.
Because of this, be cautious if someone promises a specific number of followers, leads, or sales without understanding your business first.
Instead, look for someone who can explain what they will do, how they will measure performance, and how they will adjust their strategy based on the data.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring
Before signing a contract, consider asking:
“Can you show me examples of previous results?”
“What was your role in achieving those results?”
“Which metrics were you responsible for improving?”
“Can you show me before-and-after data?”
“How do you measure success?”
“How often will I receive reports?”
“What would you focus on during the first few months?”
These questions can help you separate a manager who simply creates content from someone who takes a more strategic approach to social media.
Need a Social Media Manager in New Zealand?
Requesting proof of results doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need every detail from a previous client’s account.
Instead, focus on relevant examples, measurable results, the manager’s specific role, and how those results were achieved.
At Hands Free Marketing, we help businesses across New Zealand with social media strategy, content, audience engagement, and performance-focused marketing.
If you want clarity instead of guesswork, get in touch.
👉 Book your free 15-minute consult
📞 027 590 9421
📧 jevon@handsfreemarketing.com
🌐 Web Design Hawke’s Bay