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The worst thing you can do when hiring a social media expert is to just trust them. We’re not saying you shouldn’t trust them at all, but they have to earn that trust through actual examples of their validity as a social media expert. Any person who has a fan page with over a thousand fans calls themselves an expert, even if they didn’t earn a single one of those thousand fans themselves. So, with that in mind, ask your social media interviewees questions like the ones below.

What’s Your Specialty?

Every social media expert has a specialty, even if they don’t admit it. There’s always a platform they favor. For example, Pinterest is usually only for those who are creative enough to use the platform. It’s not just for repins, it’s for original projects as well, as those are the things that make you popular. However, Facebook is a completely different story, and reposts are more acceptable there. Ask your new social media expert what they do best.

How Do You Deal with Issues?

Social media campaigns don’t always succeed – that’s just part of the business. Sometimes they even backfire. A good example is the hashtag campaign #McDStories, which was used to spread bad comments about McDonalds instead of positive ones. You have to know how your expert is going to control a situation that may get out of hand on accident.

Do You Have Ideas for My Business?

Most professionals are very hesitant to lay all of their cards on the table, but often they will discuss bits and pieces of what they would do for your business. Sometimes you can even get a few specifics out of them if you’re clever, which will help you gain a better understanding of what they can do for you.