Social Media Manager job description
A Social Media Manager plans, publishes and reviews a brand's content on platforms such as Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. The role builds audience, brand recall and enquiries without relying only on paid ads.
Why the role exists
Most Indian startups and small businesses reach buyers first through Instagram, LinkedIn, WhatsApp channels and YouTube. This role owns that presence. It usually sits in marketing, works with a designer and video editor, and reports to the marketing head or the founder.
What the person does
- Build a monthly content calendar tied to product launches, festivals and sales pushes.
- Write captions, scripts and post copy in the brand voice, in English and relevant regional languages.
- Brief designers and video editors and approve reels, carousels and stories before they go live.
- Publish on schedule and reply to comments, mentions and direct messages within the agreed time.
- Run small paid boosts and test creatives, hooks and posting times to see what works.
- Track reach, saves, clicks and enquiries each week and share a short written readout.
- Coordinate with influencers and creators on briefs, deliverables, approvals and payment follow-up.
- Watch for complaints and brand risks online and escalate quickly to the right person.
Skills and tools
- Content planning and calendars in tools such as Notion, Trello or Google Sheets
- Copywriting for short posts, reels scripts and LinkedIn articles
- Scheduling and analytics tools such as Meta Business Suite, Buffer or Hootsuite
- Basic design and editing in Canva, CapCut or similar apps
- Paid social basics on Meta Ads Manager and LinkedIn Campaign Manager
- Reading platform insights and turning them into content decisions
- Community handling and calm replies to criticism in public
- Working with influencers, freelancers and agencies on clear briefs
Education and experience
Preferred, never a bar: equivalent experience counts.
- Graduation in marketing, mass communication, journalism or a related field preferred, or equivalent experience
- Preferred: two or more years running social accounts for a business, with a portfolio of live work
- Preferred: working knowledge of Hindi or the regional language your customers speak
- Certificates in social media or digital marketing are useful but not required
How the work is judged
- Growth in engaged audience and quality of followers, not only raw follower count
- Enquiries, leads or sales that can be traced back to social channels
- Consistency of publishing against the agreed content calendar
- Speed and tone of replies to comments and messages
- Clarity and usefulness of the weekly or monthly performance readout
Where the role can lead
- Senior Social Media Manager or Content Lead managing a small team
- Head of Digital Marketing or Brand Manager across paid, search and social
- Moving into influencer marketing, community management or founder-led personal branding
Interview questions to ask
Ask every candidate the same questions in the same order and score them against written anchors, so the decision rests on the work and not the impression.
- Walk us through a month of content you planned for a small brand. What did you drop after reviewing results?
- A post you published draws angry comments from customers. What do you do in the first hour?
- How do you brief a freelance video editor so the reel needs few revisions?
- Which metrics do you check weekly for a brand that wants leads, and which do you ignore?
- How would you plan content for Diwali when the budget is small and the calendar is crowded?
- Show us one account you manage today. What would you change about it and why?
Hiring tips for this role
- Ask for live accounts, not slide decks. Open the profiles and check the last three months of posts, replies and consistency.
- Set a paid test: write a week of captions and one reel script for your own product, with a one-hour turnaround.
- Separate a creator from a manager. Many applicants post well but cannot plan, report or handle a brand crisis.
- Agree who approves posts before hiring. Slow approvals frustrate good candidates and cause missed trends.
Questions about hiring a social media manager
Basic design in Canva or a video app helps for quick posts. For regular work, a designer or editor should handle the visuals so the manager can focus on planning, writing, community and reporting.
In a small business, one person can run two or three platforms well. Wider coverage across several channels usually needs a second hire or a freelancer. Choose the platforms where your buyers actually spend time.
Give a short practical task. Ask for a one-week calendar, three sample captions and a reply to a hostile comment. Judge clarity, tone and how well they understand your audience.
GullyHR agrees the job description with you, including the platforms and output expected. We then find and screen candidates, check their live work and support the offer for a permanent hire.
Hiring a social media manager?
GullyHR runs talent acquisition for permanent roles. We agree the job description with you, find and screen candidates against it, and support the offer through to joining. We recruit permanent employees. We do not supply contract or temporary staff.