Mike is the owner of The Social Penguin Blog, a popular and well-respected social media blog based in the UK. During the day, he can be found delivering social media and digital marketing strategies for multi-national brands in his role at The BIG Partnership, one of the UK’s largest communications firms. You can catch him on Twitter at @mike_mcgrail.

The business is going well, you’re getting some traction with fans, but you’re at the point of social media burnout. Sprout Insights has discussed the need to hire a social media manager before, so let’s say you’ve taken the advice to heart.

You’ve decided that it’s about time your business had a dedicated social media manager. Great move! Do you know what you should be looking for in the perfect one, though? Social media management is a big job, even if you have the best tools. What skills, traits and experience should an effective social media manager? Read on to find out.

1. Experience With Multiple Platforms

It may sound obvious, but a social media manager that only has experience within Twitter and Facebook isn’t going to be the perfect candidate. What about blogs, forums, and emerging platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest? As your social media strategy grows, you may well expand the platforms you are present on, and you need your manager to be able to hit the ground running on those.

2. Great Writing Skills

In order to effectively communicate across your social media platforms, your social media manager has to have an adaptable and engaging writing style. The way we communicate on Twitter can be very different to Facebook, we all know that getting your point across in 140 characters can be tough! Your manager needs to be able to write well in the ‘long form’ sense too — particularly if you’re using a blog as part of your strategy.

3. A Thick Skin

Its not always rosy in the social media garden, there will be times when your social media manager will have to deal with negative noise and comments around your brand. It can be tough to be the person on the end of all the flack, however a great social media manager will be able to quickly decide how to deal with the negativity and remain calm and helpful at all times. This is not a role for those who panic!

4. Top Notch Project Management Skills

A busy social media strategy takes a lot of management. Your social media lead needs to be able to juggle many different platforms, content bases, and even internal departments. A structured approach will ensure momentum and help to offer value to your audience.

5. An Analytical Brain

The person managing your social media presences will be the person who’ll know the most about your communities and how they’re responding to your work. With that in mind, he or she needs to be able to analyze the plethora of data that is available to him and her and make recommendations or decisions based upon it. Tools such as Sprout Social will aid that process!

So there you have it: a quick guide to some of the key skills your potential social media manager should possess. It is a varied and always evolving role and that should ultimately be reflected in the person’s skillset. Good luck!

[Image credit: lululemon athletica, David Francis, Like the Grand Canyon]