Paid social media marketing offers businesses the ability to connect with hyper-targeted audiences and drive measurable results.
But there’s a catch: you need the right paid social marketer. Without one, your campaigns can quickly turn into a money pit, with little to show for your efforts. You're left juggling underperforming campaigns and struggling to scale ad efforts.
The good news? In this how to hire paid social marketer blog, we’ll break down everything you need to know, from identifying your business needs and defining key responsibilities to choosing the ideal hiring model—whether that’s full-time, freelance, or agency.
Let’s get started!
Who is a paid social marketer?
A paid social marketer is a digital advertising expert specializing in running ad campaigns on social media. They make sure your brand gets in front of the right people on platforms like Meta (Facebook and Instagram), LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, and X. Their objective? Turning ad spend into results—more traffic and conversions and a stronger social media presence—through precise targeting and creative strategies.
Why it matters
Social media platforms offer one of the most precise ways to reach your target audience, thanks to their robust targeting features and vast user bases. A paid social marketer helps:
- Drive ROI: Through meticulous audience segmentation and testing, they ensure every dollar spent contributes to measurable returns.
- Scale campaigns effectively: They build scalable campaigns that grow with your business.
- Unlock advanced features: They leverage features that take your campaigns to the next level, from dynamic product ads to TikTok Creator Marketplace collabs.
Now, let’s break down their responsibilities in detail.
Key responsibilities
Strategic campaign planning
Paid social marketers zero in on your goals, whether converting casual browsers into buyers or building a steady pipeline of qualified leads. They map out everything: audience segments, how users move through the funnel, and what experiments (like A/B tests) will deliver the clearest insights—all tied to measurable results.
Creative collaboration
No paid social marketer works solo. They team up with designers and copywriters to produce ad creatives that stand out and engage. Think: headlines and visuals that resonate with your targeted audience. Basically, they connect your brand's creative ideas and performance goals together.
Performance analysis
Paid social marketers analyze data relentlessly—tracking metrics like ROAS, CPA, CTR, and conversion rates. But the real value? Turning that data into action. They figure out what’s working (and what isn't) and continuously improve results.
Budget management
A skilled marketer allocates ad spend strategically across campaigns and platforms, ensuring the highest possible ROI. If a campaign underperforms, adjustments happen immediately.
Deep platform knowledge
Every social platform is unique, and social media marketers are experts in leveraging each one's best features. For instance, they know when to use TikTok’s playful, quick-hitting videos or how to tap into LinkedIn’s professional audience.
Paid Social Marketer vs. Paid Search Marketer
Sure, both roles deal with paid ads, but they’re worlds apart when it comes to social media management skills and focus:
- Paid Social Marketers specialize in social media platforms. They create visual, creative-first campaigns designed to connect with specific audiences based on their demographics, interests, and behaviors. It’s less about keywords and more about content that builds your brand while driving conversions.
- Paid Search Marketers focus on search engines like Google and Bing. They excel in keyword research, search intent analysis, and optimizing campaigns for search engine results pages (SERPs). This helps them target intent-driven audiences, showing the right ads to people actively searching for your product or service.
At MarketerHire, we split these roles for a reason: it’s tough to excel in both.
Paid social is a creative game, requiring deep insights into social media trends and user behavior. Paid search, on the other hand, is more analytical, demanding precision with keywords, bidding, and performance metrics.
How to hire a paid social marketer
Here are the steps to hiring a paid social marketer who can turn underperforming campaigns into measurable results:
Step 1: Assess your business needs
First, identify the gaps. Are your campaigns underdelivering? Do you lack expertise in high-growth platforms like TikTok or LinkedIn? These signs tell you it’s time to bring in a paid social pro.
Decide whether you need a platform specialist (e.g., someone who knows Meta Ads inside out) or a multi-platform marketer who can manage your brand's social media strategy across several channels. Specialists are great for targeted gaps, while generalists shine when you’re juggling broader campaigns.
Next, think about where your business stands:
- High-growth phase? Look for someone who can scale campaigns and test new channels.
- Stable but in need of optimization? You’ll want an expert focused on ROI.
- Entering new markets? A marketer skilled in navigating unfamiliar platforms and audiences is your best bet.
Step 2: Conduct a paid social audit
Before hiring, get a clear picture of your current paid social efforts. Track your metrics—ROAS, CPA, CTR—and evaluate how each platform is performing. What’s working? What isn’t?
Are your creative assets missing the mark? Is your targeting too broad? Or are you overlooking platform-specific features that could give your campaigns an edge? An audit helps you pinpoint the gaps, so you can create a clear checklist of skills and expertise your next hire needs to bring to the table.
Step 3: Define the role and responsibilities
Once you’ve assessed your needs, define what you expect from your paid social marketer. Will they handle everything from building campaigns to testing creative and delivering detailed reports? Make these responsibilities crystal clear to attract the right candidates.
Then, set measurable KPIs for the role. Think: achieving a specific ROAS or increasing CTR. Align the marketer’s responsibilities with these performance goals to set a clear standard for success that both parties can work toward.
Also, emphasize collaboration. As mentioned, paid social media marketers rarely work solo, so they’ll need to partner with your:
- creative team for ad designs
- analytics team for insights
- sales to ensure campaigns align with revenue goals
Highlighting these cross-functional expectations will help you find someone who fits seamlessly into your paid social media team.
Required skills and experience
- Strategic thinking: Plan campaigns that meet business goals, like boosting ROI or building brand awareness.
- Data fluency: Analyze metrics like ROAS, CPA, and CTR to optimize budgets and find growth opportunities.
- Creative collaboration: Work with designers and writers to create ads that connect with your audience.
- Social platform expertise: Be skilled in platforms like Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and TikTok Ads, including their advanced tools.
- Adaptability: Keep up with constant platform changes, new ad formats, and algorithm updates to maintain a competitive edge.
- Communication skills: Turn data into actionable strategies and present them effectively to stakeholders.
Hiring options: full-time, freelance, or agency?
When hiring a paid social marketer, you’ve got three options: full-time, freelance, or agency. Each has its perks and trade-offs, so let’s break them down to help you make the best call for your business.
Full-time paid social marketer
If your social media advertising needs are long-term and you’ve got the budget to match, a full-time hire is the way to go. They’ll be fully immersed in your team— manage daily campaigns, refine social marketing strategies, and other key tasks. This hiring option is your best bet when you're scaling quickly and experimenting across platforms.
Freelance professional
A freelance social media marketer is a flexible and cost-efficient solution, particularly if you have campaign-specific projects or short-term needs. They bring specialized skills and can be onboarded quickly without the commitment of a full-time hire. However, freelancers juggle multiple clients, so communicate expectations and define deliverables from Day 1.
Marketing agency
Agencies provide a team of experts to handle everything from strategy to execution. It's a viable choice if you manage campaigns across multiple platforms or need end-to-end solutions. This high-level expertise can be pricey and offer less direct control over day-to-day activities, but it's worth it if you want big-picture results without building an in-house team.
Consideration criteria
Start with your budget. Full-time marketers are a bigger commitment financially, while freelancers and agencies give you more flexibility. Freelancers are typically the most cost-efficient for specific projects, and agencies, while premium-priced, offer comprehensive expertise.
Next, think about your needs. If you’re experimenting or running short-term campaigns, freelancers or agencies make sense. But if you’re ready for consistent, hands-on optimization, a full-time hire can deliver. Also, assess your current team—if you’re lacking in-house expertise, bringing in external help could save you from making costly mistakes.
Writing a job description
A strong job description helps attract top-tier talent while ensuring candidates understand the role and expectations. Here’s how you can craft a compelling and thorough one for your brand:
Role summary
Start with a concise overview of the role. Explain how the paid social media manager will contribute to your business goals. For example: “We’re looking for a skilled Paid Social Marketer to lead strategic ad campaigns across platforms like Meta, LinkedIn, and TikTok. This role focuses on driving measurable ROI, optimizing performance metrics, and collaborating with creative teams to deliver engaging ad content.”
Key responsibilities
Detail the day-to-day tasks and overarching responsibilities of the role. Be specific about what the social media advertising expert will handle. Example:
- Develop and execute paid social strategies aligned with business objectives.
- Manage ad campaigns across platforms, including Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Pinterest.
- Analyze performance metrics like ROAS, CPA, and conversion rates to ensure social amplification.
- Collaborate with design and content teams to create high-performing ad creatives.
- Monitor budget allocation to ensure efficient ad spend across all campaigns.
- Stay updated on platform changes and integrate new features into strategies.
Required qualifications
List the qualifications needed for the role. Think: experience, certifications, and platform expertise. Like so:
- 3-5 years of experience managing paid social campaigns.
- Proficiency in Meta Ads Manager, LinkedIn Campaign Manager, and TikTok Ads.
- Certifications in Google Ads, Meta Blueprint, or other relevant programs are a plus.
- Strong track record of improving campaign performance and achieving KPIs.
Skills requirements
Highlight the essential skills required for success. These may include:
- Analytical skills for interpreting data and refining campaigns.
- Creative thinking to contribute to engaging ad concepts.
- Project management skills to handle multiple campaigns simultaneously.
- Strong communication abilities to present data and strategies to stakeholders.
Company values
Show how your company’s culture aligns with the candidate’s values. For example:
- Emphasize a collaborative work environment that fosters creativity.
- Highlight any diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
- Mention opportunities for professional development or team-building activities.
Compensation
Be transparent about the budget range to set clear expectations and attract the right candidates. For example: “This role offers a competitive salary in the range of $70,000–$90,000 annually, depending on experience, along with performance-based bonuses and benefits.”
Sourcing and recruiting candidates
Marketing-specific platforms (e.g., MarketerHire)
Platforms like MarketerHire are tailor-made to connect you with pre-vetted paid social marketers. Whether you’re looking for a freelancer, a full-time hire, or short-term help, these platforms save you the headache of screening candidates yourself.
“MarketerHire allowed us to bring in high-level expertise without the long-term commitment of a full-time hire. This felt like a lower-risk way to address our immediate needs,” says Nicoll Leighton, Operations & Strategy Manager at ApparelMagic.
Plus, with matches made in just a few days, you’ll quickly find talent aligned with your business goals.
LinkedIn's massive talent pool makes it a solid choice for finding both generalists and specialists. Use filters to narrow your search by skills, certifications, or experience. While posting jobs here can be pricey, it gets your role in front of active, qualified professionals—and sometimes, the visibility alone is worth it.
Freelance platforms
If flexibility is your priority, try Upwork or Fiverr. You’ll find freelancers with a range of expertise, but you’ll need to put in the legwork to vet them. Review portfolios, run interviews, and ask for trial tasks to gauge compatibility. Quality varies here, so take your time finding the right fit.
Referrals
Tap into your network. Referrals can surface trusted paid social marketers with proven results. Plus, recommendations from people you trust can give you extra confidence in the reliability of their social media marketing efforts and cultural fit.
Onboarding and integration
The key to onboarding a paid social marketer successfully? Preparation.
Provide the new hire access to everything they need—ad accounts, analytics tools, brand guidelines, you name it. Introduce them to teammates they’ll collaborate with, like designers or analysts, to set the stage for smooth teamwork. Then, walk them through your business goals, audience insights, and campaign objectives so they know exactly where they fit in.
We highly recommend a 30/60/90-day plan to get things on track. Start with small wins—reviewing past campaigns in the first 30 days, then optimizing active ones by day 60. By the 90-day mark, they should be pitching fresh strategies tailored to your goals.
You should also outline clear KPIs and schedule regular check-ins to discuss progress. Open communication and clear milestones make all the difference in helping them hit the ground running.
Tracking and strategy optimization
To get the most out of your paid social marketing efforts, you must partner closely with your paid social marketer to track the right metrics and refine strategies. Focus on:
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): Have the marketer track how much revenue each ad dollar generates. Ask them to regularly report on this so you both understand whether your campaigns are driving profit or need adjustments.
- Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): Work with your marketer to calculate the cost of acquiring a new customer through paid social. This ensures your budget is being used efficiently.
- Conversion rates: Work with your marketer to analyze how many users take action (purchase, sign up, etc.) after engaging with your product ads. These insights shape your campaign strategy moving forward.
- Creative performance: Your marketer will monitor which visuals, videos, or messages resonate with your audience. Collaborate to decide which creative elements to scale up or pivot away from.
Additionally, you should schedule regular weekly or monthly check-ins so you and your marketer can review performance together. A good paid social marketer will bring you clear reports, insights, and suggestions for improvement. Encourage them to use analytics tools to track real-time trends and make proactive adjustments.
Be sure to share upcoming business and seasonal goals and feedback on their ideas while you're at it. Treat this as a partnership. Your paid social marketer handles the day-to-day details, but your input and collaboration align everything with your broader goals.
Why MarketerHire is the best place to hire paid social marketers
MarketerHire connects you with paid social experts who specialize in your desired social media channel, be it Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, TikTok Ads, or another platform (or all!). These are professionals who deliver results, not guesswork.
Flexibility is built in—you can hire part-time, full-time, or on a project basis, all without long-term commitments. Another important thing: MarketerHire's network includes only the top 1% of marketers, so you have the best available talent when building your social media marketing team. In fact, top brands like Netflix and HP have already trusted MarketerHire to elevate their campaigns.
The VP of Acquisition Marketing at Swyft Filings, Karl Davitt has to say about hiring through MarketerHire:
“Jake M. took our paid social campaigns and transitioned them to be more than 3X more profitable for us."
So why wait? Hire your next paid social marketer with MarketerHire today.