My name is Jack and I am not a social media expert.
A while back an article was making its rounds and a number
of my friends forwarded it to me because I am their “social media” friend. The
title of the piece was
Why
I Will Never, Ever Hire A "Social Media Expert" by Peter Shankman.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great article with a lot of valid points. I was
getting those emails as a form of friendly ribbing from my pals who knew I was a
social media guru, expert, consultant… or whatever other tag you wanted to slap
on the end of that label. I never actually called myself that. Bottom line was
that I was a working professionally in the social media space and often posting
links, testing Facebook apps or sharing stories about different social media related topics. I was also always
there to answer their social media questions so they naturally wanted to have some fun with me when they saw that headline.
The fact is there is an abundance of people out there calling themselves social media experts, gurus, super freaks, wizards and so on, and many of them are severely exaggerating their skills. Unfortunately, this is giving legit social media professionals and enthusiasts a bad name. So I wanted say a few words in defense of those who actually know a thing or two and are possibly getting a bad rap.
I always preface any presentation or consulting project
by stating upfront that I do not consider myself an expert or a guru.
However, I do have a background in the interactive marketing world and a lot of
hands on social media experience with a wide variety of companies and
industries. So I like to say I am no expert but I do know more than the
average bear. (To borrow Yogi Bear's
catch phrase.) And that’s why I can say that while you need to be careful about
hiring a social media "expert", it may be a
really good idea.
I work with several local small businesses on a variety of
marketing and social media initiatives. Everything from setting up accounts on
various social media platforms to coaching or even running their day-to-day
activities. I have seen a lot of businesses bring in someone to help get them
set up only to see their Facebook pages, Twitter accounts or blogs eventually
go dormant from neglect. I’ve also worked with a number of business owners who
would love to integrate social media into their existing marketing efforts, but
they have no idea what to do or the time to do the actual work. They have staff to manage, vendors to deal with and product to move. That’s why
it’s a good idea to hire someone who knows what they are doing.
Sure, there are a lot of snake oil salesmen out there,
claiming to be social media gurus. That's the point of that article. They retweet a lot of social media articles
and maybe even blog on the subject, but do they have any real life experience…
professionally or as recreation? If you want to know about social media, you
have to actually do it. I am on FourSquare and Pinterest, not because I particularly
like either platform, but I want to know how it works and get an idea of how
real people use them. I produce, host and distribute
video podcasts, so I understand how
hard it can be to build an audience or to keep the content pipeline full. I have
worked with Dressbarn on Facebook coupons and contests. I have taught
store owners, real estate brokers and auto painting professionals how to engage with customers and provide valuable, compelling content. I’ve
also taught them the difference between a personal and business Facebook page
or how to create a personalized URL. I’ve helped claim a venue on FourSquare
and I’ve engaged an unhappy customer on Twitter. Have you?
I’ve seen a lot of social media efforts fail because there
was a novice at the wheel that did not have the time or a clue as to what to
do. Or they didn't have the creativity and commitment to keep at it. These people need help from someone who knows what they are doing.
So yes, I will admit that there are a lot of things I don’t know. But there are a lot of
things I do know too. You see, I get it. I understand how to engage and entertain a community online. I know how to turn a photo from my iPhone into an interesting Facebook post that gets a lot of Likes. There's "book smart" and "street smart" in social media. I like to think I am a little of both.
And I learn something new each day.
A lot of busy professionals out there need help figuring all this social
media stuff out and there are legitimate people that can help. You just have to
sift through the sea of posers before you find a keeper.
My name is Jack and I am not a social media expert. But I
can help.
