If they don’t, that’s a pretty bad sign.
When you hire a social media expert, you don’t want to hire a smooth talker – you want to hire someone that actually walks the talk.
Fancy 2-hour presentations and huge consulting invoices may seem impressive, but do a short background check before you write a check.
Does the “expert” in question actually have any social media experience? Do they have a blog – professional or personal? Do they have social media accounts on Twitter, facebook and LinkedIn?
Web Strategist Jeremiah Owyang recommends doing the following before hiring a social media expert:
1. Check online to see how they are using social media. Is it authentic? Are they part of the conversation?
2. Get references from their clients.
3. Ask the social media expert to clearly state their expertise, and demonstrate a strategy plan. Ask for examples and details.
Big words make an impact, and I have reluctantly learned to use them because I have no choice, but I dislike them. The concept of social media marketing is simple: I blog correctly, using keywords and linking, to enhance my clients’ search engine rankings; and I create meaningful connections and authentic conversations with their potential customers on various social media channels.
I know how to do it because I’ve been successfully doing it for two years now, for myself and for clients. If you want the fancy presentation, I can do that – but what you really need is to check me online to see that I’m one of those who actually walk the social media talk.
I'm Vered, a blogger for hire and social media consultant. I create and implement social media campaigns for my clients, with the goals of increasing brand awareness and loyalty, improving search engine rankings and driving targeted traffic to my clients' websites.
