Social Media Expert? Prove It
Mashable recently reported that there are over 15,000 people on Twitter that claim to be “social media experts.” Which makes my life really hard, because when I say I’m a blogger, people can live with that, but when I say I’m a social media consultant, they tend to raise an eyebrow.
Since I really, truly am a social media consultant (I provide social media services to clients which I think fits the definition quite well), the best I can do is to point out that there are spammers everywhere, especially online. The best way to decide if a self-proclaimed social media expert knows what they’re doing is to:
1. Make sure they have an active blog and that the blog is well-written, optimized for search engines and is able to attract a small community of regular commentators.
2. Make sure they have an authentic Twitter account with real Twitter followers who interact with them rather then just ignore them.
3. Check their client portfolio and, more importantly, client testimonials.
Any social media expert who makes promises about getting you an x number of followers or getting you to a specific rankings in search engine result pages is making empty promises and you should stay away from them. The promises about getting you lots of followers are especially bothersome because an artificially inflated Twitter account makes absolutely no sense. A tight account with relevant, responsive followers is much more valuable.
The bottom line is, I’m not too worried about the explosion of wannabees in my space. I think most of us can easily differentiate between someone who’s authentic and offers quality and someone who’s just trying to make a quick buck then move on to the next trend. When they are all gone, I will still be here, serving satisfied clients and helping them to grow their business and get found on the Web.
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carla responds:
Posted: January 11th, 2010 at 1:45 pm →
Its difficult to weed out the wannabes and pretenders when you’re new to social networking, but you will learn as time goes on (as I did!). Great suggestions!
Vered DeLeeuw responds:
Posted: January 11th, 2010 at 8:04 pm →
I’m sure I will. Thanks, Carla.
pam perry responds:
Posted: January 12th, 2010 at 9:37 am →
My suggestion is always, “google” them and watch, listen and hear what others are saying about them online. If they have no presence – run from them. They are a “fake.” Google me.
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Pam Perry, PR Coach and Social Media Expert
Helping the African American Christian Market
Vered DeLeeuw responds:
Posted: January 12th, 2010 at 2:31 pm →
Pam, I agree – if a ‘social media expert’ has no online presence, they are fake.