Social Media Experts

Social Media Expert? Prove It

in Social Media Experts

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.

Does Your Social Media Expert Have A Blog?

in Social Media Experts

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.