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So, You Want to be a Social Media Expert?

December 29, 2009 - Posted by Shama

5 Comments

Okay – here is the thing. Everyone is complaining about how many social media experts are popping up these days. I agree. It is indeed a little freaky to me when people who came to hear me speak two months ago and asked “what is tweeter?” are now social media experts on Twitter (pronounced correctly this time). I remember playing on Twitter when it was first released. There were like 3000 of us. This is pre-Oprah and pre-Kutcher of course. But, you know what? Just because we came early to the party doesn’t mean that the party is now over. But – it does mean you have to work harder!

One of the reasons it was easy for some of us earlier players to establish our expertise and presence in the field was because well, we were IT! When 10 people are talking about social media in the world – they are all experts. When 10,000 start proclaiming overnight expertise, it gets tougher.

So, here is what I don’t want to do. I don’t want to sit here and look down on the newcomers. 80% of them MAY just be jumping on board because they think its the “next hot thing.” But, I do believe, that at LEAST 20% are genuinely interested in helping others get social media and want to be part of a growing industry. As I heard at least a dozen times when we were interviewing candidates – “I want to work for you guys because this is the future.” Fair enough.

What I DO want to do is give those who are genuinely interested in social media a few pointers in getting started.

Be Honest. If you’ve recently started using social media, be honest about it. Hey, in all fairness, it is a new field and nobody has it all figured out. You don’t get bonus points for pretending to have been at it for a while.
Practice what you Preach – In some fields you don’t have to walk the walk to talk the talk. This isn’t that field. Social media happens in the trenches.
Don’t Rely on Shortcuts – A social media certification doesn’t make you an expert. It may teach you a few things, but there are no shortcuts in this industry. I love what Chris recently wrote about making hard work sexy.
Train Yourself – If you are determined to make it in the field, you will have to train yourself. Here are the books you MUST read (this is just to begin with).: Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust, Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day, The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly, The Zen of Social Media Marketing: An Easier Way to Build Credibility, Generate Buzz, and Increase Revenue (I am including my book not out of a sense of vanity – but because a lot of newcomers to the social media field have shared with me that they found it valuable). Conferences to Attend: Blog World and New Media Expo and SXSW Interactive.
Learn from Others – Let’s face it. There is always someone out there who knows more than we do. Or, people who have a different take than us. Learn from them! Follow their blogs, interact with them on social media sites, go listen to them speak if you get the chance. When you do learn something from them and decide to share it – just be sure to give them credit.
Convey the RIGHT information – It’s important that you deliver the right information to your clients. It’s a big responsibility. If you aren’t sure about something, double check and then tell them. Tell them what social media can’t do. Tell them that social media is a long term strategy and it does come LAST. Remember, you aren’t just helping your clients, you are representing the industry as a whole.
Find your Niche – Social media used to be a niche within online marketing. It is now big enough to have its own sub niches. You may be new to social media, but what are you an old hat at? Perhaps you come from the world of retail. Focus on how social media can best benefit retailers. Perhaps you come from a family of dentists and know their world inside out. Focus on helping dentists understand social media.

The truth is that there is ALWAYS space in any industry for newcomers – well, talented and hardworking newcomers anyway.

Photo Credit – @PhotoMishDan on Flickr.

5 Responses to “So, You Want to be a Social Media Expert?“

Stevie G. says:

December 29, 2009 at 9:43 pm

Thank you for this timely article. Indeed it is true, lightning advancemements in technology is creating a cottage industry of supposed experts preying on the less informed. To become a true “expert,” it is not enough to have familiarity with “how to use” a social media technology. A true expert is able to master the intended use and innovate new uses. It is only then that he or she can provide true value to the marketplace.

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jack says:

December 29, 2009 at 10:58 pm

I completely agree and we did a piece on so called “social media experts’ today http://reallychill.org/comedy/breaking-news-new-government-program-to-support-social-media-expert-depression/

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Alan Kaplan says:

December 30, 2009 at 3:20 pm

An articles whose time has come…Well Done!

The most interesting part of this conversation about “Social Media & Networking” is…

Most – but not all, are seeing Social Media/networking as a new phenom – reality is – it’s the same principles of conduct, respect and integrity we should have in a face to face meeting – now with the Internet and technology there’s a sense that social media is some kind of science… or that it’s even new…

…which leads to people wanting to claim “expert” status…

I believe the expert status can come from building and / or teaching the Tools of the trade… blogging tools, twittering tools, community tools… and when I say tools I mean the software that now runs our websites and marketing tactics.

My advice as a 14 year online developer and marketer is to get proficient at learning the tools… and then ask yourself…

Am I a giver or taker
Am I a person of Intergrity
Am I open to new ideas and debate
Am I postively contributing to my market
Am I genuinely impacting others for their benefit

To me – on every level – business or personal – that’s what I ask myself when using the Internet for networking and reaching my market.

To me those are the questions of social media/networking – and the rest is simply learning new software -

-which when we really consider what we’re talking about
- the software required to effectively stay on top of our social networking initiatives is not really difficult to use… relatively speaking of course… in fact, Web 2.0 has always been about speed, easy of use and scalability without constantly rebuilding… going modular.

Broken down into two parts – Using Software and being a good person = Social Media/Networking

Maybe those claiming expert and leading newcomers will want to check themselves as to what they are really an expert at – Being a Good, Decent & Genuine Person – or – A good teacher of information and software – or – Both.

My recommendation to those first discovering the technology communication advancements for small business people online is find experts in communication skills, spiritual centered-ness and good ole business networking – because learning how to use Twitter, create a fan page on Facebook and setup a profile in LinkedIn is the easy part…

So to all the self proclaimed experts – What exactly are you teaching? Social Skills or Software?

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Aly Juma says:

January 15, 2010 at 2:27 pm

I’ve noticed the sudden rise of social media experts as well, and I like the point of view you take. It does get harder to become an expert once the word is out so to speak. One point you made is that it takes hard work, and that truly is the key to becoming an expert in anything. Good post.

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Mark Elmo Ellis says:

January 26, 2010 at 9:01 pm

This is a great article. I have only been seriously thinking about Facebook as a method of communication between myself and my clients. Now, I’m really pumped up to use it. Thanks for posting a brilliant article!

ELMO

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