Is your social media expert really an expert? The top 25 ways to find out.
- 73 Comment
Co-written by Peter Shankman and Sarah Evans
There’s a new phenomena of people declaring themselves social media experts. We’ve actually heard from firms who pushed someone to become their resident social media expert because the person was on Facebook. There is no endorsement or accreditation to set apart legitimate industry leaders from bandwagon opportunists.
Social media is a hot topic. We get it. And we don’t want to see people getting scammed by self-touting experts ready to make a quick buck.
There are very few people who could, or should in all honesty, be called social media experts. We’re sharing this list with our networks, including those not yet involved in the social media world to give them a helpful guide.
Ways to tell your Social Media “Expert” Might Not Be An “Expert” After All
- They call themselves an evangelist, guru or expert, and no one else does.
- They use “expert” or “evangelist” or “guru” or our personal favorite, “influencer” as any of their user names.
- They “discovered” social media in the last six to 16 months, and there’s nothing online from them in the social media space prior to that. (Remember – Google is your friend.)
- All of a firm or agency’s “social media strategists” come from traditional PR or Marketing agencies.
- Everything they learned about social media they learned by reading blog posts (i.e. no application). You can learn a ton about sex from reading Kinsey’s manuals, but I’d still rather be with someone who has some practical experience.
- They haven’t done anything of significance using social media (i.e. demonstrating they know how to apply the tools). Again, see point on Kinsey.
- They keep shouting about “widgets.” (Or worse, they’re still talking about push marketing.)
- Their resume doesn’t include anything that has to do with social media (i.e. no results using social media). And no, having a Twitter account doesn’t cut it.
- Their sound bites eerily resemble what you just heard from Chris Brogan and Brian Solis. And quite frankly, following them and a few others (including Sarah) can usually answer 95% of your social media questions to begin with.
- Their firm has added social media as an additional service (as opposed to integrating it into a comprehensive PR approach). If they say “And we’ll do Facebook and Twitter!” beware.
- Any use of the term “MySpace” unless you’re only targeting 14-year-old males, or independent bands.
- Their networks don’t reflect that they are connected. (You should probably research them before hiring them. If their blog hasn’t been updated since 2004 yet they tweet every time they take a slurp of Yogurt, something’s up.)
- When you Google them, it’s difficult to find them. If they don’t show up on the first page of Google, how are they going to get you up there?
- They never talk to you about free ways to monitor your online presence (like Google alerts and Twitter search). Perhaps they’re afraid you can do it yourself?
- They don’t maintain an active blog (at least two posts every month).
- Any case studies they present only involve very big companies with very big budgets
- Their lead social media strategist is “this kid we picked up after his internship ended.”
- When they talk strategy, there is no approach that encompasses a discussion about: communications, marketing, advertising, business development, internal communications and/or customer service.
- They see “Social Media” as a replacement for customer service, when in fact, only good customer service propels positive social media.
- They want to charge you to get you signed up on social media sites (yuck).
- There’s a pay structure that includes a pay-per-post model. Run very far away, very fast.
- The strategy they provide you primarily includes a Twitter profile and a Facebook fan page.
- Measurement to them means building up lots of followers and fans.
- After you work with them you’re just as confused as when you started.
- They’ve never used Help a Reporter Out (added by Sarah, not Peter). To Sarah’s point, they’ve also not suggested any of the wonderful free services out there before they recommend paying.
This is our list. We’re not saying you have to agree or disagree, just that people acknowledge everyone who calls themselves an expert, isn’t. The list doesn’t end here, either. Share your own “red flags” to identifying social media “expert” posers.
Cross Posted on Shankman.com and PRSarahEvans.com
73 Comments on this post
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Kevin Cesarz said:
Agree. Expert and guru are charged labels. With tactics and tools changing so rapidly, any claims of mastery are highly suspect. The Google is your friend point is spot on. If any of their platforms are static then they are exposed. Must generate fresh content.
July 13th, 2009 at 5:56 am -
Michael Bowers said:
Like you I’m frustrated by all of the social media “experts” that have popped up lately. It appears that anyone that owns a computer is now able to be an expert, let alone actually using the tools.
July 13th, 2009 at 6:53 am -
Kyle said:
I once followed someone solely because their profile said “social media enthusiast”. That’s really all anyone can be with such a evolving medium. I’ve tried very hard to push the point about strategy and I’m usually trumped by someone who says “put up an account and go”. You must have an idea and then a plan to execute it (in my opinion, of course – I’m no expert) Great list overall.
July 13th, 2009 at 7:03 am -
Caroline said:
I think most of these are right on but I disagree with #4: that “All of a firm or agency’s ’social media strategists’ come from traditional PR or Marketing agencies.”
Where do you propose they come from? If they don’t understand traditional marketing and PR strategies, social media is not going to do them a bit of good. It’s about the strategy, not the tools.
I’m interested in your feedback as to what kind of background they should have.
July 13th, 2009 at 7:14 am -
Rick Liebling said:
Good stuff Sarah. I’ve taken a look at the flip side of the coin and came up with a list of 5 signs you’ve picked the right Social Media practitioner: http://www.rickliebling.com/2009/07/13/five-signs-youve-picked-the-right-social-media-practitioner/
(cross-commented on Shankman.com)
Hope to see you tonight on Journchat.
July 13th, 2009 at 7:23 am -
Mike Bawden said:
I’m with Caroline … I don’t entirely agree with #4 on your list, either. It seems to me that a sound social media strategy needs to involve people who can tell a good story and keep the conversation going. And while not all PR and marketing people can do that; it seems to me that the PR and marketing sector should be the best place to find those people.
July 13th, 2009 at 7:53 am -
Ginny Cooper said:
RE #4: When the web was founded (NOT by Al Gore!) where did all the “online strategists” come from? Traditional PR and marketing.
RE #10: Adding social media management services to a menu of traditional services illustrates the provider is staying abreast of evolution in the world of communications (no reference to #5 and #6). If an agency refuses to handle social media apart from a full-blown PR plan, they will severely limit their usefulness to small businesses. Would that every business saw the value of a fully integrated PR program, and had the funds to sustain one, but welcome to the recession folks. Truth be told – social media was designed to be handled by “everyman”, what we’re really “selling” is our time to manage it while the client goes about their business, and our knowledge of traditional principles of communication.July 13th, 2009 at 8:42 am -
Al Krueger said:
Brilliant! I also don’t fully agree with #4. There are a lot of skills that are developed through traditional PR that are very helpful in social public relations.
It’s great to see a heavy degree of “Walk the talk” above. Would you get Lasik eye surgery from a doctor who won’t get it done him/herself? I think not.
July 13th, 2009 at 8:47 am -
Erin Bury said:
This is a great list. I especially liked the points about searching individuals on Google – this will help you determine if they have a strong online presence, if they’ve been using social media tools for longer than 2 months, and how active they are.
I also totally agree that PR agencies shouldn’t approach social media as a separate arm of their practice – they should be integrating appropriate and relevant social media tools into each client campaign.
July 13th, 2009 at 9:31 am -
Jeremy Orbell said:
Ha! Yes, I recognise plenty of this in myself though I don’t go round claiming to be an expert. At the company where I work there was some resistence to social networking but because I suggested it needed looking into, it has fallen on my shoulders.
We’ve seen some positives from the process including half a dozen new prospects over the last couple of months but we are still learning. It’s interesting that I went to a big PR event last week and communication directors were still unsure as to what to do with social networking.
It will become clearer – it’s the same with anything, you have to take the failures to get the success…just don’t claim to be an expert before proving yourself.
Good article and nice site – glad to have found you.
July 13th, 2009 at 9:36 am -
Dee Reinhardt said:
I am just learning the strength and power of social media. It has to be incorporated into any marketing plan. Traditional methods work as the basis to establish the message you want to share. The mechanics of “sharing your message” on social media is another avenue.
July 13th, 2009 at 9:47 am -
Scott Stratten said:
Came here to see the word “Influencer” slapped upside the head. Can now leave happy.
July 13th, 2009 at 9:58 am -
tamera kremer said:
As well as agreeing with the commenters above re: point #4 (if they don’t come from marketing communications where would they come from if you are trying to build an integrated communications strategy?), I believe you’ve also missed the mark with your view of MySpace. The people on MySpace (still a huge number) are not just 14 year old boys or independent bands as danah boyd articulates in her recent speech: “The Not-so-hidden Politics of Class Online” – http://www.danah.org/papers/talks/PDF2009.html – worth a serious read if you are in communications and take social interactions online seriously beyond the latest fads.
July 13th, 2009 at 10:02 am -
Sarah Evans (PRsarahevans) said:
Thanks for the great comments. I’m glad to see it sparking some controversey, too (especially number four). It’s a good thing to have differing opinions and I’m glad you’re sharing. I’d also like to know what you think is missing from the list.
July 13th, 2009 at 10:27 am -
Jennifer Shanks said:
Good post, Sarah. I agree with the group’s points around #4 – I think PR/Mktg are core to a SM+Communications program. I might also elaborate on #19 – since customer service can be a huge component of a successful program, particularly since it seems to be well-equipped to incorporate SM into long-term, customer relations strategy. One missing item: no mention of suspecting anyone who neglects to recommend organization-wide involvement and awareness of SM strategy. It seems that SM participation should be outlined across all disciplines within a company/brand – at least from an awareness (if not an implementation) perspective.
July 13th, 2009 at 1:02 pm -
Kevin Marks said:
Number 11, dissing MySpace, shows that you don’t qualify as an expert yourself. Just because you don’t use MySpace is no reason to dismiss those who do. See http://bit.ly/socialbigot for more on this sad phenomenon.
July 13th, 2009 at 1:09 pm -
Sarah Evans (PRsarahevans) said:
Thanks, Kevin. I truly think #11 was meant as a tongue-in-cheek statement for those who suggest MySpace as part of (or the only part) of a strategy. The other message it conveys is to know where your audience is. Thank you for the comment.
July 13th, 2009 at 1:20 pm -
Jen Zingsheim said:
Gah…another list. I have a hard time with these, as I usually end up disagreeing with several points (as I do here) because these tend to get interpreted as rules, when there are in fact exceptions.
For example, in addition to the problem others have outlined with #4, I take issue with #3–first, why 16 months–seems like an odd break out time. That is almost a year and a half–while it doesn’t take someone to “expert” status, it’s quite a while in online terms.
“Can’t find on Google”–there’s a reason I’ve stuck with my maiden name for work–Google turns up only one other person with my name. I do feel sorry for anyone proficient in using social media with a name like “Mary Jones” or the like. And, from the other direction, I feel for the other Jen Z (I think she lives somewhere out in AZ, which confuses things further as I used to live there and have family there). I just tried to locate her Google hits and stopped looking after page 14. For some, having a common name can be a curse if this is truly a standard for finding someone–and if it’s even a minor problem now, just think of what it will be in the future (16 months?)
I get what you are trying to convey, but I do think lists like these oversimplify.
That said, charge to sign up for social media sites? Really? Good grief…
Jen
July 13th, 2009 at 1:24 pm -
Christa Woodall said:
I have to weigh in and say I agree with the group on #4. PR is all about building relationships with different publics (consumers, media, analysts, etc.). Social media is a much more efficient and effective means with which to establish, maintain and grow these relationships. PR dovetails really well into what social media strives to do.
And I love HARO, but I’ve signed up for it a few times now, and for some reason the alerts will come for a little while and then stop. What gives?
[Of course, let's be transparent: I do social media for a communications/PR agency. So I might be a wee bit biased.
]July 13th, 2009 at 2:24 pm -
Tony Brice said:
Some friends and I were just having this conversation the other day. We concluded that there is no such thing as a social media expert (I called it akin to prehistoric man claiming to be a gourmet chef right after fire was discovered!). There are certainly people who have some great experiences to share but experts? Nope.
July 13th, 2009 at 2:59 pm -
Christina Shaw said:
I love it and I get it because this exists in the traditional marketing world as well – I take serious issue with the loads of graphic designers, web developers and even social media experts who swear they can help you with your marketing when in fact they are woefully unprepared to do so. (You inspired me to blog about this issue as well.) But I have to agree with the posters who take issue with # 4 because it sounds like you are suggesting that an old dog can’t learn new tricks? I have to disagree. All great agencies are constantly evolving to understand and integrate new tools and technologies to provide their clients with a truly comprehensive marketing strategy. I don’t think it’s fair to infer that a traditional marketer cannot at least pursue a true understanding and capability with social media. On the contrary, I think that evolving in this way is precisely what defines a great agency.
July 13th, 2009 at 3:21 pm -
Gail Sideman said:
Like with any other purchase or hire, buyer beware (and do your homework, first).
July 13th, 2009 at 5:44 pm -
Carla Schlemminger said:
Peter and Sarah, you bring up really excellent, engaging points here – thank you!
It seems to me that “social media” today is in the place which “online” occupied in the mid-to-late 90s. At that time, the agency I worked at started an “online” department because it was so new, even though we all recognized that it was just another channel. Once “online” became more part of the fold, having an “online” dept per se also melted away.
Personally, I believe that social media should be totally integrated. I get that some agencies may separate it out to show they have it OR to indicate that even though the campaign is integrated, managing social media takes a whole other level of budget if the agency is helping a company to develop, maintain, monitor and measure programs leveraging those channels.
Re: #4, what I find curious is that *some* of the social media “gurus” – folks who have been solely consulting in this realm for a few years – don’t really have much background in many of the marketing slices yet their words are frequently deemed unflappable. Maybe they come from the interactive, Web site analytics or SEO camp or have been big in media production or even journalism…yet somehow they have been granted almost instant credibility compared to those from traditional PR? Not saying that their background isn’t substantial or fantastically amazing, just that they may also have a specialized vantage point from which they are integrating social media into their skill set.
I see it working both ways in that EVERYONE is stretching and learning more as these functions increasingly overlap. PR people are learning how to launch WordPress blogs. SEO folks are working more closely with PR to collaborate on keywords and generate more organic, inbound marketing. Direct marketing is figuring out how to cross-promote via the social Web. Management is trying to figure out how to listen to the customer and engage using the right flavor of conversation. And so on.
My suggestion to someone looking for help in social media is to yes, see how active and effective the consultant is across your evaluation points AND balance that with their overall marketing expertise and practical experience having implemented programs while in house at a company, if any. From experience, I can state that it is often much different being a consultant one step removed than being the person who has to jump hurdles internally to educate management and staff, nurture participation, find a way to do the 5 other pieces of your job and then weave in social media (and associated functions of measuring it, reporting on it, etc). Credibility to me is someone who can voice what did AND didn’t work, or who can acknowledge that the best strategy for you may be to employ a more scaled down approach if there isn’t much team bandwidth and/or corporate buy-in to start.
Re: #17, while digital natives may feel very comfortable with sharing and SM tools in general, many still tend to have an inadequate background in developing big picture strategy and how the right social media mix could fit into promoting your business – with an eye to quantifiable results – by mere virtue of their limited work experience.
For disclosure only: my background is in having worked at what was considered one of the “It” high-tech PR agencies in the dotcom heyday, Niehaus Ryan Wong (NRW). Spent most of my time since then in senior in-house PR and marketing communication positions. Introduced social media to the company I worked for in early 2006, launched our blog the following year. And am still actively learning every day!
July 13th, 2009 at 5:44 pm -
Sarah Evans (PRsarahevans) said:
Carla, Thank you for the detailed post. Learning from those who post comments is one of my favorite reasons for blogging!
July 13th, 2009 at 6:23 pm -
Garza Girl said:
This is so funny, so dead-on. Thanks for the smile. Oh, P.S. No really it was me that invented the Internet.
July 13th, 2009 at 6:40 pm -
Brandi Heinz said:
Funny! Quite a lot of talk about this going on right now with everyone jumping on the social media bandwagon – including me, I’m not ashamed, I’m loving all I am learning!
July 13th, 2009 at 6:46 pm -
Susan Birk said:
#1 gave me a good chuckle, because I have seen those very labels used. I agree with #4; my sense is that you would definitely want someone outside of the traditional world because the traditional agency perspective often runs counter to the social media ethos.
July 13th, 2009 at 6:48 pm -
Geoff said:
I like what you have written, it’s appreciated and guides your readers down the right path. There are a lot of companies moving into this space; and with that comes overnight businesses, fraud, and too much hyperbole. These points are valid for many who are hunting for information and actively interviewing for jobs in the social media space.
I have read many of your posts, and think that you may ultimately define what it takes to have proper presence online and reward your readers, congrats, your authoring of this post makes sense.
Where my issue lye’s is in the definition of ‘expertise’: some of the greatest experts of our time have come from the outside, without so much as a peep months before. They have keen insight on the idea of the problem, and not the problem itself, they are too far removed to understand the direct ramifications of their concepts, but somehow are able to redefine the entire space in their spare time. (shifting paradigms)
Some of the greatest works online, in advertising and marketing come form this type of mind. To deny their ‘expertise’ for many of the reasons above may be denying the next wave of communications for all of us.
I would add one positive point to close your post:
Hear them out, no one knows where the next great ideas are going to come from. People new to the industry are some of the most ambitious, egocentric, and exciting people we have, and their ideas help keep us all excited.
Thanks.
July 13th, 2009 at 7:13 pm -
Gwynne Kostin said:
Great post–you nailed many, if not most, of the warning signs. If you don’t mind, I, too, wanted to jump in on #11. I understand that it was meant to be “of type,” but wanted to offer up the very amazing talk that dana boyd gave at the Personal Democracy Forum a few weeks back “The Not So Hidden Politics of Class Online” http://www.danah.org/papers/talks/PDF2009.html. )
Yes, important to get to your audience, and for those of us in information dissemination, it’s important to recognize our biases. Thanks!
July 13th, 2009 at 7:18 pm -
Lisa Hanock-Jasie said:
Agree with many of your points — but someone can be a powerful and successful social media prowithout your ever having heard of him/her. It’s about the client, not the SM pro. It’s about enhancing a client’s global website presence; pushing a client’s information out in the world wide web so that the info provided and the “hits” translate into sales, for the most part. I know many social media experts you’ve probably never heard of, who have no “Google” presence (because they’re promoting others, not themselves) — but you’ve heard of their clients.
July 13th, 2009 at 7:22 pm -
Rachel Kay said:
Great post Sarah and Peter! A lot to watch out for as people navigate the social media waters – this is a good check list – especially the points suggesting social media consultants should be able to demonstrate their own experiences and successes.
I agree though with some of the others who commented on number 4. Social media is relatively new, so I’m not sure where the professional roots would lie. A true PR or marketing pro is a trained communicator – which means they should be the ones equipped to educate on an online/social media communication strategy as well. With all the talk about PR people being uneducated about the newest social media tools, we should be celebrating those pros who are up to speed.
Regarding number 10 – some brands are very small and have limited budgets and perhaps already have an internal rep. handling traditional PR. They may want to hire an agency to train them up on the nuances and tools of social media. I’m not sure why that’s a bad thing?
@rachelakay
July 13th, 2009 at 7:22 pm -
Lucretia Pruitt said:
A good set of rules for those who are leery of being taken in by those jumping on board the “social media expert” train and hoping to ride it until the “next big thing” comes along.
I’d add one thing:
26) Has a cookie-cutter approach to Social Media instead of a “best practices” list that will help you tailor your own approach to a changing space.
July 13th, 2009 at 8:20 pm -
William Dobbs said:
Great article on the social media experts I have been running into on-line and especially on Tweetbrain. The social media is a discipline requiring journalism tacit, marketing and public relations strategies, and the ability to integrate and use all the various “social media” tools into a campaign that will benefit the organization and the communities they wish to interact with. Also, one will need to understand how web analytics will play an initital role in gaining ROI intelligence for the justification of social media programs.
July 13th, 2009 at 8:59 pm -
jano said:
Great article thanks for the great list of tips!
July 13th, 2009 at 9:03 pm -
Marc-Oliver Gern said:
… or sometimes they write posts like that, just to get enough attention. I wrote “sometimes”.
July 13th, 2009 at 9:07 pm -
PRsarahevans said:
Ultimately the intent of this post was to acknowledge that there are scammers out there. Beyond agreeing or disagreeing whether there are experts, some people are claiming to be and charge people money for their services. These also aren’t meant to be strict rules. This is something to assist people when they’re getting ready to hire someone to assist with social media. I’ve learned a lot from the comments today, especially in regards to #4.
July 13th, 2009 at 9:23 pm -
Alyson Pitarre said:
#1 made me literally choke on the lemon bar I was eating… I do not consider myself a social media expert by any means, but I’ll confess I have used the word “evangelist” before! (Note to self: change my Twitter bio). I used the word because I have a genuine passion and interest for integrating social media into my client’s existing PR campaigns–not because I am trying to oversell myself as an expert.
Social media is still new to my firm’s client base (real estate, architecture firms), and there is a learning curve for firms that represent industries slower to warm up to it. Which brings me to #3 and #5, and the general tone of this post. I don’t think you meant it to sound like an elitist “social media club” post, but there are “traditional” PR professionals and firms who are genuinely trying to learn from you, Brian, Peter, Chris, etc. We may not have years of social media experience under our belts, but we would like to use social media in a way that makes sense to our clients and their markets.
You have been very generous in sharing your knowledge and expertise with us, and I’ve stayed up many nights reading your blogs, articles, etc. But as you noted, research doesn’t take the place of practical experience. The only way for us late bloomers to gain that experience is to actually roll up our sleeves and dig in. We can’t do that unless 1) our clients give us the freedom to experiment with social media platforms on a small scale, or 2) we hire a real “social media expert” consultant for our firm, which according to Tony (one of your posters), doesn’t exist! Any other options? How else do you suggest we get practical social media experience? Isn’t there always going to be an element of experimentation with social media?
P.S. I don’t even have a blog yet… maybe I should make this my first post?
July 13th, 2009 at 9:25 pm -
mike said:
Ways to tell your blogger isn’t a real writer: doesn’t know singular “phenomenon” from plural “phenomena” and fakes it to sound smarter. Just sayin’.
July 14th, 2009 at 12:16 am -
Keith Privette said:
I love the call out on this one. #14 They never talk to you about free ways to monitor your online presence (like Google alerts and Twitter search). Perhaps they’re afraid you can do it yourself? I have told people many times in the last couple of months to set these up for themselves for personal branding purposes and most looked at me like I was cwwazzzy.
Thank you for putting the list together to help us all recognize to posers and somewhat check ourselves for trying to take the easy way out with facebook and twitter strategy. This has become so much more than that in such a shorter period of. It is Push and Pull (and I am not even in marketing) engagement. The customers are wising up to the fact they can research products and services and buy based on trust and a relationship. Now that does not solve all of our buying needs, but it sure does tackle alot of them.
So thank you again for sharing your perspective. I have to say I agreed with you on 98%……
July 14th, 2009 at 6:19 am -
Sarah Evans said:
Love Geoff’s comment! It’s referring to those new to the industry. I’d also add it’s one of the reasons I’ve had interns. They have taught me so much.
“Hear them out, no one knows where the next great ideas are going to come from. People new to the industry are some of the most ambitious, egocentric, and exciting people we have, and their ideas help keep us all excited.”
July 14th, 2009 at 7:00 am -
Peter Shankman said:
Why #4 is accurate:
Social media is about customer service. If all your SocMed people were nothing more than Marketing droids and PR flacks, and none of them are “in the trenches” as it were, then that’s no better than marketing a product you’ve never used.
Give me one customer service person on my SocMed team ANY DAY.
July 14th, 2009 at 9:32 am -
Julio R Varela said:
This is SO good. I come from the school that the Internet make us all experts. Everyone who brings value and content online in an authentic and transparent way is what matters. People who say they are gurus and just self-promoting in an way that is ego-driven. If you are good, people will come to you and will shout about you. That is the key. Don’t brag, don’t boast, be good to people, offer good content, and in the end, people will find you. So glad to have read this today. Nice!
July 14th, 2009 at 11:37 am -
Matt Cheuvront said:
Well said Sarah. I especially agree with the point on social media not being a replacement for customer service. Social media is a facilitator and communication enhancer, but should not and will not ever replace human interaction and face-to-face customer service.
July 14th, 2009 at 12:06 pm -
Ashley Lumm said:
LOVE this list. I’ve been frustrated lately with agencies claiming to be social media experts, yet they present on nothing more than the vast options and popularity of social media. I am shocked to find how many PR/Marketing/Interactive agencies are still way behind the curve! I feel like I could be doing the presentations and I am by no means an expert. As a newbie to the industry, I am still learning and having a great time doing it…but it would be nice to be able to rely on the agencies we use for practical insights.
July 14th, 2009 at 1:28 pm -
Trish Skram said:
This list says it all! I’m chuckling a bit because there are so many of these peeps out there! I’m saddened by all the “social media buffs” out there who claim to be the go-to social media experts. But at the same time, OK with it because, in my eyes, only the true, talented players win.
I relate to #3. I’m bothered by professionals who show a thing or two about SM for their clients but have no personal online presence themselves. That’s like saying you endorse a product and pitch it to be the best when you’ve never tried it or believe in it yourself.
July 15th, 2009 at 9:40 am -
Kelly said:
I think the list is interesting and makes some good points, but most seem to just be fluff. While some points, like #21 are strong, you made too many generalizations that could group in legitimate firms with frauds. But, to your points 14 & 20 that address the social media expert not telling the client to ‘do it yourself’ here is why…because clients are dumb and lazy. They do not want to do it themselves and if they did, they would have done it already. They also don’t know the right things to post and/or do to promote themselves properly and that is why they look to marketing (#4) experts to help on social media. However, if they want my agency’s time, strategy and input on developing their social media presence, they will have to pay for it. If you disagree with this, be my guest, do it yourself for *free*. This free is of course sarcastic, because only a short while after starting social media they will realize the time and effort it takes to keep up with and most will give up.
Also, I feel like a lot of your posts seem to argue that since social media is so easy to do yourself, you don’t need an “expert”. Well to that point I argue that you could also design your own logo and website from templates and clip art and claim you are a “design expert”, but a real designer will make it look polished and professional. You could take all your own photography for your company (god help you if it’s food) and call yourself a “photographer”, but hire a real photographer and your pictures will actually sell your product. So of course, you could create all your own social media pages, but hire a real marketing agency, and your online presence will actually be known and liked.
July 15th, 2009 at 10:22 am -
Bill Cammack said:
Amen and Amen!
hahaha Excellent and Accurate list! July 21st, 2009 at 4:22 am -
masini second said:
I do not need an social media expert, as i am still at the beginning of my business, but when I will look for one I will for sure use this list to narrow them down, Thanks.
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:47 pm -
Free Memo said:
In the absence of a certification standard, anyone can call themselves an expert, and anyone with a group of peers that also believe them to be an expert can do so with some confidence. I think I’d be more interested in Social Media Professionals, that is people whose techniques have been tested in the marketplace of ideas and yield sufficient results that others are drawn to them for advice.
July 24th, 2009 at 7:49 am -
Seo News said:
Very Nice Info and Tips…I just say it’s Awesome
July 27th, 2009 at 1:09 am -
Amy B. Perrault said:
Sarah — Excellent post. I, myself, prefer “social media vixen.” *wink* Keep up the great work.
Best, AMYJuly 27th, 2009 at 1:51 am -
Scot McKay said:
Great list overall. As far as #4 goes, I think “social media experts” have to come from *somewhere*. You cited at least 18 months of experience, but being fresh off an internship isn’t enough. That’s a pretty thin delta in the grand scheme of things.
I’m reminded of a job req circa 1996 that called for a “Webmaster with at least five years’ experience”.
@Kyle, I’ve used “social media enthusiast” myself and find it very descriptive. As for being an “expert”, the socmed game changes every other day it seems so I agree it’s hard for anyone to lay claim to that.
At least dating and relationship advice is based on something as inherently consistent as human nature…or at least “consistent” in the relative sense. [laughs]
August 3rd, 2009 at 2:44 pm -
Buy PSP Go said:
Use their supposed area of expertise against them, if people are/haven’t been talking about them then you should think twice about working with them.
August 11th, 2009 at 1:22 pm -
Rob Trojarian said:
Is your Twitter Expert really a Twitter expert?
Is your How-To-Breathe-Air Expert really a how-to-breathe-air expert?
Is your How-To-Walk-And-Chew-Gum-At-The-Same-Time Expert really …
Well, now that the charlatans are turning on their own, maybe this problem of a fabricated industry will take care of itself.
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:42 am -
Teresa Boardman said:
I guess it is the same in every industry. We have tons of gurus, experts and coaches in the real estate space. Some of the top bloggers have blogs with very few actual readers and the people who know a lot about widgets are popular. I check twitter experts to see they have had an account for just a few months. I think much of this is in it’s infancy even though I have been at it for 5 years most people have not been at it that long. There is still a huge digital divide in the business world.
November 7th, 2009 at 12:31 pm -
youtube gir said:
thans for post
December 10th, 2009 at 6:33 pm -
Ronald Redito said:
We’ll I am one of those virtual assistants hired by internet marketers in the US, UK and Canada but I still don’t consider myself as a social media expert.
But surely, I can boost your online presence.
March 28th, 2010 at 10:04 pm
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