3 Things That YOUR #SocialMedia Marketer WILL NOT do.

There’s a lot of misconceptions about Internet Marketers and Social Media Experts and that is primarily due to people not really having a firm understanding of the industry. This industry is still growing and those that have been in technology related fields although they may be experts, they are still learning.   Social Media in particular as we are experiencing it now is still pretty new, hence we all are getting acclimated to viral videos, word of mouth marketing, content sharing and more.

The newness of this industry, has really caused a bit of a panic and unrealistic expectation with organizations in regard to Social Media Marketers and Internet Marketers.  Since it is relatively new and still evolving every day we are all still learning, growing and evolving with the industry.

Social Media Marketing, New Media Marketers and Internet Marketers specialize in marketing YOUR company by way of online strategies.

They Will NOT

• Know everything about your particular industry:  No Social Media Marketer will be 100% versed on every industry, just as traditional marketers are not. They are marketers not magicians so they will perform research about your company, clients, demographics, competitors etc.  <sidenote> I do think the Social Media Gurus, may be versed on every industry, because they are Gurus and have 10 plus years of social media experience. </sidenote>  Seriously though, would you rather a person be a master of your industry or a master of their industry and have the talent to MARKET your industry using the most cutting edge online techniques?  I’m pretty sure most people have current employees that have mastered their organization, that doesn’t help with the need to hire someone to USE the information that they’ve mastered about social media to help THE ORGANIZATION. I know the answer, so this is rhetorical.

• Be your own personal Miracle worker: Social Media is not a magic bullet, so if there are organizational issues, social media or any kind of marketing for that matter, will probably not rescue it.

• Use Old School Marketing Techniques: Many companies are interested in being a part of the social media revolution, yet have not given up their old ways of doing business or altered their technique since 1965. Most Internet Marketers or Social Media experts will not spam your marketing message across social media channels. This would do damage to their reputation as a legitimate Internet Marketer.

There is so much misinformation about social media which is causing a bit of mass hysteria, especially in the more old school traditional workplaces. We all have to take a deep breath, think clearly and honestly stop TRIPPING.

When searching for a person to handle your companies Internet Marketing and or Social Media needs you should search for some essential qualifications.

They Should:

• Have a firm grasp of Social Media Optimization:   Working with Facebook and Twitter is NOT enough because although these two channels are huge, they are not the ONLY social media channels needed to optimize your social media strategy. Optimizing your social media channels should be based on your individual company needs and the marketer hired should know how to analyze those needs and proceed accordingly

• Have the ability to create a social media strategy: This strategy should be geared toward your individual company needs. All strategies don’t work for every company. Most companies have individual needs and the marketer hired should have the ability to create a custom strategy based on these needs.

• A strong online brand for themselves:  That is  indication of the kind of strategy that they can create for you. You should ALWAYS Google the people that you are interested in hiring. If they DO NOT have a strong presence for their brand they may not have the ability to create a strong brand for your organization either.

• Preferably have some formal education: Formal education or extensive training in Internet Marketing Strategies, is a definite plus because it helps with social media strategy creation. Formal education in the way of some kind of Internet Marketing classes, training or comprehensive on the job training will allow the marketer to be more strategic in planning your social media strategy.

• Writing Skills: A huge part of an effective social media strategy is the ability to blog.  I can not express how important blogging is to any successful social media strategy. It allows brand building, engagement opportunities and serious Google Juice.

Some things that are a definite plus

• Video Creation: YouTube is huge and the #2 utilized search platform. If you marketer can create video, thats For The Win.

• Slide Show Creation: Slide shows are awesome, brand building and great for increasing brand exposure.

• SEO: Should be an essential part of every social media strategy and could be very powerful if used in conjunction with an effective social media optimization strategy.

• Analytics: If you create an online presence you should have the ability to monitor its effectiveness. Analytics is an essential part of any social media and or online strategy, although some do not recognize or utilize it.

• Adsense: If you have a blog you want to monetize it.

• Affiliate Marketing:  Monetize again.

• Photo Editing: Photo editing even just basics are a great addition, it allows creation of original and eye catching graphics for blogs and social media posts.

• WordPress: Is THE blogging platform of choice and gives blogs more Google juice than any other blog platform than I’ve worked with and I’ve worked with them all.

I’m sure these things will change especially since things are continuing to evolve and we are all continuing to grow and learn in this industry. However, this is a great start..

Related articles

• YOU may be a Social Media Guru but YOU DO NOT Have 10 years of Social Media Experience (anisesmithmarketing.com)
• But I Don’t Have Time For a New Social Media Platform (anisesmithmarketing.com)
• 2012: How New Media Works, THE 12 Social Media Platforms Explained (anisesmithmarketing.com)
• That was Then, This Is NOW: #Facebook and #SocialMedia AS WE KNOW IT NOW… (anisesmithmarketing.com)