Like with most everything, there are varying levels of expertise among social media speakers and trainers. Beware hiring an "expert" and getting a casual social media user who billed themselves as competition to people who spend the majority of their days working within the social media sphere, and who are perceived as trusted authorities who advise users on up-to-the-moment changes in such applications and the implications of these changes. I use the word, "expert," cautiously because this field is so new, it advances so rapidly, and we're all learning together, that I prefer to call us early adopters or advisors.
Coming from someone who lives much of her life immersed in social media and who regularly responds to changes that impact you on the day they occur, here's what I recommend you look for when you hire a social media advisor:
- Review this person's social media activity: If the individual isn't an avid, enthusiastic user of the tools themselves, how can they advise you on best practice? This includes the following:
- Twitter: Twitter success for social media advisors is not necessarily in the number of followers, it's in influence and being perceived as a go-to resource, (see this post.) Check out your potential social media speaker or trainer's Twitter page. Is there a custom background that is consistent with the rest of their company's social media branding? Does their bio reflect their social media expertise? Do they tweet about social media tips, tricks and resources? Do they regularly break social media news? Do people generally look to them for social media advice and counseling? Do they use Twitter consistently enough to be perceived as an authority, i.e. more than perhaps 5,000 tweets?
- LinkedIn: Like Twitter, with LinkedIn, it's not about number of connections here, because anybody can send out lots of invitations and build up a big network, but look at the strength of their profile. Is it complete? Does it clearly state their social media experience in specific terms? Do they have recommendations about their social media work? Do they use their status and Group memberships to demonstrate their social media expertise regularly? Do they have a company page? Is it complete?
- Facebook: Take a look at the individual's Facebook page, no, not their personal profile, their Fan Page. Is it dedicated almost exclusively to social media? Are they regularly posting links to social media tips and articles that demonstrate that they are on top of the field on a daily basis? If they don't have a Fan Page at all, that's a big red flag.
- YouTube: Video is hot and one of the the most significant contemporary social media tools available to you right now. Is your potential advisor utilizing video to market their own social media expertise? Do they regularly create how to videos that make it easy for you to adjust your own social media profiles? Do they use video to react to changes and advise you of benefits and traps within specific applications? If not, how can they advise you in using video to market your own business?
- Blog: Does the individual have a blog? Blogging was one of the first social media tools available, and the individual should have a blog jam-packed with social media tips, news, how-tos, and advice. Most qualified social media advisors use their blog as the hub for all their social media activity due to it's dynamic nature, which is in-line with social media's underlying chacteristic of being a collection of communications tools. Take a look at your potential speaker or trainer's blog for some good insight into their level of expertise with social media.
- Community leader: Has the individual created an online environment that fosters discussion? Do they lead and encourage growth of others' social media knowledge? This can happen within a LinkedIn Group, Facebook page, Twitter account, Wiki, blog, and any combination of the above.
- Thought leader: Is this person regarded as a go-to person for social media questions? Look at their blog, Facebook Page, and Twitter account. Watch their videos. Are they breaking news, or do they play catch-up 2-weeks after a change occurs within a social media platform?
- Branding: Strong social media consultants know the value of image and consistency. All their social media identities should have a consistent look and feel, with colors, fonts, and language. They also understand how critical it is to enable anybody to reach out to them instantly and easily, so they prominently display their social media links across all venues, including their business cards. If you can't find the links to the individual's profiles on all these sites with minimal effort, that's another big red flag.
I could also go into may other factors, such as strategic planning and RIO, but they're a little too technical for this venue. The above might, however, serve as a basic guide for you to use when evaluating a potential social media speaker or trainer. Social media identities are generally wide open, so this information is there for your review. I urge you to take a little time and look at all of the above.
Social media advising is a specialty niche. Many ad agencies are starting to list it among a suite of services, whether or not they have a dedicated social media advisor on staff, and many individual users are seeing visions of easy money in part-time social media speaking and training gigs. Unfortunately, casual use does not an expert make, and if you hire the wrong person, you just might be getting inaccurate or outdated advice from someone who is well-intended but under-qualified. Isn't your business worth getting its best possible introduction to this exciting new frontier?
Good luck!
Image Credit: Microsoft
