Too many people have been burned out by so-called Social Media “experts,” where all they do are the most basic Facebook and Twitter activities, sign up onto many social media sites, once in a while update statuses and try to friend/follow everyone on the planet, and hope for the best. What’s worse is they command a truckload of money for providing a potentially revenue-generating service that they don’t “get.” This frustration is illustrated in the following diagram that was likely created by a web developer:
Indeed, when one doesn’t understand something, all of a sudden the term “scam” lights up. This reminds me of when the Internet first was made available to the general public and there was a LOT of resistance to it. As a result of simply “not knowing,” not only are business relationships destroyed, but personal ones are as well.
This also reminds me of Search Engine Optimization as an industry. As an SEO myself, when I first started out will admit that I didn’t have the foggiest clue what SEO was, and assumed the worst. Being in this industry for the past few years though has given me a very different perspective on the industry. Among other things, working in the field has shown me how SEO can make money for a client as well as for oneself. It also taught me ways on how to track what is making money for a client and what is not. However, I again admit that at first I was as wary as the next person.
We believe the same applies with Social Media. Social Media is a relatively new industry that, like the internet and SEO before it, has been met with confusion and wariness due to people not knowing how to make money out of it. There are a lot of con artists in this world that will exploit those that don’t know something and will take lots of money from someone who doesn’t know better. They will be vague about their findings and hope that giving enough techno-babble will placate the customer who doesn’t want the hassle of finding out how ones money is being spent. However, there are many legitimate social media experts who are worth their weight in gold.
In SEOMoz, Rand Fishkin wrote a provocative post defining some items that so-called Social Media “experts” need to have. They need to not only Tweet and Facebook to death, but they must also show the client results. Is the marketing plan working or not?
Spheres of Social Media Expertise - Thank You, Rand Fishkin
Mr. Fishkin even provided a handy list of social media experts he would recommend in making money for clients. If people like these can make you money through Social Media, that’s reason enough why to hire a social media expert.
So, it’s not only about “being cool.” It’s not only about creating tons of Facebook pages and groups, and then friending everyone on the planet. It’s not only about Tweeting to death your favorite posts with targeted hashtags. It’s also about results and being profitable when money is concerned. The one who can make that happen is the one to hire.
iRISEmedia.com specializes in Social Media. Contact us today for an estimate on our Social Media services.
