I was reading an article this morning from WebNewser 5 Qualities of a Good Social Media Manager and totally agree with all the qualities that were listed in the article and want to expand further on #5.
“5. You are an ensemble player, not a diva. There are some giant egos in the social media business, a lot of self-proclaimed “gurus” who amass a lot of Twitter followers and land numerous speaking engagements. Many would make lousy social media managers because they see themselves as superstars or saviors. A good social media manager freely gives out credit for successes to teammates and accepts blame for failures.”
Social media is like an ensemble, you could even say orchestra. You share knowledge, wisdom, information and ideas with others and in turn they share with you. You work together instrumentally retweeting each others great content, give mentions, props and kudos. This grows interest in you and them, plus a trust relationship starts to build. Eventually they DM you with honest critique and advice and in turn you do the same.
Beware of all the self proclaimed experts (actually many have been called experts by others because they have written a book or have lots of followers, etc. . .). Beware, all that means is they are popular and great at branding themself. Ask them to speak with one of their clients’ or get testimonials on their achievements, successes and failures. Remember, you want the good, the bad and the ugly when selecting who manages your social media campaign.
Lissa, I gotta agree. Expert is one of those terms that gets thrown around so lightly. Its even hard for real experts to avoid being cliched because so often someone quits their job, decides they want to work from home on the internet then calls themselves an expert.
This is why its so important to interview a social media campaign manager. Its pretty obvious if someone knows their stuff or not when you talk to them. Ask for client reviews, see their work. In the end their work speaks loudest. A slightly famous campaign manager can always get you a little extra exposure, but a solid campaign is even better.
Great thoughts,
Kat
Lissa:
Before I wrote the words agree I had to run out to my Twitter profile to see what I had in my bio. I just used “Social Media” virtual assistant.
Whew…okay now…I totally agree. So many people are jumping on the bandwagon. I was telling another VA today how a different VA had told me she was going to have a certain account up to 10,000 followers in a month…..that was in June. As of tonight less than 800 followers.
Twitter is only a PIECE of social media. There are so many other pieces to this puzzle and the game is always changing how can anyone say they are an expert?
Technology and the apps out there change faster than we can even keep up with..heck, look at all the changes in the past few weeks on Twitter web interface alone – List, Retweet button, Report as Spam…
Of course, savvy Virtual Assistants and marketing people are jumping on the bandwagon, I’ve even jumped on myself but I don’t rely on only Twitter for my strategy and never suggest it as the only piece to my clients.
I even go so far, when I do consults, to tell people what I’ve found to be effective – for me – and tell them that I don’t know everything and that no ONE person can say they know it all.
People always ask me how I have so many followers….how often do I search for people to find…honestly…guess what, not since my original cap of 2000. They nearly gasp…how did you do it then?
How? Because I engage, I compliment, I remember what may seem like trivial details, I retweet other people, I introduce like-minded people. And I don’t even engage in that crazy game called FollowFriday. (yeah, I’m somewhat of a rebel).
Do I engage with as many of my followers as I would like? No, I wish I could engage with more of them on a more frequent basis. I don’t know the true number of how many I engage with on a weekly basis or even a monthly basis but even if I engaged with .5% (less than one percent) that would still be 700 people…and I don’t think I do that.
Regardless I have a great faithful and loyal group of people. Some of them that I am very proud to call my friends.
That being said, Lissa, I think you and I need to converse more on Twitter!
Great blog post…sorry I got a bit windy in my comment!
Yes you are right Lissa! You can tell by what people post if they are actually experienced in what they say they are a diva/guru of . That’s a great asset of social media – you can look up people and see what they say in many different channels.
Lissa I could not agree more. Social Media is really about relationships. When I think about relationships I like the quote from Dale Carnegie, “You can have everything you want if you help others get what they want”
If you want to build a strong and deep personal network, concentrate less on what you want to get from relationships and focus on who
you choose to become in them.
Thats a great point. I assume most of this is a collaborative effort and should be accepted as such. But with that being said we live in an era where people are defined by distinctions and the less of them you have the less money you make so while it can seem to be a bit of a selfish system used to define status its the only one we have had for the last 200yrs i.e. the education system, the next degree is better than the last etc etc etc.
There are tons of Guru’s out there who have written books and made lots of money, but dont know sh** about sh**. The difference between them and those who criticize them is that with all of their flaws and flawed methods they had the courage to take that step into the public arena with their views or opinions. As flawed as most of them are I think its the courage that people admire.
Mark Twain once said “With ignorance and arrogance, success is assured”
Thought Provoking Post!
Lissa, I’ve touched on the hypocrisy angle of this in a blog I did some time back. I applaud you for “gently” enforcing what should be common sense – an expert doesn’t have to wear a sign saying that, and ones that do … “grain of salt” time. I find that many of these “types” put down the very techniques THEY used to get where they are in terms of followers. It’s a “pull the drawbridge up behind them” mentality, where “brand” trumps so many OTHER important things, like being yourself, character, openness, engagement on a “less than biz level.” I’ve gone against that “brand” grain in every respect on Twitter, and the results are friends I’ll have the rest of my life AND more business.
Being YOURSELF is key – projecting who you are and simply caring for other people, asking how they are and WANTING to hear the answer – so simple, so “uncontrived,” so honest. The mechanics of social media sould be SOCIAL first and THEN media – and “media” at a minimum in terms of blasting people. So your words: “You share knowledge, wisdom, information and ideas with others and in turn they share with you. You work together instrumentally retweeting each others great content, give mentions, props and kudos.” are EXACTLY right. What a shock when I saw that many of the “gurus” never do that, and in fact have tweeted “pls don’t ask for RTs,” when they themselves never even thank those who have RT’d … THEM.
A great contribution Lissa, thanks and hope to hear more from you.
I enjoyed reading your post Lissa- so true. Social Media is not about ego, it is indeed about ensembles. We must do our due dillgence when finding the right person and fit for our business needs and success. Anyone can say they are an expert or guru—you’ll know within 2 or 3 days if they can really wear the coveted crown. Great post!!
Susan
I agree. If a business is hiring a community manager, it is to bring the best out in the group. Many with tons of followers are SEO experts by trade. Sometimes it translates to the ability to build the reputations of others, sometimes it doesn’t.
WRT the term “expert”, I recently completed reading the fabulous book “Outliers” by Malcom Gladwell. He gives examples of outlier success stories, and estimates that they have spent 10,000 hours honing their craft to become outstanding experts in their field. By that definition, someone would need to have been 100% focused on social media for the last 4 to 5 years. Social media hasn’t been around long enough to have very many experts!
I want to quote your post in my blog. It can?
And you et an account on Twitter?
I enjoyed reading your post Lissa- so true. Social Media is not about ego, it is indeed about ensembles. We must do our due dillgence when finding the right person and fit for our business needs and success. Anyone can say they are an expert or guru—you’ll know within 2 or 3 days if they can really wear the coveted crown. Great post!!
Susan
Lissa:
Before I wrote the words agree I had to run out to my Twitter profile to see what I had in my bio. I just used “Social Media” virtual assistant.
Whew…okay now…I totally agree. So many people are jumping on the bandwagon. I was telling another VA today how a different VA had told me she was going to have a certain account up to 10,000 followers in a month…..that was in June. As of tonight less than 800 followers.
Twitter is only a PIECE of social media. There are so many other pieces to this puzzle and the game is always changing how can anyone say they are an expert?
Technology and the apps out there change faster than we can even keep up with..heck, look at all the changes in the past few weeks on Twitter web interface alone – List, Retweet button, Report as Spam…
Of course, savvy Virtual Assistants and marketing people are jumping on the bandwagon, I’ve even jumped on myself but I don’t rely on only Twitter for my strategy and never suggest it as the only piece to my clients.
I even go so far, when I do consults, to tell people what I’ve found to be effective – for me – and tell them that I don’t know everything and that no ONE person can say they know it all.
People always ask me how I have so many followers….how often do I search for people to find…honestly…guess what, not since my original cap of 2000. They nearly gasp…how did you do it then?
How? Because I engage, I compliment, I remember what may seem like trivial details, I retweet other people, I introduce like-minded people. And I don’t even engage in that crazy game called FollowFriday. (yeah, I’m somewhat of a rebel).
Do I engage with as many of my followers as I would like? No, I wish I could engage with more of them on a more frequent basis. I don’t know the true number of how many I engage with on a weekly basis or even a monthly basis but even if I engaged with .5% (less than one percent) that would still be 700 people…and I don’t think I do that.
Regardless I have a great faithful and loyal group of people. Some of them that I am very proud to call my friends.
That being said, Lissa, I think you and I need to converse more on Twitter!
Great blog post…sorry I got a bit windy in my comment!
Dave, give me your Twitter id and I’ll make sure we converse more. Thanks for your feedback. I agree with all of what you said and often get the same questions from my clients and Twitter friends. I do participate in #FollowFriday, because I think it’s fun and a great way to connect with more friends.
Look forward to hearing from you!
Lissa
Thats a great point. I assume most of this is a collaborative effort and should be accepted as such. But with that being said we live in an era where people are defined by distinctions and the less of them you have the less money you make so while it can seem to be a bit of a selfish system used to define status its the only one we have had for the last 200yrs i.e. the education system, the next degree is better than the last etc etc etc.
There are tons of Guru’s out there who have written books and made lots of money, but dont know sh** about sh**. The difference between them and those who criticize them is that with all of their flaws and flawed methods they had the courage to take that step into the public arena with their views or opinions. As flawed as most of them are I think its the courage that people admire.
Mark Twain once said “With ignorance and arrogance, success is assured”
Thought Provoking Post!
I enjoyed reading your post Lissa- so true. Social Media is not about ego, it is indeed about ensembles. We must do our due dillgence when finding the right person and fit for our business needs and success. Anyone can say they are an expert or guru—you’ll know within 2 or 3 days if they can really wear the coveted crown. Great post!!
Susan
Lissa, I’ve touched on the hypocrisy angle of this in a blog I did some time back. I applaud you for “gently” enforcing what should be common sense – an expert doesn’t have to wear a sign saying that, and ones that do … “grain of salt” time. I find that many of these “types” put down the very techniques THEY used to get where they are in terms of followers. It’s a “pull the drawbridge up behind them” mentality, where “brand” trumps so many OTHER important things, like being yourself, character, openness, engagement on a “less than biz level.” I’ve gone against that “brand” grain in every respect on Twitter, and the results are friends I’ll have the rest of my life AND more business.
Being YOURSELF is key – projecting who you are and simply caring for other people, asking how they are and WANTING to hear the answer – so simple, so “uncontrived,” so honest. The mechanics of social media sould be SOCIAL first and THEN media – and “media” at a minimum in terms of blasting people. So your words: “You share knowledge, wisdom, information and ideas with others and in turn they share with you. You work together instrumentally retweeting each others great content, give mentions, props and kudos.” are EXACTLY right. What a shock when I saw that many of the “gurus” never do that, and in fact have tweeted “pls don’t ask for RTs,” when they themselves never even thank those who have RT’d … THEM.
A great contribution Lissa, thanks and hope to hear more from you.
Thats a great point. I assume most of this is a collaborative effort and should be accepted as such. But with that being said we live in an era where people are defined by distinctions and the less of them you have the less money you make so while it can seem to be a bit of a selfish system used to define status its the only one we have had for the last 200yrs i.e. the education system, the next degree is better than the last etc etc etc.
There are tons of Guru’s out there who have written books and made lots of money, but dont know sh** about sh**. The difference between them and those who criticize them is that with all of their flaws and flawed methods they had the courage to take that step into the public arena with their views or opinions. As flawed as most of them are I think its the courage that people admire.
Mark Twain once said “With ignorance and arrogance, success is assured”
Thought Provoking Post!
I enjoyed reading your post Lissa- so true. Social Media is not about ego, it is indeed about ensembles. We must do our due dillgence when finding the right person and fit for our business needs and success. Anyone can say they are an expert or guru—you’ll know within 2 or 3 days if they can really wear the coveted crown. Great post!!
Susan
I agree. If a business is hiring a community manager, it is to bring the best out in the group. Many with tons of followers are SEO experts by trade. Sometimes it translates to the ability to build the reputations of others, sometimes it doesn’t.
WRT the term “expert”, I recently completed reading the fabulous book “Outliers” by Malcom Gladwell. He gives examples of outlier success stories, and estimates that they have spent 10,000 hours honing their craft to become outstanding experts in their field. By that definition, someone would need to have been 100% focused on social media for the last 4 to 5 years. Social media hasn’t been around long enough to have very many experts!
Lissa, I’ve touched on the hypocrisy angle of this in a blog I did some time back. I applaud you for “gently” enforcing what should be common sense – an expert doesn’t have to wear a sign saying that, and ones that do … “grain of salt” time. I find that many of these “types” put down the very techniques THEY used to get where they are in terms of followers. It’s a “pull the drawbridge up behind them” mentality, where “brand” trumps so many OTHER important things, like being yourself, character, openness, engagement on a “less than biz level.” I’ve gone against that “brand” grain in every respect on Twitter, and the results are friends I’ll have the rest of my life AND more business.
Being YOURSELF is key – projecting who you are and simply caring for other people, asking how they are and WANTING to hear the answer – so simple, so “uncontrived,” so honest. The mechanics of social media sould be SOCIAL first and THEN media – and “media” at a minimum in terms of blasting people. So your words: “You share knowledge, wisdom, information and ideas with others and in turn they share with you. You work together instrumentally retweeting each others great content, give mentions, props and kudos.” are EXACTLY right. What a shock when I saw that many of the “gurus” never do that, and in fact have tweeted “pls don’t ask for RTs,” when they themselves never even thank those who have RT’d … THEM.
A great contribution Lissa, thanks and hope to hear more from you.
I enjoyed reading your post Lissa- so true. Social Media is not about ego, it is indeed about ensembles. We must do our due dillgence when finding the right person and fit for our business needs and success. Anyone can say they are an expert or guru—you’ll know within 2 or 3 days if they can really wear the coveted crown. Great post!!
Susan
Lissa:
Before I wrote the words agree I had to run out to my Twitter profile to see what I had in my bio. I just used “Social Media” virtual assistant.
Whew…okay now…I totally agree. So many people are jumping on the bandwagon. I was telling another VA today how a different VA had told me she was going to have a certain account up to 10,000 followers in a month…..that was in June. As of tonight less than 800 followers.
Twitter is only a PIECE of social media. There are so many other pieces to this puzzle and the game is always changing how can anyone say they are an expert?
Technology and the apps out there change faster than we can even keep up with..heck, look at all the changes in the past few weeks on Twitter web interface alone – List, Retweet button, Report as Spam…
Of course, savvy Virtual Assistants and marketing people are jumping on the bandwagon, I’ve even jumped on myself but I don’t rely on only Twitter for my strategy and never suggest it as the only piece to my clients.
I even go so far, when I do consults, to tell people what I’ve found to be effective – for me – and tell them that I don’t know everything and that no ONE person can say they know it all.
People always ask me how I have so many followers….how often do I search for people to find…honestly…guess what, not since my original cap of 2000. They nearly gasp…how did you do it then?
How? Because I engage, I compliment, I remember what may seem like trivial details, I retweet other people, I introduce like-minded people. And I don’t even engage in that crazy game called FollowFriday. (yeah, I’m somewhat of a rebel).
Do I engage with as many of my followers as I would like? No, I wish I could engage with more of them on a more frequent basis. I don’t know the true number of how many I engage with on a weekly basis or even a monthly basis but even if I engaged with .5% (less than one percent) that would still be 700 people…and I don’t think I do that.
Regardless I have a great faithful and loyal group of people. Some of them that I am very proud to call my friends.
That being said, Lissa, I think you and I need to converse more on Twitter!
Great blog post…sorry I got a bit windy in my comment!
I want to quote your post in my blog. It can?
And you et an account on Twitter?
Thats a great point. I assume most of this is a collaborative effort and should be accepted as such. But with that being said we live in an era where people are defined by distinctions and the less of them you have the less money you make so while it can seem to be a bit of a selfish system used to define status its the only one we have had for the last 200yrs i.e. the education system, the next degree is better than the last etc etc etc.
There are tons of Guru’s out there who have written books and made lots of money, but dont know sh** about sh**. The difference between them and those who criticize them is that with all of their flaws and flawed methods they had the courage to take that step into the public arena with their views or opinions. As flawed as most of them are I think its the courage that people admire.
Mark Twain once said “With ignorance and arrogance, success is assured”
Thought Provoking Post!