Know foreign Social Media workings

Know How to get indexed and looked at by foreign Engines and foreign Social Media groups.

The strategic part here is obviously much better suited to, as you say, very large companies. That part isn’t relevant to any of my consulting clients.

There’s nothing about RSS here. I’d add also: the ability to explain relatively technical things to nontechnical people, how to be patient with people, how to communicate their excitement about potential applications in an effective way. Some pros and cons about various options for tools to accomplish the same goals with. How to find answers to questions quickly (I, for example, regularly use Twitter and Google Custom Search Engines for this). Finally, how to work some magic that makes me say - wow, I didn’t know that the web could do that!

Fun post as usual Chris, I look forward to seeing what kinds of responses you get.

To Lonnie’s point - understanding what market you are in and why stats like Alexa are nothing to be used unless in a certain context. Many english speaking websites nowadays have a huge international audience and we do shop too.

One big item missing in your list: Understanding analytics to a deeper degree than just looking at pretty stats. That is *huge* for measuring success and goes hand in hand with monitoring tools.

To your point of being an expert. I see your point but that is what people want to see on your biz card. As such, yes I am a social media expert. The byline says “helping people understand” which is similar to your advising but yes, I am more expert than others.

In some areas that is, and if somebody really is looking for an expert, I expect them to understand without saying that I’ll never be the expert to know everything.

For me that also runs into making sure the client understands very fast if or if not whatever they search is something I can offer. If not, I do say so very quickly.

Whoa! This is the first detailed post I’ve read of yours, Chris. Very thought provoking. If it weren’t 12:32 am right now I would hopefully add some of my own. I’ll be back to dwell further on the fullness of the issues you raise in my mind.

I’ve just blogged about this. What I would add is much more on how to measure Social Media. Can it really be measured in anything other than sales?

And secondly, how to convince others that Social Media is worth the extended time despite the longer time it can take to see the fruits of your efforts.

What a great call out, Chris. The point of course is that there are experts and Experts, specialists and generalists. This is a good starting job spec against which people can evaluate specific strengths and weaknesses relevant to different types of projects.

Coming from the (big company) strategic communications side of the equation, I’ve been concentrating on plugging the brand marketing and internet marketing gaps (greatest insights from SOHO sector).

A fascination with behavioural/sociological research and an insight for future developments will be a key strategic strength, as is a wider understanding of business imperatives, as I put in a recent post:

“Public relations practitioners have little choice but to rise to the (social media) challenge if we are to compete in an increasingly dynamic communication industry, to flourish rather than survive. Ultimate success is better founded on adapting our current strengths to the ever-widening communicopia - through a highly developed understanding of clients’ business, an appreciation of corporate and brand positioning, and the ability to reach specific audiences, rather than jumping on the techno-junkie bandwagon.”

I agree with you that knowing lots of other specialists that you can bring in with specific strengths is also critical - no man is an island!

I believe that an expert, an adviser even, knows the art of listening, processing and communicating in a way that any audience can understand.

will be very difficult to be an expert in the scheme of things for social media, since it changes and you just dont realise it. It like being Trends Expert. I will tell each and every client of mine, what the next trend going to be??

Anyway, somethings that would like to add is
1. Blogging is NOT only thing in social media, social media goes beyond blogging

2. Measuring social media, the different approaches to it.

3. Marketing via social media, you have the first mover advantage and then you have content to keep it live. If you dont have content, dont bother.

4. PR as an industry and it people should look into to this as an opportunity arena, unlike SEM where you will need specialists and the ad agencies are stuck with selling banner space on websites.

One thing I’d add, or elaborate upon, is, aside from just knowing 100 people in the field, how much or well do you collaborate. Social media (or new media) involves a LOT of things, a lot of tech, and could need a lot of resources (not necessarily money). When you say you do social media, and you want to launch a network of some sort, does that mean the entire process is done in-house? Or do you know someone who does design work? Know who’s doing what and don’t try to reinvent the wheel.

I would love for some people claiming to be social media experts to know that they are NOT!

Of course I am an individual, and I agree that there is a big difference between teaching an organization (or winning over the management of big company) and helping a person.

Is the focus to only reach new customers who are already into 2.0? If not, add to tactical: teach current and potential customers about how they can benefit from participating in social media - like if they have no idea what twitter is, why would they want to use it?

I was chatting with a fellow at a networking event and asked if he was on facebook, which he had never heard of, then later he came back and said he’d be checking out that faceplant site!

… they also need to walk on water & be kind to small furry animals ;)

Seriously, they do need a clue about technology as well as marketing, advertising, new product development and networking.

How position social media as a critical component of every organization’s marketing strategy. I think it’s important to quantify and dollarize the value either as attracting new targeted and profitable customers, building and maintaining brand reputation, and the opportunity cost of NOT doing it.

I think that a HUGE number of organizations really don’t get it. They think that this is a fad - sort of like Disco. So if a social media expert can postion themselves in a way that can tell that benefit and value story - that’s a real skill.

[…] What I Want a Social Media Expert to Know | chrisbrogan.com Le minimum minimorum (tags: socialmedia) […]

Thought provoking, indeed.

Gotta take issue with Richard about only measuring through sales. My big take-away right now - and I think I’ll elaborate on the Real Ads blog - is that web 2 offers virtually all commerce a second wave of revolutionary efficiencies like those of the 1980s/90s. So rather than directly driving the top line higher, it will decrease costs and drive the bottom line higher.

To Moksh, on #3 I use the phrase “feed the content beast.” And the point about “the next thing.” Right on. It’s gonna “come out of nowhere,” so it’s advisable spend some time in the techno/geo/socio hinterlands. Keep nowhere on your map at all times.

Chris, one point missing that I think is real important is to have a basic understanding of web 1 and why it is what it is, how it’s best used. Specifically, I think usability has taken a huge step backwards as evidenced by the Return of the Splashpage. Yeah, the open source stuff tends to have the usability baked in, but I think it’s crucial to understand the basics of human/machine interaction if that’s the space you’re working in.

Finally, I gotta know 100 peoples?!? I will remain sub-expert for all my days ;-)

In my opinion, your list requires some ‘why’s’. A smart social marketer will explain why a client should use the media. And if it’s wrong (and there are a number of reason why it might be), then they should explain that. Figure out the goal, then show why X media is right to achieve it. After that, the how is much easier.

I’d want my expert to know the demographics of social media and the popularity of the social networking sites so I could target them effectively.

This point (below) could not be stressed enough, IMO.

“Ways to report your weekly listening and community work to a very senior level person in a huge company that has about 2 minutes of time to hear your briefing.”

[…] What I Want a Social Media Expert to Know | chrisbrogan.com Says Chris: “There are lots of people throwing “social media expert” out there. Hell, I had it as part of my “about” on my blog, but I’ve chosen to just say that I advise people. It’s more accurate, because expertise is fairly darned fleeting (tags: business media social socialmedia web2.0 socialweb expert) Stumble it! […]

My social media expert (ie. me) needs to be able to communicate with the current marketing and pr staff in a way that excites and convinces them that the money from their budget going to your efforts is worthwhile. They are the ones creating some of your content, your first intro to the company and perhaps the industry, the creative behind your imagery, the holders of the photo/video equipment and an endless list of other information.

Old school marketing/pr folks might feel threatened and working with them to change the workflow a bit to incorporate your needs will help all groups reach their goals.

Great post Chris… keep ‘em coming.

Right on Richard. Measurable ROI, otherwise you’re out of a job. What is the specific ROI measurement that is right for a specific company.

Matching communication channels with the specific needs of a client is important. Most people have no concept of how Youtube videos might be appropriate for one client whereas another should have a blog and a FaceBook page and a third should have a group on Xing.

Social media IS a fad, which is why we are all commenting on this post. If the title was “What I want my marketing team to know” most of us would hopefully already know the answers.”

Social media experts will bake into traditional agency and department roles over time, right now you’re in the spotlight, so enjoy it.

Just a quick 2 cents… so-called “social media” is a huge and expanding range of modes of communication, production, publication, sharing and consumption of media.

I believe in the future we will get over calling it “social” media and get back to calling it what it really is. Media.

Would you ever expect someone to be a “media” expert? No. You’d expect all manner of specialists. TV. Radio. Outdoor. Ad sales. Ad buying strategy. Promotions. Subscriptions. Dozens more. Oh yeah, and about a hundred roles from the IT and applications side of the game.

So, I agree that “social media expert” is a problematic handle, but at the same time let’s acknowledge that there is a wide range of value to be added from different perspectives in such a new and evolving field.

Shun the hucksters, but let’s acknowledge there are many, diverse roles to be played in figuring this stuff out. And, to do it right, professionals here must function cooperatively and collaboratively within the context of a media (social, if you insist) ecosystem.

A whole big bunch of your value is knowing who else to call and when to call them.

How about being active in the social community offline? Sure social media is great, but I think it’s the offline interactions that really matter. This means that the “expert” should be actively engaged in offline events. This also means that the person overseeing the community should begin to build some sort of offline relationships with the community memmbers.

I’ll start by humbly admitting I’m falling short of some of the items on your list! At least it’s because I have clients! A few more things that come to mind are:
1. A basic understanding of search visibility at the keyword analysis level.
2. An understanding of how to baseline or assess the current state of things from a (qualitative and quantitative) metrics perspective.
3. Taking item 2 a step further, an understanding of what “setup” looks like for any given effort. Specifically, how and what tools to use to identify, track and engage key influencers.

@ Marshall Kirkpatrick: I couldn’t agree more. I spend a great deal of my time doing exactly what you mention (and RSS is a good example).

@ Frymaster: How odd it is that we keep having to have the conversation about effective usability, but you are so right.

@ David Evans: We are in the spotlight indeed. The wave is begin caught by many of us, and I’d say it hasn’t even started to curl.

If a person wants to survive as a “social media expert” they need to understand the art of timing.

The key question that an expert in this field should be asking themselves is “is it the right time to propose doing a blog/wiki/widget/etc?”

Talk to things too early and get shot down, too late and risk being left behind by the competition.

So I think a key thing a “social media expert” should be able to do is separate the hype from the true business opportunities.

In my industry, a social media expert is pretty much anyone who even knows what blogging IS, forget about what it does. But that is another subject entirely. . .

For me, as an individual, the people that I consider to be social media experts (Laura is right on track that it will one day be just “media”) all have a very deep understanding of the relationships, both potential and real, that are created by social media. They understand that social media is about technology, but also about real-life interaction. They understand that the technology can only take them so far. They understand that people are people, and not target audiences or leads, or whatever.

I would imagine that the most difficult task that a social media expert has to perform for any large organization is educating and informing those who might not be aware, and occasionally adjusting the philosophy of those in charge. It is critical that a social media expert be able to not only teach organizations HOW to these technologies, but also get the organizations using them to understand the WHY behind them.

I guess in some respects, a social media expert has to be part teacher, part philosopher, and part politician.

To be called a social media expert, you need to know how to define objectives, how to decide which tools will best meet those objectives, and then be able to train people in the company to use the best tools for them. You don’t just start a blog for everyone, put everyone on Facebook, or give them a Twitter account. Social media is a tool, like a brochure or an ad, and you have to know what tool for what job.

Great post.

I’d definitely agree with Francine’s comment. I’ve started saying that I’m a consultant that understands social media — and I’d still call it social media because it encourages a conversation with people that you wouldn’t necessarily talk with normally and allow for other things to develop. It is much like my past life as a Main Street manager — you’re expected to have an understanding about a lot of things and know when things should or should not be used (as well as how to use them differently if you do use them all so you’re touching different groups of people).

I’d also add understanding that a successful product can create a stronger community and deliver things that are much more valuable than short term monetary gains - and leaping tall buildings in a single bound (LOL).

Finally posted my lengthy spiel arrogantly titled The Future of Social Media. Expands on what I see as the biggest upside for enterprise.

And maybe we could add to the Expert list the ability to hand-code a link in, say, a blog comment.

[…] Juneja left this comment that Web 2 is more than just blogs. And that’s my starting […]

I think Francine’s comment is better than my post. : )

Thanks for the amazing thoughts. I’m forever humbled by the great people here.

I agree with Lenny that it is about helping organizations or groups to change their workflows. To me change management would summarize the skills under ’strategic’ and many of the ones added in the comments (listening, being able to communicate with all, convincing, demonstrating ROI).

To achieve this in my experience requires convincing the top much more than it is to show the individual user how to use the tools.

Thanks for an inspiring post, Chris.

[…] Chris Brogan hat in seiner Reihe “100 nützliche Blogposts über Social Media” einige Anhaltspunkte für die Beantwortung dieser Frage gegeben. Er unterscheidet zwischen strategischen Fähigkeiten (z.B. integrierte Medienkampagnen […]

Perfect timing for me, this article is (is that you Yoda?)
In the process of doing some research for a current client, I’m coming to realize where I excel and where I have a lot of room to grow. Your article and the comments above have helped me to clarify my strengths & weaknesses even more. Mostly, it confirms my need to work with others to offer a fuller service.

[…] What I Want a Social Media Expert to Know | chrisbrogan.com […]

[…] post yesterday by Chris Brogan: What I want a Social Media Expert to Know. Great comments […]

Good post, Chris.

I think Jim and David are on the “smart money”… and more to the point

““Ways to report your weekly listening and community work to a very senior level person in a huge company that has about 2 minutes of time to hear your briefing.””

So I want to call you out here, how do YOU, Chris, perform that? What do YOU (I know you like capitalisation emphasis) take to the table that qualfifies your time spent conversing in SM is helping the business?

And this I agree with:

“Social media experts will bake into traditional agency and department roles over time, right now you’re in the spotlight, so enjoy it.”

IMHO you should answer other peoples questions, and their responses to your questions more on Twitter, you are very selective, or too busy or inundated (probably both). It’s a little irritating that I see many users validate your question, but without a nod or response from you back, so personally I usually do not bother now.

So I would add “acknowledge ALL your participants” to the strategic list. Time-consuming and expensive, with muddy ROI? - welcome to SM.

Chris

I used to say, “I blog, therefore I consult.” Honestly, there is something to be said for passing along to other what we’ve learned. Yet, to brand ourselves as “experts” at this stage of the game might be pomposity on parade.

I strongly disagree with or would want to qualify the position that social media/social computing is some sort of fad. Just like in 2000 when people said “the Interent is dead, nobody will ever make any money out there,” that position is hyperbole. Eventually, the long term trend line caught up to the short-term boom/bust, and there is some serious chee$e flying all around the Internet right about now.

So we will probably see a boom/bust cycle in this, as well, complete with the ridiculous business plans and enormous losses. (Can’t happen soon enough, IMO. That’ll clear out the snake oil.)

But the long term trend of computers bringing efficiencies to companies and markets is still very young. Web 2 (social computing) will - eventually - bring a whole new wave of efficiency to businesses where knowledge (not data) suddenly comes into play in an accessible, sortable, scalable platform.

This is your brain. This is your brain on a server.

Chirs (Hambly),

I was just thinking the same thing…(Why hasn’t Chris B. replied to our responses?)

How ’social’ is a one-way post with replies?

Though I realize it seems to be a common practice for those with bigger names in the SM world, I think its indicative that social-media has its limits when you try and be ’stay connected’ to thousands…which is gradually going to happen most of us. Yes, “welcome to SM”

-Leif

Chris has a job, speaking engagements and a lot of other stuff going on. Blogs are like software, once you throw it out there, you have to deal with people and can’t devote 2 hours a day to blog comments. That was my problem with one of my blogs in 2002.

With Twitter, I find myself following very few people. The imbalance bothers some but unless you are speaking about something I find very important, or are hilarious or make my brain work differently, you’re not ending up on my list.

We have to figure out how to create digests for Twitter and blogs, it’s totally out of control at this point.

I realize that, I’m just noting the irony and dilemma of ’social media’ promoters finding themselves unable to ‘be social’ with their media. Wasn’t trying to spank him, I have the same problem (though more in waves).
Cheers,
Leif

[…] What I Want a Social Media Expert to Know - I would love to see a count of how many people claim to be “Social Media Experts.” […]

David,

How does one summarize 140 characters ;=)? We’d need a hieroglyphic system where one symbol means “I hate Microsoft,” another means “Windows just crashed,” “getting tacos,” etc.

[…] What I Want a Social Media Expert to Know […]

It concerns me when inexperienced sources give inaccurate information - on any topic.

So, I’d add: someone who’s made mega mistakes and can help you avoid the same pitfalls. I also agree you have to be in the game to play it.

One of my goals is to guide our clients [and my readers] in making the best marketing/PR choices. It takes time to educate them about how social media can help their business. Your work is a valuable resource for me - and them, Chris.

Chris, I know 100% of your Tactical list. I know quite a few of your Strategic requirements, but it’s time to learn the rest! Thanks!

A couple of suggetions (high level) for consideration:

1) Does the “expert” have real-world case studies where they can demonstrate that they achieved the goals of the campaign (whatever those goals may have been)?

2) Does the “expert” have experience in using social media to enhance and help drive other types of marketing, pr, advertising, etc online and OFFLINE?

[…] among respondents was Chris Brogan’s social media blog, where I was sent links to “What I Want a Social Media Expert to Know” and “On Managing A […]

Oh at a minimum, if it’s not pure social media (viral ads for example) but a full social network:
* How to clarify the Purpose (host and member) and understand the hidden purpose for joining social networks. Leveraging visitor into registered membership through that
* Identifying the position of Profiles and maximising delivery of content and conversation based on personalisation.
* Focussing on the social graph so each member builds gated content as well as public content thereby driving up delivery of membership numbers through subgroups
* Listing and educating membership on tools - blogs as one2many, forums many2many, IRC for synchronous, PMS for asynchronous discussions and so on.
* Roles and responsibilities - ensuring members feel safe on line, and that they can find a ‘place’ to function from by identifying and providing tools for different roles. Members who like to organise ‘events’ get calendars and public forums, “Welcomers” get to give pixel welcome gifts, whatever.
* Leaders - understand that a high percentage of content and discussion and activity comes from a small group. Identify them as brand evangelists. Put strategies in place to reward them for driving content and signups.
* Events - create viral spiked events to cater for infrequent members. Competitions, interviews, podcasts, relevant to the community.
* Etiquette - build moderator subcommunities, structure code of conduct for optimal behaviour. Tell-show-reward/punish strategies. Control the environment to ensure all are safe online.
*Rituals - ensure loyalty through acknowledging and rewarding rituals, such as membership anniversary, birthdays, Talk like a Pirate day.
*Subgroups - identifying how each subgroup works within the whole, adding to the social texturing.

I reckon they would need to do more than BE on 5 networks - how about describe the difference between depth of content sites vs discovering/filtering sites vs stream of consciousness discussion groups? That’ll sort ‘em out. :)

Probably my key add to the list would be (others have written similar, but hope this adds to the weight of reasoning):

How to demonstrate the ROI of social network / media activity. Define what constitutes success, how to measure it, and how to optimise to improve over time.

Nice post Chris.

Great post, and really interesting. I think the only thing I’d add is that an expert should be able to point to examples of business success, and be able to balance the expectations of quantity from old business with the quality expectations of social media. And be able to convey the value of that, and get results from teams which aren’t predisposed to social media.

[…] talked about managing a community and what it takes. I’ve discussed what I want in a social media expert. I’ve even written about how we might do community management wrong. Here are some pieces of […]