The battle over whether or not someone can call themselves a social media expert rages on. The problem is that there isn’t a generally accepted credential which would identify someone as being an expert, but perhaps fame or authorship. Many people with varying levels of social media expertise (or lack thereof) like to criticize and publically callout these self-proclaimed experts. However, until generally accepted credentials are defined and excepted the below list can serve as a guide when drudging through the murky waters of the species known as Expertum Social Medium.
- Worships some type of social media constitution full of acronyms and purity tests.
- Meticulously sorts through Twitter followers to determine which list people are worthy to be in.
- Seems to be in front of a computer 24/7 and suffers from social media addiction.
- Claims that social media ROI is not measurable and doesn’t need to be measured.
- The first thing they do in the morning is check their Klout score while simultaneously berating it.
- Is active on dozens of social media websites including platforms no one has heard of.
- They check in on Foursquare EVERYWHERE they go.
- Participates in Tweet Chats every day.
- Likes to share other people’s content while rarely producing any of their own.
- Is convinced that social media will cure the woes of every company.
- Trolls around social media blogs to leave criticism in the comments section.
- Has an awful looking WordPress website.
Ultimately though, whether or not someone is a true expert should be determined by their results and the title should be bestowed by the happy client. Real experts embrace the power of content marketing and understand the role of calls-to-action and advanced content for lead conversion while taking a multichannel approach. Social media doesn’t exist in a silo and should never be approached that way. It’s part of a bigger strategy – an inbound marketing strategy. Expertum Social Medium’s evolutionary path precludes them from understanding this.