Recruiting a social media expert? What should you ask?

The problem I see in this is when you consider how many people are knowledgeable on social media platforms and genuinely start out and have no client list or anything to fall back on. Every one has to start somewhere. So expecting every social media savvy entrepreneur to have X amount of years available under their belt, when in fact social media in its entirety only really took off within the last 4 years is kind of unrealistic. Yes, internet marketing has existed for a long time, but not as 'Social Media'

Facebook only really took off in 2004, but most people forget that it was for College/Univeristy kids back then. No social media marketing happened then. Or not in the sense of what Social Media Marketing is today and the jobs you get. It was merely a social platform. So from 2009 onwards is when things started to take off in a massive way and for the old 'internet marketing dogs' who still call it 'Internet Marketing' these days,  already did a lot of the functions/ or tasks performed by a Social Media Marketer's role. It just was not called Social Media Marketing though- but had a variety of different names attached to it. Since social media relates primarily to Facebook, Twitter etc. But things like writing blog posts, writing press releases etc. These all existed for years and years and never fell under social media marketing. So people like myself have had experience in running hobby websites or blogs, writing content, Search Engine Optimization etc. But no official client list. That doesn't mean we don't know the industry. You also do not need a degree in Social Media Marketing, but have an avid interest in your work and everything related to social media, writing website content and ranking your site or generating backlinks.

So although I enjoyed the article, it would be very unwise to say just because someone has obtained experience elsewhere, and cannot produce ROI or a client list, that they are 'dodgy sales people'... frankly, I think having such an attitude will not only limit what you can achieve in life, but I think that you are the type of person who believes in everything to be traditional. Perhaps along the lines of: Go to School, Get a degree, work in a 9 - 5 job, be a good person, pay your mortgage, have kids, and die a great death surrounded by friends and family.

Life is short... don't assume that everyone are idiots in life or don't know how to study or think for themselves.Some of us enjoy learning, even after leaving school, and just because we don't have a client list, doesn't mean we are less knowledgeable.

I am proud to say I am one such an example.

If you have that attitude, then great entrepreneurs like Richard Branson who failed maths in school a few times would be on top of your list of those who know 'absolutely nothing.' Yet he has rich beyond comparison. Some people have the right attitude, the right principles and look beyond what convential companies say they 'can' or 'can't' do.

For the record I look up to the man. ;)

Also other things you may not have thought about... if someone kept a blog...

It is nice to have a blog, but not a necessity. A person can for example become an authority in their chosen subject by writing a book. You can set up a business page on Facebook and offer valuable information about your area of expertise, just to engage people who might be potential customers in future. But social media doesn't sell. It never does. These days consumers do not like to be approached. They do the approaching themselves. So you have to build your credibility and lots of people do it without having blogs or even a client list. Famous examples are people with no experience, starting youtube channels centred around their hobby or subject of interest and build a loyal following of 10k or more subscribers. So would you say that a person like that knows absolutely nothing about Social Media, even though they generate more income than most people see in a year?

These are things you need to consider and think about.

For starters, get out of these beliefs that hold you back. Social Media Marketers can be anyone...you, your next door neighbour or even a 16 year old kid that has an interesting hobby and followed it for several years. They may not see themselves as marketers, but they certainly are in the grander scheme of things as they provide content for a targeted audience and understand their audience.

Well I can go on and on. :P

Have fun.