Posting a Video Does Not a Social Media Expert Make

The latest edition of the Socialnomics 3 video, an even longer 4:00+ version, has been making the rounds on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. If you are not familiar with the video, it is the world's most watched social media series by Erik Qualman. Based on #1 Best Seller Socialnomics.

Here is the video

Any time this video is updated, it is played, re-played or posted on anyone and everyone's page/profile that likes to call themselves a social media consultant. Is there anything wrong with this? No, not at all. I believe the problem is that too many people see others talking about social media and they convey onto that person the level of expert or they think that person has expertise in social media. Many times this happens because the social media consultant refers to themselves as an expert.

If you are looking for a social media consultant or partner; run like Forest Gump away from anyone, and I do mean anyone that uses the term expert, guru, or cheerleader to describe themselves! No one is a social media expert, plain and simple. Social media is still in it's infancy and we are all students. From the biggest names in the medium to someone that just signed up for Facebook, we are all now and will always be students.

If you are looking to hire a consultant or a firm to work with on social media, consider these tips:

*Check out their Facebook Business Page and Facebook personal account. How often do they post and what kind of engagement do they have with friends or fans?

*Check out their Twitter account. Do they post good information? Do they just RT information? How consistently do they engage with others on Twitter?

*Numbers are not the only thing; but how large of a network have they built? That can be a good barometer of how they can help your business engage and build a network.

*Are they early adopters and do they work to learn new technologies and platforms such as Google+?

*Ask for references of current clients; if they are at liberty to disclose those.

*Ask for references of past clients.

*Ask for information on campaigns they have successfully developed in the past.

*Do they have a blog and/or website that is updated regularly?

This is not a complete or exhaustive list, but it's a start. What are your thoughts?

For the record, I am a social media student, consultant and practitioner.

Want to connect with me? That is easy, I am always on! You can Friend me on Facebook, Follow me on Twitter, add me to your Circles on Google+ and connect with me on LinkedIn.

Promoting Others More Than Yourself

How often do you promote yourself? How often do you promote others?

Lately, especially on Twitter, but on Facebook as well; self-promotion has not only reached a fever pitch, but I think it's reached a point that people are being turned off.

I see "social media consultants" doing it; and as I shake my head, I also wonder why. Does this person and others not have a strong enough network to promote their posts, their tweets and important activities? Or do they think "this is how social media" is done? Maybe they don't believe their network is strong enough. My next question is, wouldn't their time be better spent building a network and then activating it to promote on their behalf?

In their book Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation and Earn Trust, Julien Smith and Chris Brogan presented what I believe is a powerful idea: promote others 12 times more than you promote yourself. What a concept...promoting others!

We all know that promoting others ultimately contributes to our own material getting promoted; but personally that is not why I do it! Promoting others builds trust in what you have to say, but only if you build your network; and you do this by genuinely working to help others!

So, if you are seriously interested in helping others, here are some ideas on how to do it properly. And remember the most important rule: You promote without expecting anything in return.

1. Spotlight Someone You Believe In: Shine the spotlight on a colleague or business partner through a Facebook post, a genuine Tweet, your blog or newsletter. If you have many followers or subscribers, it’s as good for the person or brand you’re featuring as landing a cover story. Even if you do not have many followers, it provides them with exposure to your network! The value is that someone in your network could be beneficial to that person!

2. Face-to-face Conversations: Make a connection or like what someone is doing? Sit down and talk with them. Interview them for your blog, or just talk with them about how you can help their business or how they became successful!

3. Ask the Expert: If you want to tackle a topic you’re not familiar with or have been asked a question you don’t know how to answer, bring in a friend who can answer that question for you on your blog or e-mail newsletter and invite them to promote their services.

4. Lend a Local (Foursquare) Hand: Become the biggest cheerleader in your community by checking in and writing positive reviews of local restaurants, shops and other businesses you frequent. Use services such as Foursquare to check in and promote these businesses!

5. Advance and Retweet: If you can’t think of anything nice to say, spread what someone else is saying by retweeting . Do it the old-fashioned “RT” way so that you can add a few words of praise. Just don’t get carried away, retweeting everything you see. That’s annoying.

6. Like It: As with retweeting, the “Like” button on Facebook allows you to approve of others’ messages without a second thought. Spread the love around!

7. Show Up: Simply stated, there is NO substitute for actually attending someone’s event. Be there for the people you care about. And once you’re there, start tweeting and Facebooking to encourage others to come out. Oh, and bring a friend or two!

How do you promote others? Share it with us all in the comments.

Filed under: expert