Thoughts on becoming a 'Social Media Expert'

Recently I’ve come across a handful of articles discussing the appellation “Social Media Expert”, a term that has begun appearing on résumés and websites.  Now clearly using this title would indicate that you are someone who knows how to use Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, perhaps even Digg, Snapfish, Pikasa and a handful of other sites… all valuable tools for a brand manager looking to increase awareness, and for large companies, a full-time position.  Yet these articles slammed this so-called profession, claiming that it was some fabricated, pointless, résumé fodder that could be performed by any high school or college student.  The short-sightedness of these articles made me shudder, especially since they were written by people positing themselves as web “experts”. 

Ok, I’ll admit, as person who can build and implement websites from the ground-up, the skill set needed to become a “Social Media Expert” may not be nearly as vast or complex. This position doesn’t mean you know how to design, code, or program. Nor does it require any particular creative vision, server management, or vast internet expertise. However, to be done well, it does requires a very particular set of skills, to fill a necessary niche a marketing program that many clients, developers, and designers lack the skills to fill themselves.

So why do I bring this up?

Well, because today I found myself being asked to submit a proposal to manage the social media for a handful of brands that I’ve helped develop and launch over the past year.  I found myself, suddenly morphed like some czech bureaucrat into a “Social Media Expert”.  Mind you, something like this should be a piece of cake for someone as versed in the Internet as I am, as it should for any solid web developer.  Shouldn’t it?

But being an “Expert” means more than simply creating a Facebook account or styling a twitter page; it means writing and scheduling tweets and announcements, sending invites and updates, researching relevant topics and articles, blogging about them, keyword management, uploading and captioning, managing social networks, promoting events and products, imparting company news, and most importantly… expanding your brand’s reach.  And managing all of these tasks isn’t as simple as typing “....is now a Social Media Expert” and clicking Update Status.  If done well, it will be a full-time job… and the virtual face of your sales force.

Granted, much of this could fall under the SEO umbrella, which perhaps explains the resentment I found in these articles. Yet it doesn’t fit entirely within these bounds.  A comprehensive SEO program definitely includes social media, but it requires a much different skillset.  After all, good SEO starts with clean semantic coding, but doesn’t really cover the creation and addition of content, nor the management of social media profiles and networks.  Sure, we may build templates that stuff our pages full of tag clouds, keywords, comments, and such, but many web developers don’t concern themselves with the actual content. Sadly, many clients don’t either…. and this is a HUGE issue.

Most website designers are familiar with clients writing copy in-house, largely as a cost-cutting measure (often disguised with some excuse stating how they know their business best), and the results seldom communicate a unique, cohesive or stimulating message.  Similarly, we know clients and prospects who spew terms like ‘blog’ and ‘twittering’, knowing full well that once implemented, these items will likely gather dust when left in the client’s hands.  And it’s precisely this failure of the DIY model that leads many companies feeling that their web team bilked them by building alllll these features they don’t “need” or use.  It’s a classic disconnect, and one that further alienates developers from their clients.  This is never good for business, on either end.  And often teaching the client why and how to add content across the web isn’t enough, particularly if they lack the drive, desire, and skills to create new content.

The failure of clients to understand the importance of well-written content bothers me to no end, but is a reality of the business.  While I’m normally a big fan of a DIY attitude, even someone as well-versed as I am in web development knows when it’s time to hire an expert, and copywriting is no exception. Our use for copywriting has changed though, and as we are still figuring out what the Internet ‘is’, (besides a series of tubes, of course), we still haven’t figured out how to best write for it.  Now that everyone has the ability to publish online, the value of professional copywriting has seemingly plummeted. With the slow decline of print advertising, one would think there’d be an abundance of great copy on websites. Instead we find that copy on websites is rarely as clever, unique, or humorous as that found in print ads.  Given the miniscule number of characters allowed in many of these online outlets, one would think the need for quality copywriting would be clear. Yet anyone who’s ever tried comparing one of Neil French’s ads to Google Adwords or the banners on cnn.com will certainly notice the distinction. Instead of well-written content, we’ve wound up with an Internet full of bad local advertising.

Beautiful, clever copywriting has in a way, lost out to flashy visuals and keyword-saturated content management, and as such, no longer requires creativity or insight, but simply bureaucratic management.  While web 2.0 has brought us a trend of short, direct copy to promote ease of use and simplicity of message, it has sucked the soul out of the clever, edgy copy we once read in between articles in magazines.  A strange trend, considering the importance of sharp, punchy humor in TV spots.  Yet if you can’t afford a well-produced TV spot to embed on your site, do you try to make one yourself?

Think about it… if content is truly king in building your online presence, doesn’t that make the QUALITY of the content (and how well it’s written) even more important than the design? Or at least AS important? If building your brand’s online presence is so important, should it be left in the hands of an intern? Or a code monkey? Or a designer? That may get you into some some engine results, but that shouldn’t be the endgame of your online presence. You need someone who knows more than just code, more than just Google and SEO. Sometimes, you need someone who strives to understand your business and writes brilliant, thoughtful, and engaging content.  Someone who knows their way around the web, and speaks the language. Someone who is dedicated to managing and maintaining your brand online.  Someone who possesses a unique skill set that encompasses all of these different elements. Sometimes, you need an expert.