It seems like today, perhaps more than ever, there are people with all levels of abilities, training and experience that call themselves experts and market their services as such. Being a business professional in charge of a company or a department includes being able to determine the best consultants and experts to work with your business.
What is an Expert?
In reality, being an expert on anything is a very specific and very exacting position. An expert is not just someone with superior knowledge on the subject matter, but a person with real insight, problem-solving abilities and the experience to ensure they understand issues and have possible solutions for any issue.
In LA, as with all large cities, business owners face a constant barrage of advertising, emails and direct communication from a host of different experts. While some can be easily determined by a degree or a comprehensive work history others, such those marketing as social media experts, may take more research to actually determine their qualifications.
The Key Factors
To make things easier there are several factors or components to look for in a resume, CV or work experience of anyone calling themselves a social media expert. By checking for these specific talents, skills and understandings you can be sure you are bringing a true professional on board who will help your staff and your business to have a top social media presence.
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Work experience – it is very difficult to see how someone could be a social media expert for a business without actual business experience. Look for a person with management and sales experience as well as with a solid background in marketing and branding both as a consultant as well as in their own professional career.
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Social media – take the time to look for the individual on social media sites. Make sure they are active, have a significant following of businesses and professionals, and that they are constantly engaging and interacting online. It is amazing to see how many business social media consultants have no online presence, which should really be a cause of concern.
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Personality – an expert has to be able to not only know what needs to be with regards to your social media presence, but she also has to be able to communicate that information effectively to your sales team and managers. Top consultants with years of experience have an ability to talk to people in easy to understand terms, allowing them to grasp even complicated marketing strategies.
Finding the right social media expert is a very big asset to any mid-market company. Make sure to ask for references, spend your time researching and visit with the professionals before making your final choice.
