Are You Sure You Want That Social Media Job?

I warned a business about this yesterday… Saw a job posting looking for a “Social Media Guru” they clearly had no concept of what success was and what they should be getting. They will get someone with a huge twitter following who doesn't get communications or marketing.

I would have studied creative writing or lit 101 instead of fine art had I known I'd doing this for a living!

Excellent post, Amber. From my point-of-view, social media is worthless to business unless it helps the enterprise, and the people who work for – or interact with – it be more effective, responsible, etc. It's getting the work of the particular organization you're involved with (whether it's online or a traditional manufacturing firm) done that matters. Everything else is illusory fluff.

…interesting to see peoples' posts ^, then check their twitter… so many '…it's not about followers…' then you see they use such strategies as '@moretwitterusers' …

Thank you for posting! Great to see this viewpoint of being a brand ambassador v. a tweetaholic. Big difference! There is a lot of responsibility behind being the voice of a brand and it shouldn't be taken lightly because you are not literally face to face. Another important aspect of this job is networking outside of the web realm and actually communicating with real live people! This requires the same business savvy and professionalism as any other media job.

Preach It.

*claps* and *cheers*

Thanks Amber.

Like you, “my job is as a business woman, not a social media guru”.

I have been working with small businesses since 1988!

The internet and social media are just a part of what we do to help our clients grow their businesses.

Another thing I would like to mention is for clients to be very, very careful with who they employ and/or outsource this to.

Social media is, as I continually say, “word of mouth on steroids”.

It is vital that the message that goes out is inline with the business.

I would also be interested to know how many of these so-called “social media gurus” have professional indemnity insurance – so they don't risk losing everything if they say the wrong thing!

One of the most important and rewarding gigs in the world when you look at it just as you described you DO. I believe the digital personality (whether it's one person or a team) is now “The Voice” of the company in a new realm where the world is converging all of its focus and attention – including their search for client servces and personal attention. In my opinion, this should be viewed as a position (and treated equally in both respect and wage) that is one of the most important and impactful positions in the company.

Why?

We live in a converging world of attention. Big brands believe it is absolutely cost justified to pay actors, models and athletes millions to be {often just scripted facades} Spokespeople because the “essence” of their personality is believed to represent the brand message and their fans demographic would make great customers. The Social Strategy driven by the Community Managers ARE a variation of that same model in the tangible “real” essence. Community Managers are the voice of the brand that reaches out daily, the thought provokers, the lovers, the approachable human aspect, the skillful responders, the salespeople so good at selling they are not selling, the strategic eyes and ears, the idea stimulators, the valuable connectors, the alliance builders, the knoweledge content creators that are even better at discovering, cultivating and sharing. They are the reason people see your company name and/or logo and immediately feel interested, comfortable and valued – and when they represent your company via voice, video or live presention, they are even more naturally magnetic to your audience because day to day they are happily being awesome in the social trenches where they publicly live, breathe and epitomize what makes your company great…Shall I go on?

xo,
@zaneology
Proud to be the new Social Personality/Community Manager for @Bluegreenland

Newbie here with a question for you all: if I'd like to work with a company in this type of position, but only have my “personal” brand as experience how do I get the job? I wan to start looking for my first social media job but so far the only way I have to sell myself is by what I've done through my site and my resume. Any advice?

I really appreciate this post… Especially in lieu of a potential social media job. Love the food for thought!

Amber – As per usual you absolutely nailed a topic I have been toiling around in my mind for a few weeks now. I've worked in Marketing & Advertising in the UK and Australia and admit, I became a bit of a social media groupie when I first got into it all. Mainly because, as many of us are – I am passionately curious about how us humans communicate and connect. The thought that a brand could have an active role in doing that was Marketing uber sexy!

As I began to learn more, and sell in the concept of it to clients I realised, like many parts of Marketing, the graft to implement the theory was hard. Harder than I think most people get, so the honeymoon period is over and the initial crush is not quite as intense as it once was, but I do still love being a part of it. I know Community and the role of the Social Web in Marketing and Customer Service will continue to fascinate me, because people and their behaviour fascinate me.

I am glad I've had the opportunity to get in and get my hands dirty and that I have this experience as part of my overall Marketing toolkit. I want to feel like I advise clients correctly and strategically on how best to fit this into their overall plan, on what roles it should and can play. It still makes me excited how Social Media can help inform a Marketing plan – but there is a much bigger puzzle to put together overall to ensure the brand can touch people in offline parts of their life too to achieve those desired business goals.

I love we have a whole new platform to play with now, and I continue to enjoy learning about what can be done with it and new creative ideas it can make possible. I think we are in exciting times for Marketing, and the people who are sure they want to be a part of this, who work hard to make things happen will have a chance to be a part of some work that they can be truly proud of for many years to come.

Thanks for writing this.

Nicola

Love this post and all of the well-written commentary that follows. This is the kind of post that I want to print out, laminate and have at my desk for all to read. (Okay, that's old school. Maybe I could just tweet it all over the place.)

As I wrote on a recent self-eval for my annual review: “It's vitally important to do excellent work when everyone is watching.”

Cindy Meltzer
Community Manager, Isis Parenting

“It’s challenging. It’s real work, not just sitting on the internet all day. It’s every bit of a professional commitment as many of the jobs I’ve held in the past, probably even more so.” NAILS IT. I wish others thought this same way.

I find, as a community manager myself, that many people regard us as just “young people” playing on the Internet. That what we’re doing doesn’t really matter and it’s not really that hard. Well, it is. And it’s especially hard when you’re trying to figure out what’s appropriate and inappropriate on the social mediums you actively participate in.

What I find most challenging is that I’m very active in my company’s brand, but I’ve also worked very hard to build my personal brand (and my personal blog). Where’s the line? How do I separate them? Are they slowly becoming one in the same?