You’ve been in business for a while, but you’ve noticed that the customers who find you online are asking: “Where can I find you on Facebook?” When you tell them you don’t have a business page on Facebook, they say, “Oh!” and look at you like you’ve got two heads.
A recent study by ComScore* showed that 98 percent of the US online population (96 percent in Australia) is using social media. So, it’s little wonder that an increasing number of potential customers are looking for your business on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin etc.
You know the website your friend Barry set up for you is not cutting the mustard anymore and you know you want to take advantage of the amplified word of mouth recommendations social media can bring to your business, but who’re ya gonna call? How do you know if the person in the sponsored story calling themselves a “social media expert” is able to deliver what they promise?
There are currently no organisations or associations setting practice standards for industry professionals in social media marketing. A few years ago this wasn’t really a major problem but now that the vast majority of people are using social media to make buying decisions and recommendations, it’s important for businesses to understand just what a social media specialist can do for them and should do for them.
Industry standards have been a hot topic in the social media marketing community of late. So, I took this question about the need for standards to one of the social media marketing groups I’m a member of on Facebook and had this awesome response from Jessica Kupferman, a digital marketing, design and social media consultant from Philadelphia, PA (USA).
“I think standards would prevent a lot of annoying sales messages like spam, followers on Twitter that are going for quantity over quality, or other “consultants” and experts that are basically teaching no more than a client could find out if they just went to the help section of any social media channel. Standards would help weed out the seemingly smart from the exceptional and capable.”
I asked Jessica if she’s ever come across any dodgy social media operators, to which she replied: “Oh yes! Many, many dodgy people. It’s sad, actually, because there are so many businesses that really need to learn how to do things to improve their businesses and their reach, and so many people who claim to be experts but really just pontificate about the philosophy but have no idea how to really use the tools effectively.”
Jessica suggests businesses look for social media marketing professionals who have:
- active social media profiles,
- can write effectively,
- have testimonials or past portfolios from clients they’ve helped, and
- have engagement strategies and tactics.
“A blog is helpful to know if they are smart and capable. But having standards would help businesses find someone great” says Jessica.
In addition to Jessica’s suggestions, here’s a quick checklist to help you assess social media marketing professionals.
- Does the consultant focus on numbers ie “likes” or strategies to build meaningful “engagement” ie relationship building?
- Does the consultant know what engagement means and can they explain it to you?
- Is the focus of the business on graphic design (profile pics and landing pages) or strategy to integrate all of your branding and marketing?
- Does the consultant have a well integrated, active and professional social media presence and website?
- Does the consultant understand Facebook’s Promotional Policies and adhere to them?
- Does the consultant understand how to interpret data from analytics in relation to your integrated social media marketing?
- Is the consultant more focused on fancy apps and ads than on helping you develop your customer relationships?
- Is the consultant focused on online marketing or are they focused on integrated solutions (ie marrying online with offline)?
- Does the consultant stay up to date on the latest news, research and developments in Social Media?
- Does the consultant provide training and helpdesk support?
- Can the consultant deliver a turn-key solution for you? (ie. if your website and other marketing materials need further development, can they make it happen for you using quality web developers and graphic designers?)
Support a WAHP now offers social media strategy and training services to home based businesses in conjunction with Foyster’s Communications. To view our services and testimonials, click here. If you want to contact Jessica Kupferman, you can find her at baddassbiz.com.
* IT’S A SOCIAL WORLD: Top 10 Need-to-Knows About Social Networking and Where It’s Headed, ComScore, 2011.
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