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Social Media Employers (15 posts)

Topic tags: social media

Glen Gorham said
1 year, 5 months ago:
Those of you out there who hire social media coordinators and managers; what are you looking for? What are the essential how to’s you want?
@glengorham | # | Top
Kristi Hines said
1 year, 5 months ago:
@glengorham I haven’t actually looked to hire anyone. But I thought these sites that list social media jobs might give you some ideas in their job requirements / qualifications.
@kristi-hines | # | Top
Scott Bush said
1 year, 5 months ago:
For most corporations, it all comes down to having experience. There are so many people who claim to be social media experts, yet they’ve never worked with any companies (large or small), working through the whole process of initial research, strategy building, design, implementation, measuring and adjusting. Having that experience goes a long way.
To get that experience, I’ve found that reaching out to 2-3 local businesses and offering one’s services up for free, committing 3-6 months, to get their social platforms up and running, then training their staff to take it over, goes a long way. That type of experience allows you to show the successes you’ve had, what you’ve learned and how you can apply it to the company you are applying for.
@sbush | # | Top
Matthew O’Neill said
1 year, 5 months ago:
I also think it is important to have someone who is familiar with Social Media. Like @sbush says, there are a lot of people who claim to know what is going on but not that many people actually follow it. I find this a lot with an older generation. Many of them claim to know what social media is but in actuality, those that are 23-30 are the ones that grew up with it.
Many people don’t remember but Facebook was at one point restricted to only those who were currently in college. It’s this generation that has incorporated Facebook into their way of life. Think about how often a typical person over the age of 30 goes on social site. Typically it will be far less frequent than someone my age who most likely has to check it every 20-30 minutes. It’s people like us that I feel really understand the social world because it’s so ingrained in our systems. If you were to hire a new accountant or lawyer wouldn’t you want someone who has a passion and lives off of their job. The 20 year old age group lives off of social media, and therefore I feel make the best social media experts.
@matthewoneill | # | Top
Scott Bush said
1 year, 5 months ago:
Very valid points @matthewoneil. However, I think it’s important to keep in mind that understanding business is key to being successful at social media. Not that you need a MBA, but understanding how business works, both online and off, makes one much more qualified then a kid right out of college. I agree that familiarity with social media should be key, understanding the ins and outs of business, and how they are evolving, is equally as important, especially when being hired at a medium to large company.
@sbush | # | Top
Kristy C. Cartier said
1 year, 5 months ago:
@sbush I believe I was hired, in part, because I have a good grasp of social media in addition to my marketing and business experience. I do not claim to be an expert and I prefer to use social media as part of my communications toolkit.
@matthewoneill Even though I’m older than 30, I do try to check my SM accounts on a regular basis. My Twitter account has been neglected somewhat while I try to find a happy medium with my new work accounts. Let me know if you have any tips!
@glengorham I was on a job search for awhile and saw my share of social media requirements, usually as part of a marketing or communications position. Most companies wanted a couple years of experience in managing Facebook, YouTube and Twitter communities. LinkedIn was a far third unless it was a B2B company.
In addition to @kristi-hines‘ list, you might look at the eMarketing Association’s new Certified Social Media Associate program: http://emarketingassociation.com/CSMA/index.html. It seems fairly comprehensive on what a manager should know.
@kc_kreative | # | Top
Abigail Gorton said
1 year, 5 months ago:
@matthewoneill as @sbush said above there is a huge difference between being a member/participant/user of SM and being able to build and implement a plan to leverage it for a business. I blogged about this - last week I met a younger man (ha ha – not like that!) who was passionately stuck on explaining that his generation had large networks and therefore they would be good at networking. Umm, no. I might be good at shopping (I am not, as it happens) but even if I was, would that make me a good retailer? http://www.abigailgorton.com/2012/01/15/work-your-network-or-give-work-to-your-network/
@abigailgorton | # | Top
Matthew O’Neill said
1 year, 5 months ago:
@abigailgorton yes actually! Gap lost a lot of money when their board decided that female shoppers did not like to spend time in their stores. The board was 100% made up of men. They thought that they knew what women wanted. It was not until Gap brought their first female board member in, that they learned that women know what most women want. There marketing stratagey totally changed from an “in-out” experience to a “browse around” experience.
I feel, and I’m not saying EVERY person my age is a correct canidate for a social media position, that those in my age range know what to do with social media a little better because we all do it…all the time. With knowledge of a task that is done all the time, who better to explain how to do it then an avid user. Women generially (not all), shop a lot more than men and when the men asked the women for help…their sales went up. Mid-20s aged people facebook (not all), more than other age groups…if you ask us how to do something, most likely we can.
It also depends on how much marketing you are going to supply the “SM guru” If you have material ready then its easier for anyone…if you are just giving them 100% free reign than the challenge for a younger mind would be the lack of marketing skills, not the inablity to network on social sites.
@matthewoneill | # | Top
Abigail Gorton said
1 year, 5 months ago:
@matthewoneill Yes – it needs marketing skills and campaign management skills. Combination of tech savvy + user experience + marketing skills would be a sweet deal to hire!
@abigailgorton | # | Top
Matthew O’Neill said
1 year, 5 months ago:
@kc_kreative Twitter is, I feel, the most difficult to use. I don’t have a Twitter personally because I think it is pointless. From what I have gathered and the way that I think it is best used, is as a reference for mobile devices. It at least seems the most popular with those that use internet on their phone. So just make sure you post comments and links effectivly so that Smartphone and Tablet users can get up to date facts and links quickly. People tend to not stay on Twitter for long so think about that when you word things and upload content and links.
@matthewoneill | # | Top
Matthew O’Neill said
1 year, 5 months ago:
@abigailgorton I could not have put it any better myself!
@matthewoneill | # | Top
Kristy C. Cartier said
1 year, 5 months ago:
@matthewoneill Being a marketing curator, I have found Twitter to be very useful. In certain cases, tweeps will stay online longer when a twit chat or event is going on by following the hash tag. Or, heck, while we were watching the playoff games this weekend.
You are correct that these are sound bites or micro blogging. In this ADD-infused world, Twitter suits some though not everyone. Just like Facebook really isn’t it for me personally even though I understand its power. My attitude may shift as I begin to use it for work more.
@kc_kreative | # | Top
Durk Barton said
1 year, 5 months ago:
It’s been a pleasure to see this thread. You all have defined some of the requirements for a SM job-seeker. I know that it would be of benefit to my comnpany to take on one of your age group members, @matthewoneil.
@durkbarton | # | Top
Matthew O’Neill said
1 year, 5 months ago:
Well if you need any help with SM I would love to speak with you about it @durkbarton please feel free to message me and I can see what help I can offer!
@matthewoneill | # | Top
Laura Christianson, Blogging Bistro said
1 year, 5 months ago:
@glengorham @matthewoneill Matthew – I appreciate what you’re saying. I have teenage sons who grew up with a computer mouse in their hand and social media is second nature to them. So I agree that being familiar with social media is a prerequisite.
There’s also a big difference between being familiar with the tools and using them, day in and day out. I often see so-called social media experts touting their services, and when I check out their website, blog, Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn accounts, there’s little-to-no activity. How can someone be an “expert” at teaching others to use the tools effectively if they aren’t consistently using them themselves?
Also, keep in mind that many company CEOs and HR directors who hire social media managers are Gen Xers, or even more likely, Baby Boomers. These savvy businesspeople know that social media marketing is considered an essential part of a company’s marketing plan. But, because they didn’t grow up using these tools, they find it very challenging to master them at this point in their lives and careers. So they hire someone (or a team of someones) to do it for them.
What I’ve discovered — and this is just me — is that my Baby Boomer clients prefer NOT to work with what they consider know-it-all 20-somethings. Even though the 20-somethings probably don’t intend to come across this way, the clients I work with feel “talked down to” by the younger generation.
As a result, “older” clients often choose to work with an “old person” like me (I’m on the tail end of the Baby Boomer generation) who has years of business experience, an understanding of the Gen X and Baby Boomer market, and a very real, deep understanding of what it means to grow up without the benefit of social tools, but to have tackled social media and (mostly) conquered it.
I believe there’s room for both “youngters” and “oldsters” in social media marketing. Ideally, a team comprised of 20-, 30-, 40-, 50- and 60-somethings working together on a social campaign could bring a phenomenal combination of fresh ideas, business experience, and technical know-how to the table.
@laurachristianson | # | Top