Social media experts are everywhere. Everyone claims to be one and those who don’t already claim to be one, want to be one. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration but it often feels that way.
There are currently over one million people on LinkedIn claiming to be social media experts, and on LinkedIn alone, there are over 113,000 jobs posted seeking folks with social media experience. That doesn’t include other top job posting sites such as Indeed, CareerBuilder, Glassdoor, etc.
You can get degrees or specializations for social media now. Social media careers have broken into CNN’s list of top 100 careers with big growth (Social Media College). Now that social media is ingrained in our schools, culture and society, companies must figure out how to use it and how to hire the best people for the job. And those that are interested in a career in social media, need to figure out how to set themselves apart from the rest.
Blurred Lines
Cue the Blurred Lines song. We thought it was only fair to share since we can’t get it out of our heads now either! But seriously, copywriting, grammar (ability to write grammatically correct and edit your own work), analytics, SEO, paid search, and strategy all play a strong role in your company’s social media presence as well as in the skill sets social media professionals should have and/or be aware of. The balance of each varies for every company and every role but it can drastically affect hiring budgets for a company or earnings for potential employees.
With over 40% of the world’s population on social media, or 3.2 billion users worldwide (Hubspot), you need to get this balance right and make sure you appropriately budget for these roles. Making bad hires can break the trust your organization has worked so hard to create or prevent your company from building trust within its current and potential customer base.
Before you hire your next social media “expert” or before you take your next social media job, ensure expectations align around specific experiences and capabilities. Careful examination of portfolios/case studies, discussions around processes, and clear company goals will ensure you hire the right person as well as accept the right job that fits your experience and capabilities. A small assignment is also a great way for both the company and the job seeker to ensure a match.
If you need help hiring your next social media professional, let us help. We know the impact of great social media on a company and we would love to see you experience the same success!