What is a “social media expert” and what does it take to actually be an expert in social media? There are a lot – and I mean tons – of people who claim to be social media experts. There is a lot of demand for social media advice and there are plenty of people who arise to fill the demand but who or what actually labels these people as experts and why do so many people self-proclaim that they are experts? As of right now, there is no social media expert degree or social media expert accreditation committee that helps business owners’ seed out who they should be giving their money to. Let us help you decide.
Experts Translate Engagement into Success
Social media outlets may still operate a bit like the Wild West but that doesn’t stop businesses from joining the rodeo. There are some businesses that believe that if their products and customer service are good enough the social media side will just take care of itself. This type of thinking gets companies into a lot of trouble and is exactly the reason why the companies with even the best products have massive social media campaigns and strategies to capitalize on the engagement they do get from their followers.
When determining how your “social media expert” will incorporate sales into their strategy ask them: How does this campaign translate into conversions for my business? Sure you could argue that social media conversion metrics are difficult to measure and you would be right. But social media still has as its essence the component of creating, cultivating and nurturing relationships. This sounds a lot like a sales relationship doesn’t it? The bottom line here is that the social media strategy should not replace the marketing strategy it should complement it.
What Marketing Experts Complement with Social Media
Social media does not exist on its own. It feeds off of your other marketing efforts and the response of your consumers both past, present and future. At the core of every social media campaign and ad (paid or not) lies the content that drives action. First, the content must be created with the end goal of appealing to the consumer. Next, it must incorporate elements of direct response copywriting that help to trigger action. Finally, the landing pages your social media posts point to must be well-defined and established so that they can eventually result in a conversion.
Engagement is only half the battle. The other half is getting those engaged consumers to convert into customers, thus earning the position as expert as opposed to claiming it.
Thanks for reading,
