Why “expert” shouldn’t be a dirty word in social media…

Written on January 29, 2010 by socialmediabirmingham in Uncategorized
3 Comments - Leave a comment!

I think one of the major turning points in my social media studies has to be attending Social Fresh Nashville this year. Getting to meet so many great people there who are taking Social Media to the next level was amazing.

One of the sessions I remember most was @JasonFalls talking about Social Media and the Bottom line. Mainly because the #sofresh hashtag blew up trying to find out about the “tree-hugging hippies” in our lecture.

But basically, Jason called out all the Social Media “flower children” and “tree-hugging hippies”. You know, the ones of us who are “you can’t put ads in your RSS or on your site to make money. People hate ads”. As much as I hate to admit it, I was one of these people for quite some time.

But what Jason said struck a cord with me. It’s not People who don’t like ads. It’s us, the social media community. We are tired of being bombarded with banners and flashy flash ads. Normal People, those who live outside the bubble, really don’t mind those ads and may actually find the side banner ad for a bagpiper in Atlanta actually useful and helpful, adding value to their experience on your site.

But how does this relate to experts? Well, mainly because we’re confusing our clients by NOT calling ourselves experts. I can think of no less than 5 so-called “social media experts/gurus/whatever” who are having success in the market with half the knowledge and experience they need. Why? Because their clients know what to expect from them.

An Expert is someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by their peers or the public in a specific well-distinguished domain. –Wikipedia

No where in that description of “expert” does it mention that the expert has to know how to use all the tools effectively. All they really need to know is the main concepts of the techniques and skills they provide to execute the task effectively. Tools are the easy part. Anyone can tweet, create a Facebook fanpage, or blog. It takes an expert to move the needle and get an ROI on Social Media.

  • http://twitter.com/spencerwyatt Spencer Wyatt

    I think the reason that the word “expert” is often (and appropriately) mocked in social media is that there are so many people who are self-proclaimed “experts” but have no track record of actually producing results with social media. These people shouldn't be able to claim to be anything more than being a social media “hobbyist” or “enthusiast.”

    Once a person has demonstrated that they can consistently drive real results using social media – whether that means increases in sales, customer satisfaction, brand awareness, or some other metric – then they can legitimately tell people they are an “expert.” But they likely won't need to, because their clients will – and no one will ever sing your praises louder than a happy client will.

  • http://twitter.com/chriscreates Chris Davis

    I agree with you and Spencer at the same time. I have come across a seemingly unending list of self professed social media “experts” who's social media sites for their “expertise” are less engaging than my 73 year old fathers Facebook. While you presented the true definition and case for an “expert,” that term has been tainted by those who profess it, but can't produce it. In the long run, those who are not experts, but claim to be, will weed themselves out by providing weak advise, thin strategies and low ROI. The problem is there are so many weeds, it's hard to see the true experts.

  • http://twitter.com/chriscreates Chris Davis

    I agree with you and Spencer at the same time. I have come across a seemingly unending list of self professed social media “experts” who's social media sites for their “expertise” are less engaging than my 73 year old fathers Facebook. While you presented the true definition and case for an “expert,” that term has been tainted by those who profess it, but can't produce it. In the long run, those who are not experts, but claim to be, will weed themselves out by providing weak advise, thin strategies and low ROI. The problem is there are so many weeds, it's hard to see the true experts.

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