What Is A Social Media Professional?

We are writers.

As well as: photographers, videographers, trend setters, analysts, problem solvers, creative thinkers, connectors…

Social media is a green industry and an even greener profession. For some, it may seem frivolous; something a high school student or recent college grad could easily pull off in a couple of hours. Don’t mistake this as a way to be demeaning toward beginners (we all have to start somewhere and this is not an industry where you learn something once and it is forever the same way; we continue to learn each day), but the point I’m trying to make is that there are definitive advantages to hiring a professional versus a family member or friend as an inexpensive alternative. As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.

What looks like goofing around online all day, the professional understands and applies the strategy behind it. We’re looking at what works on social, what engages people, interests the public, watch what fails and try to figure out why, applaud the successes and make the best attempts at reproducing them, build relationships and positive rapport, investigate competitors, conduct industry research, form partnerships… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. (Ask yourself if those are things you’re getting from your current social media manager.)

Overall, when it comes down to it, we are in the business of people.

We are expected to know what makes them tick and how to inform them to purchase or use a particular product or service from a specific company or organization. All from a computer screen in an electronic world of digital noise. We see the people behind the screen and understand the online experience is simply the medium for socialization that has evolved into a business environment.