What is the required skill set to become a "social media marketer" (a title that I am not sold on, but will use for lack of a better one)?
This is not a new question. In fact, this questions has been asked more times over the past few years than I care to recount, but the fact of the matter is that the space is reaching an age of maturity whereby we need some standards.
Are these the standards;
While the answer to this question is still unclear, one thing I can say with 100% certainty is, the above criteria are not the standards.
I tend to be a purist. I think that if you are a modern marketer you should be, by default a "social media marketer". If you are not, you are simply a poor marketer!
If you were never a marketer to begin with and decided there was a tremendous opportunity (due to lack of knowledge) in the "social media marketing" arena and fulfilled the above criteria, can you then be considered a "social media marketer"?
Those who are passionate and diligent (and of course intelligent) should rise to the top of the stack, but in the interim the onslaught of those claiming to be "social media marketers" is potentially diluting the market and making it difficult for those individuals that are just good old savvy marketers who understand new media.
I would love to hear your thoughts on what makes a "social media marketer" (I know many of you out there have them)
This is not a new question. In fact, this questions has been asked more times over the past few years than I care to recount, but the fact of the matter is that the space is reaching an age of maturity whereby we need some standards.
Are these the standards;
- A Facebook account and a copy of The Cluetrain Manifesto
- Some SEO chops and access to PRWeb
- Web design skills and the knowledge of what an API is
- Over 5000 Twitter followers
- A blog with a Technorati ranking above 200
- Spending a lot of time on Plurk talking about Twitter
- Have had dinner with Robert Scoble
While the answer to this question is still unclear, one thing I can say with 100% certainty is, the above criteria are not the standards.
I tend to be a purist. I think that if you are a modern marketer you should be, by default a "social media marketer". If you are not, you are simply a poor marketer!
If you were never a marketer to begin with and decided there was a tremendous opportunity (due to lack of knowledge) in the "social media marketing" arena and fulfilled the above criteria, can you then be considered a "social media marketer"?
At the end of the day it does not really matter how you got to become a "social media marketer". The only thing that matters is the quality of work you output.
Those who are passionate and diligent (and of course intelligent) should rise to the top of the stack, but in the interim the onslaught of those claiming to be "social media marketers" is potentially diluting the market and making it difficult for those individuals that are just good old savvy marketers who understand new media.
I would love to hear your thoughts on what makes a "social media marketer" (I know many of you out there have them)