As social media marketing continues to mature, the need for highly skilled social media marketers will only increase. As a business, you will need to identify important skills and habits that the best social media marketers possess in order to attract and hire top talent.
That leads us to a legitimate question:
What skills and habits do the best social media marketers possess?
Given how new social media marketing positions are, you may find it hard to define exactly what it is you are actually looking for. Determined to get to the bottom of this, we reached out to some of the most successful social media marketers to ask for their feedback.
The expertise and experience of these individuals ranges from social media agency founders to best selling authors of social media marketing books. One thing is clear, if anyone would knows what skill or habits exceptional social media marketer possess, it would be these influencers.
Below is their responses to the question: “What is the one habit or skill the best social media marketers have and why?”
Andy Crestodina
(Co-Founder and Strategic Director of Orbit Media Solutions)
“The problem with social is that it can be very time consuming. So the best social media marketers are expert time managers. They don’t check the social stream constantly. They organize their time by setting aside certain times of day for social activity. Through this kind of “time blocking” they become very efficient. Social media experts are also very good at delegation and automation. This is the other key to saving time. They make smart choices about what tools to use and how to collaborate with others on their team. They are continually moving their tasks to the right on this chart (see below). The experts understand the value of time and leverage. That’s why they’re so effective.”
Tamara McCleary (Expert in Relationships & Conscious Business, Creator of RelationShift and Top 1% – Global Social Media Contributors)
“The best habit or skill I’ve seen from the best social media marketers is the desire to build real, authentic relationships with their connections. They don’t just broadcast a message, they interact with those they are connected with on a human to human level.”
Ted Rubin (Social Media Strategist, Keynote Speaker and Author)
“For me the marketing superpower, the most important skill that makes you a great marketer, social or otherwise, is all about Looking People in the Eye Digitally… truly doing your best to connect, be responsive, and care.
The ability to go into the “social” homes of consumers and prospects, see and hear what they are talking about and interested in, and really get to know them where they live instead of waiting for them to come to your brand Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, and YouTube channels. It seems so simple, but is being totally overlooked by almost all brands and marketers.
Clearly they need to learn to wade through vast amounts of data. But more importantly they need to trust their judgment, gut instinct, and common sense, and not to make it all about data like some are suggesting.
BE Authentic, don’t just ACT it. This might seem obvious… but authenticity is on the verge of becoming just another buzzword in social media marketing. TRUE authenticity (not just using that word often in your tweets and posts) will set you and your brand (product or personal) apart in today’s highly competitive market.
Welcome to the ‘Age of Influence,’ where anyone can build an audience and effect change, advocate brands, build relationships and make a difference. ANYONE!
Relationships are like muscle tissue… the more they are engaged, the stronger and more valuable they become.”
Neil Patel (Co-Founder at Crazy Egg, Hello Bar and KISSmetrics)
“Consistency. Most social media managers forget basic things like posting on a regular basis or interacting with their community. Doing it every once in awhile isn’t enough, you have to do it daily and be consistent at it. Creating a checklist of your daily social media activities will help you be more consistent.”
Jenn Herman (Social Media Consultant and Trainer at Jenn’s Trends and Director of Communications at PKL Services)
“I think that the best social media managers possess a true understanding of customer service. This is exhibited through genuine communications that authentically connect with their audience. When the social media manager can empathize, support, entertain, and educate their audience through good communication and customer service, they always see the best engagement, results, and revenue.”
Neal Schaffer (CEO of Maximize Your Social and Co-Founder of the Social Tools Summit)
“A few skills come to mind that the best social media marketers have, but I think the most prominent habit is being able to focus. Whether it is content creation, engagement, listening, campaign planning, or analyzing, the best social media marketers need to wear many hats across many social networks which never go to bed. The only way to maintain a strategical approach amongst this whirlwind of never-ending activity is the ability to focus and keep on track, ensuring that tactical objectives are implemented and social media activities are strategically aligned. It’s one habit which separates the best from the rest.”
Ian Anderson Gray (Co-Founder of Select Performers Internet Solutions, Social Media Consultant and Speaker)
“I think enthusiasm and passion are important. Being able to keep up with all the latest techniques, tools and hacks are great skills to have. However attention to detail would be my number one habit. So many social media marketers out there are good at creating, publishing, curating and scheduling content. But, with so much content being created every minute, it’s absolutely vital to create killer content that will stand out. You can become efficient and great at re-purposing content but what matters are good visuals, great fonts, the right image dimensions, using hashtags appropriately, being authentic and human and so much more. Don’t be average. Don’t be a robot. Get the details right and you’ll stand out!”
Douglas Karr (Co-Founder and CEO of CircuPress, CEO of DK New Media and Founder of Marketing Technology Blog)
“The ‘best’ social media marketers understand their audiences and provide value to them. Companies often confuse social selling with pitching… which data consistently shows is both bothersome and ineffective. Social marketers want to create value for their audience and ultimately build a community with that audience. This value builds authority, credibility and trust. And once a social media marketer has that, the door to do business (whether B2C or B2B) is opened.”
Katie Leimkuehler (CEO at Leimkuehler Media LLC)
“The best habit and skill that social media super stars have in common is consistency. They know great things are created through ongoing relationship building and by providing excellent content to their audience. In an ever changing world, reliability is key and to be able to provide that to customers, clients, and fans will set apart the ordinary from the extraordinary.”
Rob Zaleski (Marketing Manager at MarketingProfs)
“The best social media marketers make a habit of getting away from their desk. The most unique inspiration can often be found not staring at your computer screen, but seeking inspiration from new and surprising sources. Successful social media pros like to get out of their bubble!”
Natascha Thomson (CEO at MarketingXLerator, Social Media Consultant and Author of 42 Rules for B2B Social Media Marketing)
“The main skill of a good marketer is the ability to understand their target audience and give them what they want. Much easier said than done. In addition, the best social media marketers know how to engage their audience via a long term strategy instead of just looking at one campaign at a time. In a world where online research precedes most purchases, and consumers are overloaded with information, it’s necessary to build long-term relationships to cut through the noise. A good marker thinks, how can I make my prospect’s life easier? How can I gain their trust?”
Now it is your turn! What skills or habits do you think the experts forgot to mention? Let us know in the comment section.
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