- They call themselves an evangelist, guru or expert, and no one else does.
and
- They use "expert" or "evangelist" or "guru" or our personal favorite, "influencer" as any of their usernames.
Social media marketing is a new field - new enough for it to seem ridiculous that anyone could call themselves a social media expert. It simply hasn't been around long enough for anyone (aside from Mark Zuckerberg) to claim expertise. But what about self-proclaimed expertise in more established fields such as SEO or PPC advertising?
The truth is that these fields are constantly evolving. Thanks to the unethical practices of many SEO "experts", search engines are constantly changing their ranking methods to avoid spam. Ironically, this in turn causes SEO best practices to change monthly, or even weekly. Likewise, Google is routinely altering its AdWords advertising program to keep up with the ever changing online environment.
Being an expert in internet marketing requires not only experience, but a dedication to continual learning. Considering how quickly the rules change in SEO and social media, it's a wonder anyone calls him or herself an expert. It would be like Lewis and Clark claiming to have discovered every plant species in North America.
To be fair, it's true that there are some talented - even expert - internet marketing professionals in the industry. But they tread very cautiously around terms like "expert" and "guru", and they don't often mistake a lengthy career history for applicable skill. Dave Snyder, a respected SEO analyst, entrepreneur and co-founder of SearchEngineJournal.com, makes the following comment:
“When I talk to SEOs now who throw around how long they have been in the business I happily tell them I have only been professionally doing this for a portion of their lengthy career, because in the end talent and drive are what this game is all about, not the number of years someone has been mediocre.”
As I kick off my own entrepreurship in internet marketing, Dave's words are both comforting and inspiring. Sure, most other internet marketing professionals have much larger portfolios and a thick number of years in the industry under their belts, but that's all the more reason for me to work extra hard at staying on top of best social media practices and changes in Google’s algorithms. In an industry which increasingly rewards relevancy and freshness of content, surely being “new” has its perks.
Take my husband's success in freshwater fishing, for example.
I grew up very close to a private lake here in Michigan owned by my family. My grandfather was an avid fisherman, and I started tagging along when I was two years old. By the time I was ten, I had the whole process down, from catching bait to frying fillets. I consider myself a pan fishing expert.
My husband, on the other hand, is a native Filipino and had never fished in a freshwater lake until we were married. When I introduced him to my family's lake, he was enamored with my grandfather's fishing legacy and dove into the sport headfirst. While I lingered on the dock casually threading worms onto my hook, he was mining the bait and tackle shop for information on which lures worked best, when, where and how to use them. Before I'd caught enough bluegill to fill a frying pan, he'd pulled sixty inches of pike and bass out of the lake.
It may be a silly analogy, but I think it's a great example of how being an "expert" can end up limiting what you're able to accomplish. In this case, I was the "expert" in the field of fishing, but my novice husband was the one who landed the big catch. He researched and gathered effective “tools” while I used the same thing that had always worked for me - worms. I complacently went for small fry while he jumped in with high expectations - and fulfilled them.
Rather than attempting to become another internet marketing expert in a sea of self-proclaimed gurus, I aim to be a perpetual student. I look forward to sharing what I learn about web marketing here on my blog, and I hope those of you reading will share your own insights as well.
If you've gotten all the way to this paragraph, my heartfelt thanks for reading through my first blog post! I've set a goal to make a post each week, so stay tuned, and thanks again!
1 comments:
Go for it! And when you're out for yourself, go for the big fish, not the pan-fish!
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