For years, we’ve been saying you don’t need a social media expert, consultant or specialist. Nor do you require social-specific certifications. You just need a talented modern marketer. Social isn’t new and should be a skill set everyone has.
Why no certifications? The skills in social are really only nurtured by having your own projects you’ve built from the ground up (not other people’s platforms) and experience with hands on work. So when I saw Jason Falls share the following Tweet over the weekend about a meme that “social media experts” love to say, I had to re-share:
Increased frequency of “you’re using social media wrong” posts this morning. If someone’s use bugs you, unfollow them. Life is too short.
This quote resonated as I’ve heard similar statements over the years on blogs, at conferences and even by consultants in boardrooms. We’ve even had some readers lately try and tell us how we have been covering the industry for the past 6 years / how we run our community is “wrong,” despite a majority of people finding value in what we do (although I see making enemies as valuable as making friends so don’t personally have issues with this).
Ultimately, those who think there are “right” and “wrong” ways to use technology for communications and are preaching this just make themselves look bad. Different communities follow different rules and to blindly try and apply a set of best practices across niches, audiences or brands is going to set yourself up for failure.
Having built several 6 and 7-figure sites and been moderating digital communities since the 90s I’ll say from experience you should break perceived rules and find what works for you. And if someone bothers you personally or you find yourself in a situation professionally that you’re being told something is wrong that you know to be right (or want to test) but are being shackled, get out. As Jason said, life is too short.