I really admire this guy! He is the legend in blogging!!!!
Courtesy of mashable.com || Originally from: Amybeth Hale
Amybeth Hale is a Talent Attraction Manager with AT&T’s Interactive Staffing team. She uses social technology to help drive awareness of job opportunities as well as interact with candidates. Connect with her on Twitter at @researchgoddess.Want to know what it takes to start, and develop, a successful career path in the realm of social media? I recently had the pleasure of talking with 17 bright, enthusiastic professionals who are on the rise in their respective careers about some of the things they have learned and are continuing to learn along the way about using social media in their daily work, and where they see things heading.
These people were recommended to me by some of the most well-known players in social media today, and after comparing notes on the conversations I had, I concluded that there are four main areas that these 17 people have in common: they all know how to and appreciate the value in building authentic relationships, they are all digital trendsetters within their communities, they are all risk-takers, and they all know the extreme importance of giving back. These four items, I believe, have significantly contributed to their rising popularity as well as the increase in respect that they receive from their managers, peers, and colleagues.
A Few Things That Don’t Matter
In addition to identifying key traits among these successful social media stars, I also discovered a handful of things that are not indicative being successful with social media.
- There is no specific age or generation bias. The people I spoke to range in age from mid-20s to mid-40s; years of experience range from a few years to a couple decades.
- Education doesn’t matter. Some have post-graduate degrees, some have Bachelors degrees, and some were educated through the school of life.
- Type of employment situation doesn’t matter. Some are self-employed, some work for small companies, and some work for large international corporations.
In other words, traditional traits of success don’t necessarily apply to those working in social media, who instead tend to create opportunities for success through their actions.
1. Develop Authentic Relationships
As well, Keith Burtis, who was recommended to me by Chris Brogan, believes he was recommended as a result of years of developing a professional friendship and partnership with Chris in several business endeavors.
Initiating the outreach for these relationships was also a common occurrence amongst those with whom I spoke. When Amanda Mooney, now a Sr. Social Media Strategist with Edelman, attended a presentation by Richard Edelman at a PRSSA conference, she decided to contact him via email beforehand. He responded and remained in contact throughout her time in college, and has continued to be supportive as her career progresses.
Continued learning is also a great way to nurture relationships with your colleagues. Those I spoke to all cited a strong desire to learn from their peers. Dan Honigman, Digital Supervisor with Weber Shandwick, took a special interest in learning from the corporate culture created at Zappos as well as how they keep customers coming back again and again. Jennifer Leggio, Director of Strategic Communications with Fortinet, invited every security person she met at the FIRST Conference to join Twitter, and then created a categorized list on her blog so that they could all learn from each other. Kaitlyn Wilkins, VP of Digital Strategy with Ogilvy’s 360 Digital Influence Group, has sat at the feet of Managing Director John Bell to learn and grow, citing that he has been an incredible mentor for her during her time there.
The bottom line is that creating authentic relationships with peers is smart networking, and that works in the world of social media just as it does in the offline world.
2. Be a Digital Trendsetter
Being up-to-date with, and oftentimes ahead of, digital trends is also an important trait to possess in order to be successful in the social media world. For example, Dave Knox, Brand Manager, Digital Innovation with Procter & Gamble, was an integral part of P&G’s Hack Night, a gathering of some of the brightest minds in the digital space in early 2009 in an effort to educate the P&G senior marketers. Placing himself ahead of the curve positioned Knox for success in helping to lead P&G’s social media efforts.
Kipp Bodnar, Social Media Marketing Manager at Howard, Merrell & Partners, indicated that he believes there is tremendous opportunity for location-based social media applications in the near future. That’s why he is working with one of his B2B clients on a mobile campaign to raise consumer crossover awareness. So does Venessa Miemis: she hinted that we should be watching companies that enhance the mobile experience, citing products such as Layar, an augmented reality browser, as an example. Being ahead of the adoption curve will allow those people to position themselves as thought-leaders once the next wave of popular social media applications reach a mainstream audience.
And Jessica Randazza, a Senior Associate with Digitas, realizes that as brands become more entrenched in social media, there will be a need to silo things out and focus on creating more genuine content as consumers become more savvy, and jaded, to marketing outreach via social media. In her words, “Less brands, more brand ambassadors.”
3. Take Risks
With no risk, there is no reward. Just ask Laura Roeder, Principal of Roeder Studios, who set out on her own a few years ago in an effort to move beyond the echo chamber of social media professionals preaching just to each other. She says, “We need to be brave, get out of our comfort zones, and go to places where people may be skeptical of social media, and of us. We need to evangelize.”
Kneale Mann, also self-employed, says that he “sees opportunities” so he can “seize opportunities.” (He admitted that this was cheesy, but it’s true!) Kneale came from a more traditional media background – radio/TV/print – and took a risk that has turned out to be quite fruitful when he crossed over and found new avenues and channels to pursue through social media.
4. Give Back
Len Kendall, Digital Account Supervisor with GolinHarris, along with his colleague Dan Honigman, started the3six5 Project in which they will put up a blog post by a different author every day of 2010. The idea was born out of the concept of lifestreaming and the goal is to introduce and give a voice to lots of different people, from many different places, using social media.
Another example comes from Sarah Evans, President at Sevans Strategy, whose business is almost entirely built around working with non-profits and ‘social good’ companies. She shared a story about the Crisis Overnight campaign she helped to run which raised $160,000 via social media channels to help a local community crisis center keep its doors open.
Conclusion
Are these the only traits that must be possessed in order to rise up in the social media world? Absolutely not – but the fact that almost every one of the 17 people with whom I spoke shared each of these four things in common speaks loudly to their importance.
Learn from those who are on the fast-track to success in their careers and you’ll find your own success in your social media career: develop genuine relationships with your peers and mentors, be ahead of the digital curve in your business, don’t be averse to taking some risks in your career, and always be willing to pay it forward and help those coming on behind you.
What other traits have you found helpful in advancing your own career? Let us know in the comments.
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