Layoff Walk of Shame

Layoff Walk of Shame.

Making the most out of social media hires

I’ve had this article sitting in one of my Firefox tabs for more than a week now.

You know how there are chores or odd jobs you need to do, but just can’t seem to get them onto the front burner? Inc.com has an article titled, “11 Reasons a 23-Year-Old Shouldn’t Run Your Social Media,” and it’s been burning a hole in the back of my brain trying to figure out what to make of it.

As a seasoned worker, I’m all about the 11 reasons not to hire a kid to do a grown-up’s job. There are too many of us talented folks sitting on the sidelines either unemployed or under-employed.

The list reads like the seven deadly sins of any corporate hiring.

1) They’re not mature enough.

2) They may be focused on their own social media.

3) They may not have the same etiquette or experience.

4) You can’t control their friends.

5) No class can replace on-the-job training.

6) They may not understand your business.

7) Communication skills are critical.

8) Humor is tricky business.

9) Social-media savvy is not the same as technical savvy.

10) Social media management can become crisis management.

11) You need to keep the keys.

The article makes a good point when author Hollis Thomases points out that just because a CEO or president of a company doesn’t understand the marketing tool of social media doesn’t mean they should turn the responsibility over to somebody’s niece or nephew who is fresh out of school.

Over the past year, I’ve seen more than a fair share of social-media manager type positions posted on job banks and other work opportunity postings. It’s as if about two years ago all the CEOS went to a big honcho convention and the first order of business was some expert standing up and saying, “You need social media — NOW!”

And so the sheep all returned to the fold and told their human resources person to put out a search for a social media guru.

Eventually some companies got it. They really embraced what social media could do in terms of promoting their companies and keeping a critical eye on consumer opinions.

Then there were others that made the hire and watched the person set up a Facebook page and Twitter account and fiddle their days away playing Farmville in the name of research and development.

I think you can take any of the concerns raised in the Inc.com article and raise them about job candidates of any age. But just the same, they are points well raised regardless of the candidate’s age or experience. An employer needs to do due diligence in whomever they hire.

So, while I’m busily blogging my way out of a job by sticking up for the millennials, hopefully one of them will be start up a new company and realize their new social media person is right here.

Website archeologist or anthropologist — which does your business need?

If you’re in business, do you need your digital and social media staffs to be website anthropologists or archeologists?

Let’s assume you were paying attention back in fifth grade when the teacher tried to explain the difference between the two.

Archeology deals mainly with the recovery of ancient artifacts; the places they were found and the people who created the artifacts. Think Indiana Jones (fedoras are optional).

Anthropologists study human cultures and how societies have evolved into where we are today.

So here’s the real question. As the leader of a business, do you want your digital and social media staffs spending the majority of their time poking around archaic website production software and outdated computer hardware? Essentially being website archeologists.

My guess is that you’d rather have these key players in your company’s future playing the role of website anthropologists. Not so much looking back at how we got to the modern paradigm of Internet activity, but spending time seeing how social media of all forms interact with traditional websites.

Simply put, for a business website you want to know how traffic is flowing to your site and where are users going once they’ve found you. This is important information in the success of your site. If users can’t find what they need on your site, chances are they are not coming back.

Here’s where your digital and social media staffs can be real players and not just relic diggers. Through the use of online analytics they should be able to tell you the sources of traffic (i.e. SEO, social media, Web page links, etc.)

They should also be able to tell you the pattern of the traffic once users are on the site. If, for example, 90 percent of your users don’t scroll down the page below the fold, then it should follow that the important stuff on your page is not positioned at the bottom.

They should also be able to show you the timing of the traffic pattern. If the majority of your visits are coming on weekdays during business hours, it makes sense to have your digital and social media staffs focusing on these time slots.

Now there are always outliers in every plan. But that’s where your website anthropologists can keep your site one step ahead of the game and not wasting time looking for ancient artifacts.