Just as a handful of universities are unveiling degree programs in social media – Southern New Hampshire University recently unveiled an MBA degree track in social media marketing – some experts are already playing “Taps” for the social media manager position.

No doubt, this is news to the 88 percent of companies surveyed recently by the Harvard Business Review. A huge number of companies still aren’t ready for social media but desperately want (and need) to be in the game and believe they do it badly.

Given the barely-out-of-the-cradle death knell for social media managers and the obvious gaps in knowledge we see every day, what can a company looking to stake its footprint in social media do, both smartly and affordably?

Also, should companies be looking for that savior with an educational credential or even want to considering social media changes daily?

What kind of social media professional should your company be looking for?

Rather than look for a guru who solves all of a company’s social media woes with a single swoop of a magic wand – thanks to that degree some believe isn’t worth the paper on which it’s printed – we recommend you should be looking for a communications expert.
Death of a Social Media Manager
This expert is, ideally, someone who leverages the right social media platforms – think blogging, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+ – to their best advantage, not to mention to keep them full of fresh, actionable content.
But that’s not all.
This expert will need tenacity, good communications skills, time and technical tools to manage those separate communities. She will also need to have real social skills to manage social communities smartly in addition to an organized mind to schedule posts and track analytics.
But that’s not all.
This expert will need the creative chops to write, edit and proofread error-free copy, often on the run. For example, what can be more embarrassing than finding spelling errors in a 140-character Twitter post?
But that’s not all.
This expert will need a keen eye for design. What’s worse than seeing well-written blog post that’s hard to read (small and too colorful typefaces) and has no image that illustrates what our time-starved readers need to know?

Who has the expertise to address all of your social media needs?

Back to the question that started this post, we think the answer is far less complicated than hiring a social media manager.
Anyone and everyone walking through your door looking for a job these days knows the basics of social media. However, social media is just one set of skills among many if you want to make an impact in your marketplace.
Do they really know how to leverage social media with other proven marketing strategies to promote your company using the Three Es: efficiently, effectively and economically? If you need assistance with any of them, we’re always here to help.