Read the detailed study on social networks like Facebook, Linkedln and Twitter adopt and find out how to effectively use these tools in a commercial capacity and increase your popularity in social media network.

1. Death of the Social Media Guru
As a result of organisations becoming increasingly
aware of the burgeoning power of social media and
consequentially seeking to grow their online
presence, a new breed of candidate has emerged. The
self-proclaimed ‘social media guru’, but with no bench
mark set to aspire to and no qualifications to back up
this status, couldn't anyone call themselves a Social
Media Guru? And what effect will this have upon the
industry as a whole?
Personal to professional
Community Engagement Consultant Ilana Fox
recently started a campaign in an attempt to rid the
world of the so called ‘social media guru’.
Resentful of being classed as a social media guru
herself, Fox brings to the foreground the reasons for
this new trend and the inevitable issues arising as a
result.
Many of the issues raised by Fox are already revealing
themselves within the recruitment sector. The vast
majority of ‘social media gurus’ we encounter base
their skills upon their personal use of social networks

2. such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, adopting the
view that they are qualified to use these tools and
have used them effectively in a commercial capacity.
Yet their knowledge and evidence of how to drive
campaigns through social media and achieve results
is sparse. Whilst the basic principles are there such as
boosting numbers, there is no strategy in place or
understanding of what the moral and ethical
implications of using these channels are.
What do clients want?
The primary request that we are seeing as recruiters
is a demand for results driven candidates. Clients
want to see how a candidate’s social media skills have
impacted in a previous post upon tangibles such as
ROI and traffic - they want commercial value.
However, many organisations are unaware of how to
best measure this and as such have no previous
results for comparison, meaning that the success of a
campaign and a candidate’s worth is open to
interpretation.
Yet with digital still evolving of development,
inevitably we are seeing a skill shortage as the market
plays catch up and the candidates who can deliver in
this capacity are few and far between. This results in
the hiring of the not so capable ‘social media guru’ in
a desperate attempt to quickly establish themselves
online.
The price of social media expertise
What is perhaps more worrying though is that this
lack of understanding from both client and candidate

3. is directly influencing salaries. The salaries currently
offered and requested for these roles are not
reflective of the work required or skill sets possessed
and often differ wildly from one organisation to the
next. Leading to confusion for clients and an
inaccurate sense of market worth for the social media
guru.
What next?
Birmingham City University became the first
university to offer a degree in social media back in
2009. Since then many other universities have
followed suit by integrating social media modules
within related courses such as Media Studies and
Marketing. Perhaps an indication that in time we may
see a new influx of candidates with ‘certified’ social
media skills and the criteria could soon become more
defined.
That said, skill development in general and
particularly within digital is usually an organic
process and acquired through experience. Fox
outlines that the core attributes to look for if seeking
a social media expert are a background of PR or
marketing, along with a strong knowledge of media
law.
So if you’re new to the industry then getting
experience in the aforementioned areas is a good
start and if you’re already working within the
industry, whether it’s in a marketing, communications
or PR position then why not speak to your current
employers about additional training. Or better still, if

4. your organisation already has a digital team see if
they can help – even if it’s shadowing for a week. Half
of what’s needed is experience, but the right
experience, anyone can create a group or boost the
number of twitter followers they have but as we’ve
identified it’s a case of delivering results.
About Major Players
Headquartered in Covent Garden, London, Major
Players’ team of more than 80 consultants provides
freelance and permanent personnel. The firm recruits
for various advertising jobs, marketing, design,
digital media, events, interactive media, creative,
design, PR jobs in UK.for more information visit
http://www.majorplayers.co.uk/
Contact
MajorPlayers: +44(0)207 836 4041
Mike Iannella: mike.iannella@majorplayers.co.uk
Charley Caines: charley.caines@majorplayers.co.uk