There’s really just three steps in picking the right social media professional for your business:

  1. If they mention “automation”, run like hell.
  2. If they instruct you to use more than two or three new tools right away, run like hell.
  3. Compare your so-called expert’s website against The Social Media Douchebag site by @SnipeyHead – if it looks similar or the same, run like hell.

Social media is called social for a reason. You can’t automate social processes without looking like a d-bag. The best question, and tool in your arsenal against a “guru” is this simple question: “Why?”

Why should you be on Twitter, or Facebook, or have a blog? These are all questions your social media person should be able to answer you – with a solid plan, and not just because of “exposure”.

If they look, smell, and sound like a sleazebag, you’re probably dealing with a sleazebag. Find some place like The Digital Gunslingers and learn as much as you can before shelling out the big bucks.

(Header image: Computer Technology Fortune by deanj)