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7 Things Your Social Media Coach Should Do for You
December 3, 2009, 2:48 PM by ROB
Posted in SOCIAL MEDIA, COACHING | 587 views
Lessons that every consumer can relate to (and that every social media pro can learn from)

I'm a social media coach. There are a lot of people selling social media out there. Not many of us take the coaching approach yet, but it's coming. I've learned a lot over the past few years of developing my core services, so here are some of the lessons I've learned the hard way since then.

I write this not to toot my own horn, but to educate. If you're a social media pro, please take the time to learn from a few of these. If you're looking to hire a social media coach, trainer, or speaker, be sure to match your prospects with these criteria.

1.) Listen first.

If you're thinking about hiring a social media coach, you're probably doing so because you know they have the experience and knowledge to help you be successful. We could try to dazzle you with our brilliance, but you just want to tell us about you. A good coach will stop yapping and listen to your story.

2.) Ask the right questions.

Listening can only take us so far. We'll need some clarification before we can get to the steps that will help you be successful in social media. A good coach will ask the questions that will help get you to the real problem.

3.) Look beyond what you WANT and help you find what you NEED.

You'll tell us that you want to use Twitter. You'll tell us that you want to have 100,000 fans on your Facebook fan page. You'll tell us that you want to be able to market to your list of 1,500 email subscribers. But maybe that's not what you need. We'll work through your specific goals to find the strategy that will reach them. Trust us; we've been around the block a time or two.

4.) Balance tactics with strategy.

Sure, tools like Facebook and Twitter are important. Sure, we could teach you about every feature of every platform on the face of the planet (if we learned them, first). But those tools aren't everything. It's our job to give you the strategy behind the tools. Remember: we're having conversations with people, not shouting for a soap box.

5.) Serve as a resource for you, not as a crutch.

We're here for you whenever you hit a roadblock, but sometimes, the best way to learn your way around a tool is to explore. We can guide you through the important parts, but we'll want you to get comfortable with a tool on your own.

6.) Empower YOU to successfully manage your web presence as a part of your daily life.

Tying into number five, we're here to support you, not manage your accounts for you. For the average small business owner, no one should manage your social media accounts for you (more on that later). To make that process easier, we'll show you how to handle your social presence in a way that fits your schedule.

7.) Realize that it's YOUR business.

No matter what steps we suggest you take, at the end of the day, it's your business and you know best. If you get that gut feeling that something just isn't right, we'll take your word for it. We may explore another option, but a good social media coach won't push you into implementing a strategy that you aren't comfortable with.

What about you?

How could a social media coach best serve you? I'd like to better myself, so I've got a personal interest in your comments.

This post is sponsored by The Social Media Mastery course, a 10-week group coaching and training course designed to get you beyond the basics of social media and using social media like a pro for your business. Our next session starts on December 9 and seats are limited, so register now by visiting http://mysocialmastery.eventbrite.com.

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