5 Traits of a Social Media Superstar

Thousands of companies are learning the value of social media and reallocating marketing budgets to grow their presence. For me, it's an amazing time time to be alive! I began my social media journey in 2010, before paid ads, social media departments, or advanced video concepts. Most of us knew this industry would blow up, but even the greatest optimists probably didn't expect Facebook to net $46.5 billion revenue in a single year. As knowledge becomes more available, marketing teams will continue to hire specialists who are mastering this craft. When working with fellow social media professionals, I've discovered five traits that separate superstars from the rest.

5. Storytelling Abilities

Social media is a story, an experience, and should always read like one. When interviewing your candidate you should ask them to explain how their experience is unique and benefits what you are trying to accomplish. Your expert will find a way to generate copy, creative, and video that doesn't scream advertisement, but instead catches a user's emotion to react in a favorable way. There are such things as social media ads, and they are very important to know. However, these should be framed as an extension to your experience and not the sole purpose of marketing.

4. Communication Skills

Social media professionals love solving social media puzzles that lead to maximized results. There are endless numbers of metrics that can be tracked, and we're all fascinated by increasing these results. But can your social media manager communicate them? Building an awesome report is just half the battle. Presenting the report will complete the operation. Whether dealing with a client, CEO, or internal supervisor, we have to continuously prove our worth. Social media is very new to many companies and the educational aspect is pivotal. Being able to present data and philosophies in a way that is understandable, should be a key trait of your social media professional.

3. Video, Video, VIDEO!

What do Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Snapchat all have in common? Video content is booming and is expected to be over 90% of the Facebook timeline by 2019. With this in mind, it's important to find social media professionals who either have a background in video or are actively learning to adapt their skills for it. Social media video generally isn't a Disney production. Many of the videos are under 30 seconds that can be shot and edited by a single person. Save your company thousands of dollars in outsourcing video by finding a social media professional that understands these concepts. If your company is the type that has several social media managers, you may not need each member to edit video. It's still vital however that they know advanced elements on how to increase ROI with social media video concepts.

2. The Ability to Adapt

Social media algorithms and trends change faster then the weather in Houston. There is no telling what could launch tomorrow and change the social media landscape immediately. It's important for your social media professional to be as far ahead of these trends as possible. For instance, the companies that saw the importance of Instagram in 2012 are companies that got a monumental head start with. If your marketing team waits to try the newest big thing after everybody is already doing it, than it will cost you a lot more money to catch up to the pack. The ideal social media professional is always wanting to evolve, try new things, create big ideas, and wants to learn.

1. Social Media Swag

The best social media professionals exemplify a type of confidence that separates them from the pack. Don't confuse this with egos or cockiness, those aren't what we're talking about here. This person will be your lead asset that knows their philosophy can beat the competition. Once the competition is beat then they want to start beating their own quarterly numbers. There are proven strategies that work in social media, but the very best social media professionals have their own way of doing things that works. Embrace their positivity and quirkiness, by challenging them. Social media professionals that carry around swag love a challenge, and deliver results. They are eager to educate everyone around them and bring enormous positive energy to your workplace.

When making your choice for a social media professional, there are many different backgrounds or skills you may desire. Culture fit is real and extremely important. I'd highly recommend looking through these five traits as a checklist for greatness in addition to your requirements. Happy hunting!

-Andy Pondillo