There are so many companies and individuals claiming to be social media experts and gurus, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to tell truth from hyperbole. The fact is, the true experts and gurus are the first to shun such labels. Why? Their work and involvement speak for themselves. Plus, they’re constantly learning and exploring — and darn proud to admit it.

If you’re willing to spend your hard-earned money seeking help with social media, spend a little time asking questions and getting answers from the people and agencies you might to do business with. If they’ve really sunk their teeth into the big, juicy, social media sandwich, they’ll more than welcome the opportunity to chat with you over a cup of coffee. After all, social media tools are catalysts for building human relationships and taking action in the physical world rather than substitutes for them.

A few things you might consider asking in addition to Google-ing their name and scouring their website (those should be a given):

1. What social media tools do you personally use?
There are so many out there that there is no right answer, but they should be able to spit out at least five without any hesitation whatsoever. 10 would be ideal.

2. Which do you use on a daily or weekly basis?
Being a social media professional requires involvement. After all, you don’t learn to perform Butoh by merely discussing the subtleties of movement.

3. What have you contributed to the subject of social media?
Involvement isn’t just about posting status updates, it’s about engaging with and being part of the social media community. Not to mention it involves doing some honest thinking about social media’s role is and how it is changing the way we all communicate and engage. Have they written on the subject? Spoken? Blogged? Vlogged? Podcasted? Etc?

4. How have you used social media to “move the needle” for you and/or your company?
Stats don’t lie. People do. Ask for figures.

5. What non-social media experience do you have in brand development?
Forrester Research’s Jeremiah Owyang cites that the average senior social media veteran has four years experience. Considering the speed at which social media moves, that’s very close to several decades. So, ask what did they do before the “existence” of social media as we know it today? Perhaps that person or agency has extensive PR, advertising, or Web and application development experience that will give them the edge.

Of course, these are just a few ideas, but it should give businesses beginning their search a starting point. The simple fact is that you need know as much as you can about the people and companies you’re hiring to help you tell your story. The great thing is, you can learn as much as you want to learn before spending a dime.

Any other questions you’d recommend businesses ask? Love to hear ‘em, and hope you’re well.

—

If you’re want to dig a little deeper into the good and the bad of social media labels, here are two wonderful posts by some actual pros:

Top 25 Ways to Tell if Your Social Media Expert Is a Carpetbagger, by Beth Harte and Geoff Livingston

25 Signs You’ve Got a Strong SM Consultant or Agency, by Beth Harte