What do these veteran social media marketers do, that makes them successful in their industry?
Is it just a mere positivity in their attitudes?
What sets them apart from the wannabes and the newbies?
Well, the more experienced social media marketers are doing something consistent which may be unnoticeable for them, but noticeable from a third party point of view.
Firstly, let us tackle what we mean by social media marketers. They are the ones who know how to create a website content that can help boost your online presence and then maximize the use of social media for added target audience reached and more revenue for your products, services or business in general.
And when we say veteran social media marketers, we refer to the ones who have years of experience in creating website content, failed several times in generating website traffic, used a lot of SEO tools and yet manage to get up and succeed in this industry.
Are these social media marketers unique?
Or perhaps they have similar qualities that they may have developed over time?
Let’s take a look at 7 habits of veteran social media marketers and discover the qualities they have which might be lying dormant within us and perhaps unleash our potentials.
#1 They Know What they Want
Not all people are able to achieve their goals. Some don’t even have one. Some people say that knowing what you want to achieve is already half the battle. But these veteran social media marketers have a clear set of priorities. They know what they want and they set their minds to achieving those goals.
Some are organized with their goal settings, and some may seem unorganized and multi-task a lot, but they always have a plan on how to get there. They have a strategy on how to achieve their objectives which make them able to penetrate or go around any obstacle in their way.
They are focused on how to reach their target and if in any case their minds would stray, they know how to get back in the saddle so to speak. It is as if their purpose is their passion. Nothing or no one can ever stop them from achieving what they want.
The paths these social media marketers make may not be as straight as an arrow, but, at least, they know where they are headed. They always see clearly as to what is ahead of them.
#2 They are Good Communicators
If you’re a social media marketer, you would encounter thousands of ideas and people. You would learn about a lot of social media tools and how to use them. But with all these running around in your head, a social media marketer is able to communicate what is in their minds.
They can express their ideas and turn them into something real. They can express what they want, how they want it and the means to get there. It is like having “people skills” but in the case of our veteran social media marketers, they have “data skills”.
What they are thinking, will definitely show in the works that they do. Just like what Hiro Hamada said in the animated movie Big Hero 6; “The only limit is your imagination”. But these social media marketers, they can express their imagination and turn it into something digital.
#3 They Never Stop Learning
Veteran social media marketers have this unquenchable thirst for knowledge. They want to learn more. And even if they know something already, they will want to expand their knowledge about it. It is like they have unlimited curiosity within them, and the only way to get rid of those curiosity cravings is by learning more and more.
There are so many social media platforms out there and these experienced marketers continue to learn about each and every new platform. They want to know how to use them, and how to maximize the potentials of these social media networks. They not only want to know how to work it but how to make it work for them.
They know what is important, and they are able to distinguish which knowledge they can use, improve or discard. But even the discarded ones are just placed at the back of their minds for future reference and added experience.
They also want to learn how to use each data they can gather. Veteran marketers will read this data and interpret them. They want to learn how their choices affect the outcome, and perhaps how to improve each outcome for the better. Every day and every minute is a chance to learn something new.
#4 They Help Others Succeed
Veteran social media marketers don’t have a greedy bone in their body. They are only greedy when it comes to learning. They want to learn all, but they are willing to share what they know with others. They give free mentoring sometimes. Or perhaps share a downloadable book or two.
They tend to share their resources as well to others who seek their help. They are quick to lend a helping hand to anyone who reaches out to them. They share what they have learned thru years of experience. They share ideas with those who lack, and they can form a new bond with those they have helped.
In helping others succeed, you are building real connections. You connect not only on a social media level but also as human beings. The most experienced social media marketers have a genuine desire to help others succeed and they do their best to care for others in need.
#5 They are Able to Adapt
Some people do not work well under pressure. But experienced social media marketers have been in the business for quite some time and are pretty knowledgeable as to what social media changes they have encountered. They are not easily fazed by any changes in the business, in fact, they adapt to it.
Just like a chameleon adjusting to the colors of its environment, a veteran marketer would make use of what is available, and make it work for the industry. They would adapt to the changes thrown at them instead of sulking in a corner and complain about the changes.
For example, Google changes its algorithm several times a year. So does Facebook, or Twitter. But when you have the experience and patience of am veteran social media marketer, you just find ways around it and start looking for a new strategy that would work.
#6 They are Bold
They are not afraid to take any kind of risk. They do now cower with fear every time a challenge presented itself. They would continue to move forward and meet each risk head-on. If the road ahead of them seems bleak and or rough, they will persevere and accept the challenge no matter the risks.
They speak their minds and they don’t get easily bothered when haters present themselves. They take it as a learning opportunity to help them grow even more mature in the social media world. They engage themselves in controversial topics without being too offending.
They encourage their target audience to do the same. These social media marketers are bound to encourage their followers to speak their mind and share bold ideas. They prefer to surround themselves with people whom they find more intellectually stimulating than spending time with those who would just say yes all the time.
#7 Not an Egghead
Have you noticed egghead profiles on Twitter? Those would never belong to a veteran social media marketer. They always show their faces because their product is themselves. They need to be believable. Who would believe someone hiding behind avatars and fake profiles?
These social media marketers have an image to protect and project. They bring themselves to each and every post they represent. If you have a face on your profile, people are more likely to connect with you.
Continuously interact with everybody. Don’t hide behind fake profiles and don’t lead your fans to believe that you are somebody you are not. Don’t troll. Only those with evil intentions will transform into a troll.
Wrapping it Up
There are 7 habits of veteran social media marketers that you could possess or develop. 1st is to have a clear definition of what you want. Visualize the goal and be sure to plan ahead. Always do a follow-up. Never stop on the first try, and if you are successful, continue to help others. Open the lines for communication and continue to express them freely.
Never stop learning and always share your knowledge. A veteran social media marketer’s success is not measured by money, clients or network. It is measured by the number of people they have helped succeed as well. Be bold. Speak your mind out and always present a genuine you.
Michaela says
I can vouch for #1. From my 5 years of experience, the veterans know the ins and outs and are very confident on how to achieve their goals and what tasks to assign to people. It’s a trait that really stands out.
Logan says
Thanks for sharing your insight Michaela!
Raza says
One of the things in my experience, and as you guys have too pointed out, is that the veterans seriously know how to communicate well. It’s kind of logical that they HAVE to know how to communicate since marketing is basically communications. But one can easily spot the noob from the veteran from the style of their explanation
Logan says
Definitely!
Joshia says
As a veteran myself, i can , without a doubt say that not only me, but all veterans i know possess these traits. These are like the ‘ essentials’ for a veteran marketer.
Mukarram says
I have a few friends who are marketing geeks and veterans. If you want to spot whether someone has a passions for marketing and communications vs someone whose just doing for the sake of it, tell them something new about social media. You’ll see that either the veterans know that trend or would get VERY eager to hear about it.
Logan says
I myself am like that so I can’t say no to what you have stated 🙂 This applies to other fields of life as well of course. Anyone with passion will be eager to learn anything related to that field.
Abdul-MalikPhilip says
The best of the best i know seem to be very empathetic. They host seminars, webinars and long tutorials either completely free of cost or with a small fee.
Neena says
Ohhh i had a smirk on my face when i read #5. I think you guys are already long into the internet marketing game to know how everyone whined about SEO being dead. Yet people are still making millions out of their agencies…
Logan says
I know right? These people don’t have belief in themselves. Which is the core reason for their failure too!
Shaun says
I just wanted to add. It is because of marketers being bold that new marketing methods are alive now a days. Without our beloved bold marketers, i don’t even know what the most common ways of marketing would’ve been.
Logan says
Can’t agree with you more!
Josef says
Thanks for sharing! Interesting read Well, I believe that in order to know what you want you actually need some experience in life and in social media as well. But, these habits are related to veterans so it does makes since that they know what they want.
Joachim says
The veterans were young beginners once. They didn’t had experience but they were stubborn and they had hot blood. So,the main thing is to stand up when we fall and continue with hard work,everything comes with time.
Mariah says
I would say that habit of all genuinely successful people is that they are willing to help other to succeed as well. This way they are at the same time doing something good for other and they can expect good in return. This way they are being connected with more and more people that can have only good words for them.
Clayton Kane says
These kind of people are making a brand out of themselves. They are young in spirit and very flexible to learn new things, switch methods, and meet new people from the industry. I know a few of them and they are really that kind of people that you can admire and learn from them.
Kaira Wilks says
I was wondering if there are some suggestions about cross-promoting with Jarvee on different social networks and I came across this article. This will help a lot since I’m using the same content for different social networks.
Raven says
No matter how many articles and blogs we read, the lessons we learn, all it takes to become good and experienced online marketer is time. We can’t buy it, we must go through it.
Halid says
I think that being BOLD is the key. Why? Because all around you can feel it, can see it, leadership is something that you’re born with.