Christin Kardos leads social media for Convince and Convert, an organization that teaches marketers how to be socially savvy. We wanted to know: How does the expert’s expert build and manage communities?
Essential social mindset
I asked Christin for tips on how to think like a community builder. Here are her recommendations in her own words.
Master the art of banter
As marketers and businesspeople, we know social presents tremendous opportunities for business … but when it’s used only as a broadcast channel, you’re failing to make connections. If you’re not connecting with people, it’s just a bunch of noise. It’s not enough to say, “Here’s something we think is awesome that you’ll like.” You need to respond to comments, answer questions, and incorporate the idea of being useful in one-on-one conversations. If you’re not doing those things, you’re wasting your and others’ time. Social media really is for socializing.
Mind the machine
In the last year, we’ve worked hard to increase internal cohesion. We’ve streamlined our internal processes – something that was necessary because our team is expanding. We’re able to do more in terms of cross-functionality and visibility. For example, I’m in charge of organic social, but I don’t manage our social advertising. Now we have a person in house who I meet with once a week to ensure we streamline our efforts across the board. Sococo has been a critical tool to get this done. (Learn about the other tools Christin uses below.)
Be fearless
People have a misconception about what it means to be a marketing expert. For example, our president at Convince and Convert, Jay Baer, is a master and he knows a lot of things, but he’s always excited to check out new territory and try new tools. You’d be surprised at how much energy we put into trying new things at Convince and Convert. We don’t have it all sorted out. For example, right now we are working on a messenger bot for Jay’s page, hoping it can become a growth tool … so I’m doing a lot of research about bots and how we can apply them best.
Learn to pace yourself
When I first started…
