Feature with Santa Barbara’s own Jordan benShea

Jordan benShea

During my Tweeting, I have had the pleasure of meeting another social media enthusiast from Santa Barbara – Jordan benShea.  Jordan is the Principal of SkyView Projects, a boutique marketing firm specializing in brand marketing, content development, and social media to create fresh ideas that have direct results.

What did you do before getting into social media and how did you get into the industry?

My social media enthusiasm is an extension of my marketing profession. I started in marketing about ten years ago when I was working in business development for a rich media email marketing company. I wanted to play more of a role in how we positioned our company in the market, and there was an opening to run the marketing department. My boss at the time thought it would be a good fit, and it has built from there. I have always been an early adopter with an affinity for new media. When social media came onto the scene I started by reading everything I could get my hands on, the latest books, the blogs, the news stories. Social media started impacting my brand marketing and content development projects and I began to pay attention. I saw the cross-platform possibilities through social media to help my clients find the success they have struggled with using the usual channels of marketing.

What qualities and traits make for a good social media specialist?

Being flexible and fast to adapt, while detailed oriented and aware of what people are saying and feeling when they communicate. These traits help me in social media because one of the most important things that social media does is open a conversation that before was not possible, and at such a rapid speed. Using social networks, brands are able to get the word out quickly and directly to their consumer base, taking viral marketing to a whole new level. In turn the customers feel a more intimate one-on-one conversation, and therefore their trust increases in your brand and products. The most important thing here is to remember to be authentic in your content and to always answer questions and comments. The last thing you want to do is build up a social network only to disappoint your customers with a lack of response, leading to negative brand association.

What tools of the trade do you use throughout your typical day and how do they help?

I swear by the effectiveness of my Blackberry. From the early days of having the large blue ones in grayscale to the current 9700, I would say it is by far the one tool I rely on most. Every morning I start with a Twitter check to see how the accounts I oversee are doing, what messages I need to answer. If I am on the go I use Twitter for Blackberry, and if I am at my desk I am using HootSuite. Just as important to me as the software and hardware are my news sources, and Mashable.com is hands down my first stop to see what is going on in the social media industry. From there I do a news search on Google for relevant topics from the day, whether it is a new social media network, or the next generation iPhone being left in a bar.

I cannot help notice how many people call themselves social media experts. Are they just throwing the title around or are there really that many social media experts out there today?

I have always been cautious of people that consider themselves experts out the gate and especially with a medium so new and rapidly changing as social media. But that being said, without a doubt there are some out there that have been hammering at this since the beginning and are absolutely social media experts. Just a few names that come to mind are Pete Cashmore from Mashable, Amy Martin from Digital Royalty, Mari Smith who just finished a book on Facebook, Chris Brogan from New Marketing Labs, and of course Seth Godin.

Some of our readers are up and coming in the social media industry. What advice can you give them on entering the industry?

Most importantly read, read, read, and do your research. It takes a large time commitment to get your mind around all that is going on in the social media industry, and I am constantly learning on a daily basis. Read the Twitter streams, the Facebook updates, and search for topics you are interested in and when in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask questions. There are lots of free tools out there for getting started on the social networks, and also a variety of free webinars that can put you in touch with the right people with the right information.

Currently what are the best websites for social media networks and why?

First stop is Mashable.com; they have all the immediate concise news regarding social media. Whether you are looking for an introduction to Twitter or Facebook, or trying to find a job in the industry, they have it all. SocialMediaToday.com is a great site with good news stories, a social media school, ability to add your own blog, and webinars. SocialMediaExaminer.com is also a great one, providing stories, case studies, and interviews. EMarketer.com creates great graphs with very useful stats. And last but not least is Hubspot.com, they provide a plethora of free how to guides.

What kind of tips do you have in writing stories for our Readers?

Write like you talk. Many times people will get caught up in trying to figure out the best way to convey something and the words get jumbled. You want to make sure not to confuse the reader. Someone once told me that if you have to read something twice, it is not well written. Take a moment and re-read through your content. We live in a time where information is posted within moments of the initial thought, in some ways it’s all in the first draft stage. Be clear, be concise, get straight to the message, and recognize that sometimes less is more.

What are some of the biggest mistakes that people make in their social media efforts?

Above all else, social media takes a great deal of time and dedication. It is growing at such an exponential rate that many find it hard to keep up on even a weekly basis, let alone daily. You need to take the time to create a solid strategy and development plan, and then execute on a consistent timeframe. Being authentic with your conversation, and creating rich content will help you succeed and provide a loyal following.

You are someone who has their finger on the pulse of social media, which person or business do you look up to and turn to for advice in this field?

My answer really has to be Zappos. I think this current campaign they have going on for the launch of the Delivering Happiness book is simply brilliant. I have personally been a fan of theirs for many years through my own exceptional customer service experiences, but as a brand they continue to preach what I think so many miss. If you treat your customers and your employees well, they will reward you with their loyalty. This is so evident throughout their cross-platform book launch, from their weekly virtual happy hours they stream live on Ustream from various places across the country, to their weekly giveaways on Twitter, to their Facebook and website Delivering Happiness Movement pages. The Zappos Delivering Happiness team is a great example of something I am consistently striving to do with all my clients, a successful cross-platform execution using various forms of social media. Back in the day when I started in rich media email marketing we would do a cross-platform approach from a direct mail piece, to an email, to a website, always integrating them with each other, the results are consistently successful.

Posted by Deepak Gupta.

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