Shortest Path To Social Success: Hire Smart People
June 27, 2011 
Author 
In I rather enjoy Peter Kim’s thoughts on the web and technology in general. I’ve included him in posts and projects produced for The Future Buzz for years, so longtime readers already know him.
Recently Peter shared the following Tweet that got me thinking:
It’s interesting and fascinating to consider, although not new: that we’re all connected in such a way anyone’s actions can easily be made public and potentially seen by everyone.
The new paradigm (sorry for the buzzword) is simple really. Hire smart people you trust. Then let them go and be an extension of your marketing team. This is something larger organizations neglect while entrepreneurial and passionate companies continue to benefit from.
Should companies impose a policy telling team members not to travel with luggage tags, wear a company t-shirt outside of work or somehow be identifiable publicly as a team member? If you feel like you might need to institute such a policy, without question you have the wrong team. If you’re making such hires this is bigger than a marketing issue. Solve your HR problems before they lead to PR disasters.
At this point, hiring anyone for your company who is a jerk is a risk in a new and more potent way than it ever has been. Not internally, externally: because any of your team members could, intentionally or otherwise, devastate your reputation.
That’s the bad. The good? In all industries, there are people who, thanks to the web, have become important and trusted voices in their fields. From healthcare technology to human resources software to quick service restaurants I have seen examples in pretty much every industry. The common thread is simple: they are smart, creative, well-connected and have extremely positive intentions. They are so interested in their field, they share what they learn with others through social technologies. But it’s not about the technology, it’s about ideas they are interested in.
Build a team of these people and you will organically activate the social web for your brand. It has less to do with social media and more to do with the fact that these people are passionate. Their curiosity, motivation and community will all be activated for your brand as an organic byproduct of being on your team. If you are the right type of organization this type of relationship is extremely valuable in both directions.
At this juncture, should you really still hire people that aren’t irrationally committed to their craft? To do any less is to build a boring, faceless company staffed by people you can’t trust on their own.
Dano Hart replied | Jun 27, 2011 (2 comments)
So what about those employee’s that may disagree with me on opinions that I have? Are you saying that I need to find people with my mindset? I would think that is impossible. No one’s the same, as you know.
Adam Singer replied | Jun 27, 2011 (599 comments)
If you have a smart team, not everyone has to agree – in fact, I think the benefit of this is you’ll get a diverse amount of opinions. That’s a positive thing and should be embraced. I wasn’t inferring you need to find people with the exact same mindset as you, in fact that might be a detriment.
Dano Hart replied | Jun 27, 2011 (2 comments)
I liked your article. I agree with it. Sometimes I think employers “get by” with an employee cause they do the job, but not very well, but when comes to marketing your company’s image….it shows up in the end.
Catherine Lockey replied | Jun 27, 2011 (63 comments)
Adam,
Today I met with the new marketing person of a large company my company assists. She was condescending, rude, and arrogant. Even worse, she knows NOTHING about marketing and couldn’t understand why her website impacts her company’s search results. It was old media at its worst and the PR damage this person will create for her organization is limitless.
katsarov replied | Jun 29, 2011 (1 comment)
Hire smart people = success :) That’s what i think
Innes Donaldson replied | Jul 7, 2011 (2 comments)
This isn’t just the shortest step to success in social media; this applies to all aspects in business if I look back from experience!
Obviously though, it does help largely if the person has some form of online / or marketing experience that can enhance your campaign.
Sydney @ Social Dynamics replied | Jul 7, 2011 (22 comments)
Very valid points! It’s a must to pick the best when hiring someone that will in turn represent your brand. It’s imperative to choose people based on their motivation and skills.
Nicole replied | Jul 15, 2011 (2 comments)
I completely agree with the idea of hiring smart people who will reflect well on your company, I do. But, don’t we think it’s important to also recognize, as people who are highly active online and have the opportunity to call others out on their bad behavior, that we all have a bad day on occasion and that we all say or do things we may regret later?
Having employees who use our luggage tags or wear our t-shirts notwithstanding, I think we all have to remember to cut people some slack. We’re just people and everyone will screw up at some point or another, whether it’s by being a bit cranky or by not thinking quite long enough about the implications of a particular word or phrase or action. I vote for “hire smart people and remember we’re all just human, too”.
Brian Maher replied | Sep 26, 2011 (3 comments)
The culture of any company is and should be directed by the senior management team. As long as I have been in business I have always said “from the top down” and this refers to how you treat your staff and how your staff treat other people.