Growing your business online makes smart business sense these days. Learning how to do it right the first time is critical. There are many people out there who claim to be “Social Media Experts.” And they charge some pretty nice fees to “coach” people to improve their online marketability. I also think there are many people out there trying to be “helpful,” but have no clue of how to extend strategic help! At this time “Social Media Expert” has yet to be defined or certified (It’s coming, I am sure, just like it did with coaching). I also think about how quickly the Internet moves today and how sensible it is to get help if you are not comfortable with something. If you are going to select someone to help you, do your homework and watch out for the red flags. These tips will help you in selecting the right person.

1 – You cannot Google and find the person by NAME. The Internet is a very powerful tool and online presence is very important for social networking, even more for a “Social Media Expert.” I am a social psychologist who has applied social networking sales strategies online and has gotten great results. I consider myself a great “end-user” and even I am Google-able! Would you really hire someone to help whose name does not appear in searches?

2 – The person has very few Google-able searches. If you go to www.google.com and type anything you are searching for in the main search box (not a Google toolbar search box), it will tell you how many times the keyword you’ve used has been searched for. Go there and type the name of the person. As you type, a number will appear telling you how many times the person has been searched for. Again, if you claim to be an expert who tells me that you are searchable and are searched for on the Internet, as an expert, I would hope that the number is large!

3 – The person does not have a YouTube channel. “Social Media Expert” means that the person is an expert in all forms of social media, and video is one of the biggest media opportunities out there. Using video to market is an important media strategy. Ask for their YouTube channel and check it out. Better yet, hopefully there is a link to their YouTube channel on their marketing!

4 – The person is not on the BIG THREE. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are considered the big three networking sites, so do they show up? Are they actively involved in dialogue discussions and groups on at least one of the three? Are they branded on the sites?

5 – The person does not have articles posted on e-zinearticles.com or other social media article sites. Social media is about creating education-based marketing. Does the expert use the tools as they teach others?

6 – The person does not have a blog. Blogging is one of the most powerful tools for increasing your online presence and is taught as a key tool to all business people. Look at their blog and especially find out which blogs they read and comment on. It will tell you about their online presence!

These six smart tips will alert you on who you choose to learn from. Do your homework and make sure your time and money is invested in great support that will get you on the right track to growing your business or developing your expertise online!

Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”