Hiring People for Your Transmedia Team

First and foremost, throw out the thought that everyone needs a degree. In the digital world, your social interactions are your Klout.

Creativity is also a key. You have to be a storyteller on steroids and be able to think up numerous ways to branch out into many different platforms. That also means knowing the platforms, who plays in them, and how that audience wants to be engaged.

The transmedia team will include photographers, videographers, and digital managers, such as a different person looking after each platform.

But when it comes right down to it, besides storytelling and marketing skills, knowing how to be a kick-ass community manager is at the top of the needs list. These are skills that are not taught in school. They don't come with a degree. They are easily found, just by viewing the Internet footprint of each candidate and how they participate in their social platforms.

In my book Publishing and Marketing in the Digital Age, I list the following skills that are essential before anyone should be hired as a transmedia manager:

1. Strong communication and literacy skills.
2. Strong people skills.
3. Ability to write blog posts, guest articles, emails, proposals, social content, and messages to fit any medium.
4. Outgoing, friendly, and relatable online presence.
5. Comfortable interacting with people (a natural networker).
6. Good judgement, level-headed.
7. Good at curating.
8. Have an idea what to share, how to share, and when to share.
9. Determine the best ways to handle feedback and how to respond in an appropriate fashion.
10. Know the audience and be able to effectively converse with them and see their perspective.
11. Be able to respond in a reasonable time (ideally within 24 hours or faster).
12. Be the face of the brand or a brand ambassador.
13. Create a customer experience.
14. Manage multiple platforms and track feedback.
15. Flexibility. 
16. Be able to do multiple job responsibilities (e.g. marketing, public relations, and communications).
17. Use analytics to determine what is working and not working.
18. Enable and empower your community, create conversations. 

Each transmedia project may have more requirements, such as knowledge of film industry, music industry, publishing industry, or other, but that is something that still isn't in a degree. Anyone can be a great transmedia manager, if you do the work. The ROI of your efforts is in your audience reaction, not in numbers of followers. If people comment, reshare, and sing your praises, that is all an HR team might need to determine your cred.

The Internet wasn't cooperating and cut short the video below to about three minutes, but it mentions the #CMGRHangout that happens every Friday, and is the brainchild of +Tim McDonald. Go to mycmgr.com for archived Hangouts and tips and insight into community management, which you can consider as part of your transmedia management training.