Who Are the Social Media Experts?

There's a lot of controversy about who qualifies as a social media expert these days.

The point is, anyone can do it! That's the whole beauty of social media marketing. It's really the simplest way to get your business moving and, to me, everyone in business should be applying these fantastic tools to their marketing strategy.

As in any new trend, people will claim to know more than others or to be better at it than others but, truthfully speaking, no one has the right to say that they are the best at it or the only expert in the field. Some cotton on to social media usage really quickly and understand the nuances of using it and others just can't see the big picture.

It is hard for a business to determine who has the experience, knowledge and talent to offer this service as there are no real parameters for judging SM experts at the moment. I think what is important is that you, the business owner, feel comfortable with the person or company that you have employed to develop your SM marketing strategy for your business.

There are some obvious questions that you can ask before you commit though.

1. How long have you been using Social Media?

A professional consultant should be able to explain that this new form of marketing evolved from the concept of one-to-one selling and through the use of direct response marketing techniques that, when applied to the internet evolved into a plethora of social interactive sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. The theory of social media has been around for ages but pursued in a more traditional marketing approach.

2. What background does your chosen "Expert" have?

My experience shows me that people without an understanding or experience in traditional marketing will struggle with the concept as they do not see the bigger picture of how social media can assist them. Each application has it's place and may not pertain to all users. Like TV, radio, press and direct mail, social media is a marketing tool and needs to be applied to an overall strategy.

3. Are they using these techniques themselves?

A good consultant will obviously be using a blog as it forms the hub of all SM marketing activity. They'll also be familiar and up to date with how to use the various applications like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Articles, online PR, bookmarking applications and others.

4. Do they have any Case Histories?

Nothing proves the point more than solid working experience and your SM consultant should be able to talk you through the case histories of clients that they've worked with or are developing. Recommendations can be found on LinkedIn - just ask them for the link to their recommendations.

5. Explaining what they know

An SM consultant worth their salt will be willing and able to train a prospective client. If they really know how and when to use the applications available and are willing to share the knowledge by offering training as part of their service then you'll know that they must be at ease and immersed in the topic.

6. Search out your nearest expert

SM experts are found online sharing information and connecting wherever they can. One simple way to source a consultant is to simply Google their name eg: Jane van Velsen - and see where and when they last published, what they are saying, what clients they represent, read their blog posts, look at their connections, follow their Tweets for a while and you'll soon build up a picture.

7. Are all Social Media Experts PR people?

No! Absolutely not! Public Relations is one part of the overall marketing picture and is used in marketing strategy as is social media but the two are not the same. The same can be said of web designers and copywriters. An SM marketing consultant should have a diverse background in marketing covering all aspects of advertising and marketing to offer best advice coupled with writing talent. (Their own or hired help)

8. Ask the Questions

Don't be shy to ask your SM consultant how and when they started offering their services. When did they start using Twitter, Facebook and how many blogs did they have to start before mastering the art successfully? Are they using Pingfm. How are they segmenting their ezine/eshot offerings to various audiences they target for themselves and for their clients? Why do they prefer Blogger to WordPress? Do they use mobile access? How up to date are they on applications?

9. Are they a Registered Supplier?

Consultants who really know social media and it's uses will be registered businesses, not fly by nights. Ask for their affiliations eg: Business Link, Chamber of Commerce.

10. Do I need to understand SEO to implement social media?

This is a double edged sword but from where I stand, yes! Traffic is sourced from search engines for blogs just as for static websites and a good SM content manager/writer should understand the fundamental of SEO to ensure that their client's blog enjoys the benefits of SEO. The basic principles apply to the various social media applications where content is published in the same way so a lack of SEO content will only hamper your SM efforts. This is where an SM consultant with strong writing and marketing skills comes to the fore. After all, what use is a website or a blog without search engine traffic?

These are just a few of the questions you can ask to clarify whether or not the person, company you intend using to manage your social media is the right one.

Jane van Velsen - The Right Writer offers clients a full social media marketing service including training, researching, writing, distributing articles and posts, conversion into press releases for online distribution and to hard copy publishers, creating databases for social media use, creating website site maps, content and overseeing set up, business blogs from inception, design and content to monetising, 3rd party advertising and guest authors, sourcing articles, and linking to social media for maximum visibility online, client service between client and other service providers such as web designers and SEO experts, Pay per click advertising, Facebook advertising campaigns, review of analytics, strategic input.
http://www.therightwriter.co.uk
http://therightwriterblog.co.uk

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Forget the Experts - Let the Musical Group TLC Teach You About Social Media

You have likely attended, read, researched, or paid for information about Social Media and how it can be leveraged in your business (especially true if you are a marketer). Like you, I have invested - and still invest - a healthy about time learning about the emerging concepts in this area. With so much to discuss, I find that the dialog is severely fragmented. Where can we turn for a clear, concise message? Music. Removing the layers of complexity and conjecture I think we can simply sum up Social Media in the song 'Waterfalls' by the musical group TLC.

I believe a lot of the complexity and noise is due to our liberal attachment of the word 'strategy' to Social Media. Sure, it is new and exciting but we're inadvertently giving this tactic a pretty big corporate ego; even it's once popular digital counterparts (e.g. email, SEO, etc.) are jealous of all the new-baby attention that Social Media is receiving.

So let's forget the 'expert' advice and see what TLC knows about Social Media.

Breaking Down the Song
Waterfalls

by Marqueze Etheridge, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Organized Noize

Source Wikipedia

Don't go chasing waterfalls,

Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to,

I know that you're gonna have it your way or nothing at all,

But I think you're moving too fast.

Social Media Basics #1 - Be Realistic, Be Honest 'Don't go chasing waterfalls, please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to'

I was attending an excellent webinar last week on new media that had a lot of engaging content and shared experiences. I was thoroughly enjoying the presentation, until the presenter leaned heavily on Blendtec as the goal for [all] marketers to reach for and achieve. Uhhhhh, no...you just lost me.

Yes, Blendtec is one of many great individual examples of viral marketing performance. However, using the marketing wisdom of TLC, the Blendtec video campaign is a 'waterfall'...one that is highly conditional and not easily replicated. The 'success' of the campaign is not sustainable as it is dependent on an ever-widening top of Blendtec's demand funnel.

Unfortunately, these are the examples that are generally held up for marketers as what they should be achieving. Blinded by the huge dollar signs we neglect to see the 'success' of Blendtec as a general exception to the rule.

We need to be realistic in our approach to new media.

Rather than chase that awesome viral video or amazing Tweetup, we need to think about what social interactions and information:

Do our targeted audiences value?
Can be energetically supported within the organization?
Will authentically represent the organization's culture?
Can return consistent value to your targeted audiences?

Social Media Basics #2 - Letting Go Of The Message
'I know that you're gonna have it your way or nothing at all'

What a perfect line, TLC really knows Social Media...they were well ahead of their time. So after we are all hopped up from the sugary delights of these new media case studies, we excited begin discussing these new tools in our organizations. Most of us marketers are pumped! Our colleagues, however, are usually a little skeptical and others are completely and belligerently against Social Media.

And so the corporate negotiations and rationalizations begin; structured thought and processes are established to 'guide' Social Media. As a result, many organizations use Social Media as another tool to push and control a message. Symptoms of this condition include:

Highly moderated and restricted communities (fear of negativity).
Filtered comments (control).
Days spent formulating responses to comments/events in the social cloud (over-analysis).

We have to be okay letting a dialog develop - positive or negative, informed or misinformed - and rather focusing our efforts on vigilantly monitoring and thoughtfully responding.

Social Media Basics #3 - What Value Will You Return
'But I think you're moving too fast'

Often the investment in Social Media thought processes are reversed; we spend countless time developing policies and procedures but don't invest enough in how we are going to reach and return value to our audiences. Instead we begin immediately focusing on the 'tools', not our messages, our audiences, and our responsibilities as marketers.

A similar parallel can be drawn to the mad Internet rush of the late 90's when businesses realized they needed a presence on the 'World Wide Web'. Consultants were hired, teams were created, and websites were launched! Many organizations, reacting to their delayed entry into the Internet, rushed to check a box (oftentimes a very expensive box). The result of that rush were a lot of brochure-ware websites that did little for the user or the organization.

Social Media is particularly dangerous as there are often little to no hard costs to using its tools. With low financial barriers to entry, we blindly load up on tools and ignore our audience.

Return to the questions I posed in the first section; let the answers to those questions determine what tools and mediums to use in your Social Media efforts.

A final note, and equally important, these concepts also apply to our own, personal Social Media efforts. Our personal brands can be positively shaped by adopting TLC's advice. Be thoughtfully engaged, helpful, and collaborative.

While I know that TLC intended their song to have a broader message promoting social awareness, the next time you sing along to 'Waterfalls' I hope you also think of the direction of your Social Media efforts.

Originally Posted On, Blog: What Does Marketing Really Do?

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.