Earlier today I posted an article to my twitter feed called “Calling all Social Media experts…oh wait there aren’t any“. The original motivation was to provide support for an argument I’ve seen @tdhurst make on several occasions. Well, more like an obnoxious rant than an argument =)
But he does make a point. When I took on the title “social networking consultant”, I honestly had no idea what I was getting into. It is a strange and fluid title that is constantly changing. In actuality, I am a communication consultant, a profession as old as the republic itself. Unfortunately that does not sound as snappy. However, it does not change the fact that being a social media consultant involves knowledge of how and why people communicate. That is where these ‘experts’ get into trouble. Instead of looking at the trends, the tried and true methods and the communication methods people naturally gravitate too, these ‘experts’ prey on the fact their clients have no idea which end is up, make a quick buck and then run for the hills.
I cannot begin to tell you how easy it would be to hoodwink companies. I’ve been in a few meetings discussing strategy where everyone nods their heads and says how amazing that all sounds. This is a problem. I don’t like working with companies that think I’m brilliant because what that means is they don’t have a solid communication strategy to begin with. This means they haven’t done their research about their target audiences, the market and most importantly, have no idea of the end goal. As a consultant, taking on a job with this type of company is dangerous. One, no company can pay me enough to rework their entire communication structure. That is not my job. Second, even the best strategy will seem all over the place without a staff buy in – and no true buy-in can exist with people that don’t have the desire to create a communication foundation in the first place. Third, when s*** hits the fan, which it will, you will be the one to blame.
I am no social media expert. And despite my “social media maven” line in my Ignite profile (which mas motivated more by alliteration and a need to be clever than truth), I don’t claim to be an expert to my clients. Instead, what I offer them is an basic understanding of what social media is, how it works and some strategies that could work for them. The strategies are based in traditional age old public relation and communication strategies. Social media is not a replacement but a complement to what a company should already be doing. It is simply a means to reach a wider audience faster, as well as offers an opportunity to be genuine and valuable to the community. Therefore, the message shouldn’t change when a social media strategy is added and it shouldn’t be thrown over every new program that comes into existence.
My advice to companies looking to adopt social media:
1. Have solid communication strategy already in place. Discuss with invested parties how social media may fit into that plan and your ultimate goals.
2. Research social media consultants. Outside of the big names (Chris Brogan, Jay Baer, etc), most social media consultants I know have been hired via word of mouth. Talk to friends in the business and see who they have worked with. Recommendations account for everything in this business.
3. Hire on contract and start with small projects. I don’t believe in hiring full-time social media producers. Honestly, social media is the job of communication staff already familiar and passionate about the business/cause. Plus, contract gives you an option to drop them if they don’t do satisfactory work. Small projects are important to get the staff comfortable with social media, a well as makes it easier to track ROI.
obnoxious rant??