There are more than a few social media pundits who would lead you and your company down the wrong road. Following their advice, however well meaning, means you’ll stand a good chance of achieving less than stellar results.
To help you identify and avoid these troublesome paths, here are four warning signs that the social media guru sitting across the table may NOT be the one with whom you want to partner.
1. He treats social media like it’s the second coming of you know who. Most likely, it’s not your brand’s savior and the only thing you need to spend time and money against to achieve success. It should be a long-term, strategic part of your overall marketing mix.
2. Her “marketing/communications background” consists of writing her personal blog and having a Twitter account. Yes, it helps her know how to use the space executionally, but it doesn’t make up for her lack of experience creating sound strategy and measureable goals, understanding a sales cycle or guiding a brand through a crisis.
3. He suggests you must use social media to allow transparent, complete access to company executives. This works well for some brands, but it won’t for all. A) The larger your brand, the harder it is to scale. B) You’d like a little heads up that a producer from 60 Minutes wants to talk with your CEO.
4. She proclaims that social media renders offline media useless and not worth your time. Except for an incredibly small minority, most businesses still need to target offline media. A) You know your customers. A decent percentage probably isn’t on Twitter. B) Seeing news on your product or service in traditional media increases your exposure to customers who encounter your brand in social media.
There are many intelligent, savvy marketers to help you navigate the social media space and engage with customers. And, while you don’t want to engage social media experts who make claims like the warning signs above, you also don’t want to keep paying old-school marketers who say the social media stuff is a fad. If that’s the case, you need new people on staff or a new agency partner.
These aren’t the only warning signs, of course. What would you add? What have you heard some people claim about marketing in today’s landscape that sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard to you?
David spends his days focused on marketing communications strategies and execution. He blogs here regularly about integrated communications, PR and social media.
{ 17 trackbacks }
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Great list to get the conversation started.
How about He/she proudly claims “social media expert/guru/genius” status whenever possible – This one keeps bothering me.
I’d rather work with master communicators who understand a wide range of tactics and strategies, monitoring and measuring, in *addition* to SM tools.
David –
A really good list to get the conversation started. I specifically liked #1 and #4. It’s amazing how often you hear that social media can take the place of traditional media relations/advertising, when in reality they all feed off each other.
If I were to add anything to the list it would be that social media is more than just Facebook and Twitter. If your social media guru tells you to setup a Facebook or Twitter account without any regard to what you’ll accomplish by doing so they are probably not an expert.
Agree with Richie on the “expert” status. I say “whiz” when talking about PR and social media – only because of who I work for, it’s appropriate.
While I don’t think you must use SM for transparency, I think if you intend to use it you have to realize that a certain level of transparency is a must. Full disclosure isn’t the best route, but some transparency is needed. Just shouting your promotions won’t work.
I definitely agree with number 4.
Good post as always, D.
Great Way to Get Some Communicators Revved Up, David!…Communicators like me…! The problem with too mnay communicators is that they try to pigeonhole themselves into one niche. While this may be all fine and dandy in theory, the fact of the matter is, you have to be proficient (not necessarily an expert) with a variety of tools out there.
Kinda like being a Navy Seal – those guys can defend themselves and/or take down a target in a dozen or so ways…! Like a Navy Seal, communicators have to be ‘at the ready’ to attack their issue/problem in more than just a few ways!
I especially agree with #4. I’m amazed sometimes how social media tactics are treated and implemented as the ‘magic bullet’ answer and not as a strategic complement to ongoing media relations and thought leadership campaigns. IMHO an integrated strategy is the best strategy. If an “expert” cannot link a social media strategy to your overall business development goals – time to find another expert!
Fantastic post!
Great list. I’d add this one (makes me nuts): when you ask said gurus for examples of social media strategies that have built business in measurable ways (i.e., ways that actually mean something to marketers with P&Ls to protect), they cite the same examples we’ve all been citing for what feels like years (Dell sold $1MM worth of product!!! etc.) If you bill yourself as an expert, you should have access to a body of case study knowledge that helps make the case for SM ROI with cold, hard data. Those of us with big packaged goods clients desperately need this info.
Excellent assessments. Social media isn’t a be all and end all (and this is coming from someone who owes a lot of their success to it). You need to include it within an integrated communications platform for it to make any progress whatsoever.
I think the lesson to learn here is…don’t rely on one platform and cut out all the others. Despite what an “expert” tells you.
I’ve observed two trends relevant to your points. One is there appears to be an emerging “rivalry” between those who espouse new media and those who hold onto the traditional. It isn’t either or. Every brand still needs to both define itself (tone, voice, personality) and also leave room and space for the consumer’s voice and opinion. The former is best done with traditional media where there’s control, the latter with social media, which encourages dialog. The second is that many brands and marketers remain somewhat naive when it comes to social media, the commitment it takes and the importance of that commitment, thinking that an intern or a couple of recent college grads who who know the platforms and technology can handle a social media program. They may be great at distributing corporate approved content, but without judgment and experience they won’t be able to handle either crisis or criticism.
Sterling stuff as usual, David.
I’d maybe add:
“Ask them to name 10 people that are leading the way in social media”.
Funnily enough, that usually works wonders.
I’d also add a point that Arik Hanson made a few weeks ago: Your social media guy has to be at least conversant in IT, CEO, marketing and PR.
If your social media guy can’t cross the borders of your own company with ease, how will he manage the diverse opinions, personalities and concerns of your publics?
Good start, what about;
You search for them on google and all your find is their personal website? Try searching for them other well known media such as facebook, twitter, linked-in etc.
You look at previous case studies and work they have produced and you feel uninspired.
A great list that I will forward to my clients. I’m always concerned when social media experts offer to tweet on behalf of clients. As was mentioned above, the tweets are sometimes turned over to an intern because they are familiar with Facebook. So much for the pesonal aspect of social media relationship building.
Follow me on Twitter for all things travel related @Nancydbrown
I’d also like to add a personal pet peeve to the list: when people say that Social Media is Viral Marketing.
Drives me crazy.
You might want to clarify point two. Much of the groundswell experience in social media has come from people starting their own blogs and twitter accounts, among other tools. It’s not until they are in an organization that they begin to use social media to drive business.
I do agree, however, that the larger knowledge and experience once gains from working in public relations does guide their use of social media.