I want To Be Your Social Media Consultant
Social media strategist, Internet marketer, social media guru, social media ninja / expert / rockstar and the names keep coming and coming. Is it just me or are more and more social media voices now the equivalent of a digital Amway Salesperson? It seems as if anyone with an Internet connection is now an “expert”.
Well as we all know…not everyone is an expert and the waters for solid and valuable content are beginning to get cloudy. It’s a shame too, because so many folks have good information and stories to share…unfortunately it’s the cheeseballs that seem to yell the loudest. Not because they have good information but because there are so damn many of them.
So how to you know if your social media “expert” is in fact selling you snake oil? Many have masked themselves quite well. Kinda like the Terminator where they look human, but when you peel the layers back it’s just an empty robot.
Here’s some things that should be setting off the bull sh*t meter.
They Name Themselves “Experts”
An expert is such a rare bird. Just because I know more about a subject than you doesn’t make me an expert on it. I probably know more about the St. Louis Rams and Saved By The Bell Trivia than you, but I don’t walk around claiming to be an expert on those subjects.
According to Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Outliers, it takes at least 10,000 hours before one can master a subject. Last time I checked none of us have been spending 10,000 hours diving into social media (although sometimes it feels like it).
The only time I want to hear that someone is an expert is when a reputable source is calling them that…not when it’s on their business card.
They Double As A Life-coach
This is really a shame, because I’ve actually met some really talented life coaches who get amazing results with their clients. But never have these talented life coaches also doubled as social media gurus. I’m not saying it can’t be done…but many of the rats claim to coach lives. Be weary.
They Speak About Social Media As A System
Social Media is not a system. That’s a ridiculous statement to make, much less base consulting and strategy on it. Social Media is not a Tae Bo workout. It’s not a video series that if I put in and follow today I can get the same results if I put it in and follow ten years from now.
Only talk About How’s And Never Why
There are certain social media tools that are pretty standard. Twitter, Facebook Pages, Blogs, ect and each of these tools have a pretty standard ways to set them up. But they should be used as an individual process.
I’ve written about How to Get Followers On Twitter because it is important. But equally as important as getting followers is why you want them in the first place. I constantly try to focus on the “why”. The how is easy, anything can be manipulated. But that never moves the “why” you should want to.
100,000 random twitter followers offer me absolutely nothing. Focus on goals and strategy. The “How” always develops from the “Why” first.
Everything Is About Automation
This ties exactly to the social media “system”. Some aspects of social media or any marketing channel can be automated. But the biggest advantage of social media is the dialogue and engagement you’re creating. If you only focus on automating everything you’re doing oline…you’ve completely missed the point of why you’re marketing in this space.
The Numbers Don’t Match
Having 40,000 Followers on Twitter is a lot! But it can always easily be recreated over time with any of your accounts. The only reason you should ever want a follower on Twitter is the hope of future engagement.
If your followers aren’t clicking on your links, replying back to questions, and engaging in your content then who cares if you have 1 million followers. Before you buy an ebook about how to get Twitter Followers, make sure they talk about targeted and engaged followers.
I recently watched a video of an avid video blogger who is selling Twitter ebooks. I was the 58th view of that video in over a month. Don’t buy content from people who can’t convert their own numbers. If you have 40,000 Twitter followers, I would expect if those followers are interested in you…you should have more than 58 views / month.
They NEVER Actually Say ANYTHING
I’ve sat through countless webinars, Live Ustream feeds, YouTube Videos, because I am always trying to learn. Not learn a new “system”, but always trying to challenge my thought process and maybe change the way I perceive a topic or think about my approach. Unfortunately, a good sized chunk of these video conferences never really teach me anything because they won’t stop talking about themselves.
I get that you need to be personable and if that means you yuck it up on YouTube, great. But at some point you need to actually offer some knowledge.
Affliction or Ed Hardy T-shirts
This is kinda silly, but is it just me or do these people not own a button down shirt without a giant cross or fleurdelis in rhinestones on it? I know it somehow proves in their mind that they’re rebelling against the traditional system. But the only thing they’re rebelling against is style.
Trust Your Gut
Within a few minutes of a Webcast or Webinar, if you begin to get a slimey feel to the situation then close it down. Trust your gut. The one if any gem of knowledge they’ll share with you can easily be found somewhere else online.
Be careful out there folks. The social media fort has been overrun by the masses focused on a quick buck from you. I’m not judging anyone selling content online because I have purchased some valauble stuff. But try to support the good folks who are honest with their intentions.
As long as you understand that social media is an arm of the bigger marketing picture you’ll be in good shape. I hope that this blog and others like it become a bomb shelter of knowledge for you. Because the war for your attention is underway.
This is DAY 11 of my “28 Day Blogging Challenge“
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Scott S. Bishop is editor for Real Time Marketer and a marketing strategist with a specialty in social media. He is an avid blogger and active across the net. He is @thescottbishop on Twitter
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