by Beth Harte (cross-posted on the Harte of Marketing) and Geoff Livingston
Our original post “Top 25 Ways to Tell if Your Social Media Expert Is a Carpetbagger” was really meant as a silly riff in reaction to the sudden rush of folks offering social media services in the wake of the economic crisis. The post was never meant to be anything more than half rant/half humor, but the 180+ comments on both of our blogs indicate that we touched a much bigger nerve. Since it’s a prescient topic, we’d like to offer a more serious, positive post to help marketers make a good choice in consultants (image by tigermatt).
A couple of precursors. We’re just starting the list. Feel free to add, balk, or digress.
Secondly, not having a few of these isn’t a death sentence. Social media communications is still a really new industry, and there are no silver bullet experts or methodologies. To help separate the wheat from the chaff, we are sharing these general suggestions, but if many qualifiers are missing in your potential partner’s offering, as a marketer, PR or communications professional you should probably be concerned.
Lastly, we’ve cited examples. This is not an echo chamber or buddy list (sorry to our buddies not on the list, we only wanted to list one per qualifier). In some cases, we’ve never met said examples, but we know their work.
Finally, there are many qualified SM consultants/agencies. In the case of larger agencies, we can’t vouch for them, but can safely recommend individuals. It would be impossible to list all of the many qualified social media partners. Instead, we refer you to Charlene Li’s Altimeter Wiki as a starting place. We also invite you to give hat tips in the comments section.
OK, here we go again:
1) Believes in the generous web and practices cross-linking in their blog (example: Kami Huyse)
2) Highlights others’ work in their blog (example: Chris Brogan)
3) Integrates social media as part of larger marketing strategy(example: Razorfish)
4) Doesn’t pretend to be an expert in all things digital; instead simply focuses on what he/she/they do best (example: Common Craft)
5) Gives away best practices in an effort to educate, grow social media in general (example: Todd Defren/SHIFT Communications)
6) Understands that Radian6 and other monitoring tools are vastly superior tracking tools in comparison to Technorati (which really isn’t an indicator of much these days) (example: Fleishman’s Matt Dickman)
7) Will tell you that there is no magic bullet for determining social media ROI and that you need to go further to accurately monitor, measure and determine the effectiveness of social media. (example: K.D. Paine).
8) Understands that social media is an important part of the larger word of mouth marketing principles (example: Ogilvy’s John Bell)
9) Others cite this person/agency’s work (example: see the many here and here)
10) Realizes that search engine optimization represents an absolutely crucial part of social media (example: TopRank’s Lee Odden)
11) Understands that social media expands beyond search engine optimization tactics that lead to Diggs, Stumbles (StumbleUpon) and link baiting (example: Key Relevance’s Li Evans)
12) Integrates brick and mortar events with social media activity (example: Voce’s Josh Hallet)
13) Has and continues to work on notable social media projects (example: Andy Sernovitz)
14) Understands that conversations are the starting place and not the end game. And though ROI is critical, knows that without conversation you’re not going anywhere (example: Paul Chaney).
15) Understands that social networking and conversation is more than collecting followers and subscribers (example: Mack Collier)
16) Listens to you when you are discussing your challenges (example: Connie Reece)
17) Helps and guides clients so that they can understand the benefits of social media and implement it properly (themselves) (example: Amber Naslund)
18) Knows that social networking works best when they are conversing, sharing, and being human (i.e. doesn’t self-promote) (example: Jason Falls)
19) Educates clients on understanding that they no longer own or control their brand and educates them on how to create customer evangelists (example: Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba)
20) Won’t act as your social media ‘voice’ or ghostwrite for you (example: Laura Bergells)
21) Understands the difference between social media tools and communications strategy (example: Ogilvy’s Rohit Bhargarva)
22) They won’t recommend blogging as a first step into social media (example: David Armano) and when you are ready to begin they consult you on how to be successful (example: Drew McLellan)
23 Doesn’t allow clients to be affected by Shiny New Object syndrome (example: Beth Kanter)
24 Understands that social media is more than just creating and delivering content or regurgitating existing promotional copy Joseph Jaffe
25 Understands that social media isn’t the sole terrain of marketing or PR and helps clients educate internally to other departments
(example: Media Badger)
Great stuff. I would like to add:
Understands that your user/customer service is crucial to facilitate positive word of mouth
Excellent work you two. Thank you for sharing I’ll add one more:
26) Believes in collaboration to get the best possible results. (examples: Beth Harte and Geoff Livingston)
Good list. But I also thought the Carpetbagging list was a great list also. You could also apply that list to marketing in general I thought.
Great list. So glad to see your point that SM is not the preserve of PR or Marketing and that it is a cross organizational activity.
I’d add, that a good SM consultant is honest about the amount of time SM will take as an activity up front and has ideas about spreading the work.
Great post! I am admittedly no expert in social media. However, there are many people that claim to be and are far from it. This is great info to help educate clients and prospects. It’s also nice to see someone referencing other people they consider an expert in each of the 25 lines – without duplicating…
Glad to see you’re pushing the differentiation between a social media monitoring service like SM2 and things like Technorati or Google Alerts. We see at least 10x results when compared to these freebie services and typically far more results. If you rely on the basic tools to monitor you will miss a lot and potentially not see a developing issue or opportunity before it spreads. You can try our fully functional free version to experience the difference at http://sm2.techrigy.com
Thanks, Martin. Hey, next time you comment, please don’t leave a URL or offer folks some sort of promo. It’s not kosher, as we are trying to facilitate a conversation as opposed to a hard sell. Much obliged.
Great posts. It sums up the general idea of a good SM consultant.
Sorry Geoff,
You mentioned one of our competitors so I thought it wouldn’t be a problem. Feel free to remove it. BTW, our service picked up this thread and I still haven’t seen it in Google Alerts!
Interesting post. As the Head of Digital of an agency and an SM evangelist I find this post intriguing. The bits I like most of all are where SM is separated from pure SEO. I actually dislike SEO with a passion (not the practice of it, the term itself). SM is much more direct and powerful, and while SEO has a place, I find SEO is often far too much about Snake Oil, than real value.
Great, whole-industry minded set of signs.
May I please add:
“Includes SM/Social Networking evangelizing within and throughout the company for employees to find their own niche within SM in which they may contribute and thrive as brand ambassadors.
Geoff and Beth, this is an excellent list; thanks for including me on it. I love the way you have collaborated on this–you’re leading by example. It’s interesting that most of us you have cited are in competition with each other as far as our businesses are concerned, and yet we are often each other’s greatest advocates. I don’t hesitate to recommend someone whose expertise is greater than mine in a given area, or who might be located closer to a client and therefore more convenient for them. There is plenty of work to go around, and the really qualified SM consultants know that and have friendly relationships with their peers. I’ve heard it called coopetition (cooperation with the competition); I just think it’s good business.
Great Post, I guess I would add. make sure your SM Consultant is not basing communications based on perceived influencers. You never know who may or may not be a valuable contact. Personally I treat every communication with every person as if though they wield massive influence. This also must be done genuinely from the heart or people will see right through you.
@KeithBurtis
Great list co-creation. I appreciate the way you shared the links. Great information. For me word of mouth is at the “harte” of SM and you can not do well without authenticity. I learned that 15 years ago while building my salon business. A really good haircut creates conversation, a bad one even more…
I would like to add this point:
Social Media is not just online. Social Media includes touch-points with other offline marketing and public relations campaigns. It also includes the technology that makes it happen.
Part of my own 2008 social media demographics review was comparing the massive increase in wireless internet on cell phones. If social media agencies are not connecting information from other channels… something is wrong.
FYI: Thanks for the great list. Checking out a few new people now!
Thanks for the inclusion. I truly appreciate it. But, could you move me to #13? It’s my lucky number. :-)
forgot to mention – drop the names of industry leaders to get props back – guess number 2 sort of – just drop the names…
seriously though this was a great post and good for people to get a grasp on the broad nature of social media and that it can be entered and used from many angles
Thanks for including me & TopRank in your list Beth and Geoff. You might have me and Li switched though :). We approach Social Media more from a public relations/influence/conversation perspective more than SEO. Great post!
Awsome, and it’s a perfect compliment to the other piece you 2 wrote. I would like to add another to the list: You know you have a strong SM consultant when they are: humble enough to admit a mistake, strong enough to hold their ground when a client tells them what “they’ want to do and smart enough to walk away from a project when the client won’t listen and trust them.
Someone who would be good…someone, who in their resume, adopts and highilghts these and references this blog post to show how they are in the know and pay attention…just a tip to pass onto your students! ;)
Fantastic stuff folks. Can I add a UK perspective on this:
1) A TRUE social media specialist is a translator. They can understand your business objectives and translate these into appropriate tools/channels/methods and techniques to maximise impact but in a way which is sympathetic to the needs of the customer.
2) They understand process. As point 20 adds:
20) Won’t act as your social media ‘voice’ or ghostwrite for you (example: Laura Bergells)
A true social media specialist understands how to implement a strategy (although a never-ending strategy at that) and can develop the processes that help you, the client, create content, listen to conversations, understand them, moderate conversations, find interesting content etc.
This point is, for me, perhaps the important of all and is what distinguishes social media users (and wafflers) with true social media specialists who are both users and translators.
Superb list!
As Connie rightly said, there is so much work to go around…and the good SM consultants know this. It’s through collaborating with my peers I’m always able to learn. No one knows all the answers yet!
I’d add 27 or 28) Recognizes that it Social Media isn’t about technology, it’s about people and participation.
@AussieWebmaster, I think you might be misunderstanding. Chris Brogan gives people who are doing great work within the social media space a chance to highlight what they are doing on his blog. And typically it’s people that most people might not know about. It’s called giving back to the community. :)
@LeeOdden, totally agree that you and Li look at social media more a ‘public relations/influence/conversation perspective,’ but you also both understand that SEO is also an important component (and it is). Honestly, I listed Li for #11 because I know she is frustrated by “social media experts” going on and on about that social media is about diggs and stumbles and nothing more. And apparently that was the focus at Pubcon and SMX…unfortunately.
@Beth I totally agree with the point you make about #11 – digg, stumbles etc. are the one night stands of social media. Something quick and without meaning.
Genuine SMS’s know that the reltionship is much more profound than just this.
Geoff and Beth — Thank you both for including me in this list. It really does mean a lot to me. You hit on the key points that companies need to look for in an external consultant or when doing internal planning.
I think that it is great that you two followed up the carpetbaggers post with this positive one. Sure glad you didn’t name names in your first post. I also agree that social media consulting is a much broader thing than just a bag of tools to exploit. Strategy is key. Relationships are mandatory.
Hey there Geoff,
I’ve already commented over on Beth’s version of the blog but just to say thanks for the Radian6 mention on your list. As always, very honored to be thought of.
Cheers man. David
Excellent list and well thought out. One I might add: Listens to your needs and helps identify the tools you need to be using rather than pushing their favorites upon you.
Great post! I hope you don’t mind me putting a link to it on my blog. (http://markethings.wordpress.com)
Really informative post and you hit the nail on the head in your characterization of us looking at social in the broader context of marketing too.
Let’s spread the word!! lol Good post. For me the most important one is the enthusiasm (make the difference with being naive) someone has or not when he is talking about SM. It is the biggest indication of its commitment.
This is a great list and I have to say “Whew!”
I would also add:
“Understands that social media can be implemented as a marketing strategy but that social technologies can & should be business changing when embraced across the company” (Customer Service, Internal Comms, Human Resources, Product Development, etc)
This concept, and ALL of the above, I’m relieved and happy to say, are understood by Paull Young and the team at Converseon http://converseon.com/
Understanding that social media more social science than computer science.
Jeff, this and the other are great posts, especially for people like me who are newer to SM. You’ve put together a comprehensive list that can serve as an internal checklist for aspiring consultants. I’ve been pulling together posts like these to develop some of my own personal standards for working with clients in this area – I’m more into providing content, but it’s helpful to be able to give others advice about what to look for when considering or working with SM consultants. And the comments add even more value- so thanks to all of you who shared your insights as well.
Excellent, and I would further add to Paul from the UK above: an SM consultant not only understands process, but *has* a process (or at least, logical approach) to understanding social media’s place in the context of the client’s organization.
I think this list is a solid one and also appreciate the additions in the comment section. Thanks for sharing it!