25 Steps to Choosing a Social Media Consultant and Educator

I have been discovering many people starting to enter the world of social media marketing in Indianapolis. It can be anything from an advertising firm to a small business coach. It is probably pretty confusing for business owners trying to learn about the amazing new tools available on the web. I wanted to help you out with your first steps in choosing a social media educator or consultant.

1. They need to use the tools they are teaching.

It is extremely important that the teacher is using the tools. Before you decide to use a social media consultant… investigate! Make sure they are using tools like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIN, and Plaxo. If they do not use the tools on a regular basis, they are just riding a wave.

2. They communicate with their audience.

The last person you will want to hire is someone who throws content out on the bed and doesn’t allow for two way communication. The best way to test this? Go to their Twitter account and make sure they are actually sending “RT” and replies to people. 2-way communication is key.

3. Do they call themselves a Social Media Expert? Ask about the 10,000 hours rule.

The person that calls themselves a “social media expert” is the last person you want to hire. Read Paul Dunay’s post about 10,000 hours to become an expert.

4. Ask them their definition of social media.

If they give you a list of tools. Fail them.

5. They will run your Twitter account for you.

It is impossible to ghost a Twitter account. YOU either use it or you don’t. Ghostwriting for a blog is a different story and NOT for this post.

6. Their blog is less than six months old with no comments. (thanks Beth)

7. Ask them about social bookmarking. Do they know what it is? Do they use it?

8. Have they taught a class before on social media? Even a webinar?

It is important that your consultant or educator has experience in teaching or presenting on social media. The last thing you want to do is spend money for something that is going to be a DRAG. You want to know that you are not wasting your money.

9. Are they a Just-add-water expert?

10. They actually have a personality and GET people.

It is important that your social media consultant have a personality. What do I mean by personality? They are not stuck in an office all day pecking away at Twitter and have no sense of humor. ALSO, they are not overly bubbly and excited about everything under the sun. Sanity is key.

11. They blog more than once a week.

It is important that the investigation goes deeper into the blogging world. Your social media consultant should be learning on a daily basis and expounding upon what they are learning by blogging. This does not have to be catered specifically to a BLOG (wordpress or blogger). You can always check on Twitter on how they are communicating and learning.

12. They are linking and being linked.

Complete a Google link search and make sure your social media consultant actually has people and blogs linking back to their site. It is extremely important

13. Ask their opinion on viral marketing.

It is extremely important that your social media consultant and educator understand the concepts behind word-or-mouth marketing and viral marketing. Social media marketing is a relationship drive model. The evangelists and lovers of your product or service need to have the means to shout to the world… WE LOVE YOU!

14. Check out their website.

The first step to any Internet or social media strategy is the website. Do they have a communication drive website or is it a web 1.0 brochure driven site? Are they interacting with people? Are they talking about social media? Are they talking to YOU and not about their services.

15. What do other people think about them?

Mentors are one of the greatest asset to any small business owner. Who would they choose? Maybe they think social media is a waste of time. You need to take that into account. Maybe they were burned in the past? It is extremely important to get another perspective when entering into a relationship with any type of consultant or marketing professional.

16. They advise you to start a Facebook page as the first step.

It isn’t about starting in one spot. If you are new to the world of social media it may be smart to start USING Facebook other than trying to manage all 5 but the last thing you need to do is just start a Facebook fan page. SM strategy should be surrounding an integrated marketing approach. Period.

17. The instant success test

It takes time and knowledge to be successful at using social media as a small business strategy. If they promise instant results.. You should probably find another consultant.

18. What do they think about traditional marketing and advertising?

Ask them. If they come back to you and say that the traditional approach to marketing is dead. They are just riding a wave of no return. They will never understand the concepts of combining traditional and new media into an overall strategy.

19. Ask them about Radian6.

Radian6 is one of the better brand monitoring companies out there. If they have no idea about Radian6. FAIL.

20. What is their opinion of Quality over Quantity?

If your social media consultant starts talking about driving hundreds of followers to your social media account they don’t understand the concept of TWO WAY COMMUNICATION. Quality is so much better than quantity. Quality connections are the only way to succeed at using social media to expand your business.

21. They believe in actually listening to your problems instead of convincing you about the world of social media.

22. If they are still using an @aol.com, @aim.com, @comcast.net, or @att.net email. Fail them.

23. Listen for new approaches to strategy.

Everyone is offering to be a “social” consultant. Do they talk and think differently than anyone else you have listened to? If they do. You have a gem on your hands. Creative thinkers are the best social media consultants.

24. Are they a used car salesman? Do they seem genuine?

For the sake of argument I am going to list this. Do not work with someone you do not trust. Period.

25.Do they have any success stories?

Ask them about their history in using social media. The space is extremely new but there are people who are succeeding in using the tool. If they do not have case studies. Ask.

There are plenty more but this is just the beginning. Add to the list if you would like!

Interactive Marketers to Increase Online Spending by 50%

Have you ever been thinking about something only to read a blog post that is catered to the same idea? Just happened to me! I was reading a post by Chris Baggot about old media and his thoughts on the problem with the overall business model.

I (like Chris) love old media. There is something about getting a magazine in the mail and thumbing through the articles. Every once in awhile I also pay the money to buy a Wall Street Journal or an Indianapolis Star. Unfortunately times are changing and we are not just focusing on the journalistic side of old media.

Old advertising is slowly seeing a transition as customers start to shift more of their spending to online marketing. According to Forrester Research, interactive marketers are going to increase their online marketing spending by 50%. There are a couple of reasons to look at this stat from a social media and old media perspective.

Old media needs to shift their business model to cater more to the online medium. It is a fact of change. The evolve or die mantra still stands as old advertising starts to see a decrease in the effectiveness of their advertising model.

Chris and I both do not have answers for old media. I will still continue to buy my favorite magazines but my purchase does not prove that the advertising is working. As a business owner it is important to realize the effectiveness of both mediums.

How are you going to shift your spending to cater to the online marketing medium?

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Use Your Highlight Reel to Build Your Story

I should just start a blog called, “Seth Godin Strikes Again!” because he is constantly reminding me of GREAT concepts in marketing. He has a post called, Which parts are you skipping? The concept of the post is to remind marketers that it is important to build a foundation to your story, make the good parts of the story easy to find and the beauty of the entire process… not just a piece.

This is an important concept, especially for the small business owner who is looking to establish a strategy in social media marketing. It is extremely important to build out a strategy (a foundation) before you begin using the hundreds of tools at your fingertips in the world of social media.

Every tool you use, whether it is Facebook, Vimeo, or your personal blog, is a highlight of the overall picture: You and Your Business. Social media marketing is a small piece of the overall puzzle but it does help you develop small highlight reels that build brand development.

Remember to focus on the overall strategy and use your highlight reel to pull people into the story.

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The Wiener Takes Blogging Seriously?

I love talking about advertising and this time Oscar Meyer has done something pretty rediculous or completely brilliant? I can’t decide yet. I was put on by this advertisement by a fellow Brandswag employee, Colin Clark. It was funny at first. I did laugh and then I thought to myself.. how ironic…

The wiener took out a print ad in major newspapers and talked about an online communication medium. HAHA.

I am not quite sure whether or not to take this ad seriously. It seems as if Oscar Meyer would rather play off of a trend then an actual buying pattern. So the question is… as bloggers… as social media advocates and users… should we laugh Oscar Meyer off the shelves or are they going to be laughing to the bank?

The Original Marketing: Word of Mouth: Then and Now

Why do we waste marketing money on things other than Experiential Marketing? Why is social media marketing being constantly ignored? I decided to hit up a video blog this time around. Enjoy.

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Dear Levi 501: Thanks for Making Me Vomit

I am a huge fan of advertising. I follow advertising. I watch and read about advertising. The art of advertising is something that will never get old to me.

So, I am sitting on my couch watching Family Guy last night and this Levi 501 commercial comes on. I already have an idea that the commercial is completely sex charged. What I find is something a little beyond the lines of sex charged.

Please watch the commercial below.

Okay. I’m not really offended by the “sex sells” mantra of clothing advertising because it is pretty prevalent. This does not mean I agree with it, as much as I am just used to it.

This commercial is completely ridiculous for a number of reasons but most of all…

THE CHARACTERS/ACTORS LOOK PREPUBESCENT.

And for everyone that does not know what prepubescent means… We can safely say between the ages of 13 and 15.

Are you serious? Are you seriously coming out with an ad that shows two young (looking) individuals about to romp but SURPRISE they are actually just jumping off the side of a railing into the water…. surprise. What a GREAT joke!

Needless to say I threw up on myself.

If there were two older looking individuals I would have just been weirded out but this is absolutely ridiculous. I would have at least kept my food in my stomach.

Networking with Authenticity or Blandly Giving a Presentation?

Gary Vaynerchuk has another brilliant video on his website called Giving a Presentation vs. Working the Room.

In this video Gary talks about brands using social media in terms of giving a presentation versus working the room. When you are giving a presentation you are speaking to a group of people. When you are working the room (as many networking junkies know) you are getting involved in the group, in the community.

There is another facet of working the room and giving a presentation in social media: authenticity.

Authenticity
When you are working a room at a networking event you have to put on an air of personality and authenticity in order to gain any foothold in an individuals mind. If you are not yourself and try to wear a facade…you will not be successful at networking with professionals.

In giving a presentation there is a small amount of personality involved but is not truly involved in the process of giving a presentation. You are relating information to a group. Push. Push. Push and no Pull.

It is truly important to work the room when you are using social media for your business. Work the room at 30 mins a day. Heck! Work at the room at an hour a day online. You get what you put in!

And Gary ends his post by saying something brilliant:

“Their cost is just their time. They just have to care enough to work the room.”

The cost of your social media endeavors is your time. Plain and simple. If you want to gain a foothold in the Web 2.0 community landscape… make the time.

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Social Media and Traditional Advertising Are Similar and Different

Lorraine Ball has an excellent post today talking about consistency in advertising, blogging, and social media.  She talks about the similarities between social media and blogging compared to corporate advertising. She cites Mitch Joel when talking about the best practices in social media.

1. “Repetition, repetition, repetition”.  His point was simple, if we wanted to get noticed, we could not take a one shot approach to our marketing.  Multiple ads, multiple pieces of direct mail would be required to break through the clutter. And the same is true today!  Using blogging and social media as an integral part of your marketing mix.

2. He also makes a great point about creating a consistent online image.  Just as you wouldn’t consider changing your brand color or font every time you print a new brochure, don’t change your identity when you blog.

It made me think about my own paradigm when it comes to push marketing, bomber marketing strategy, and traditional advertising. I have come to despise the constant bombardment of direct mail and email blasts. There is something to be said of a company who can connect with a niche group of people of an emotional level. It is true that repetition and consistency is key in traditional advertising, as well as social media. I wanted to take it a bit further and explain why social media is an upgrade to the traditional advertising platform.

There always needs to be repetition and consistency in social media but not necessarily in terms of “repetition” in the advertising world. In my opinion, repetition in advertising means creating a marketing strategy for a large demographic base and then trying to hit that base as many times as possible with that message (bombing). Social Media has a way (wether you like it or not) to create an extremely niche listener base in your community outlets.

Friendfeed is a great example of this. When you “like” something on Friendfeed you are paired and grouped with people who tended to “like” the same thing. If you are subscribed to a person and he/she likes another post, you will see it in your timeline. This creates a network of niche individuals who share a certain connection in terms of information.

It is hard to pinpoint a specific niche market in your daily social media meanderings because you truthfully have little to no control on how your listerner base in built. That is the difference between social media marketing and traditional advertising.

We choose what we want to read. We choose what we want to see and experience. There has never been such a powerful consumer centric platform in the history!

Yes, you need to be repetitive and consistent in your social media use but if you don’t tack on the content your clientbase wants to read… you might as well be dropping bombs on yourself.

Is Digital Marketing Recession Proof?

There has been a lot of talk recently about downed markets, a new depression, revenue generation, and the collapse of massive corporations. Negative attitude has been spreading like wildfire through the ranks of my social communities, as well as, my offline social circles. I was pleased to find a blog post today by Jason Baer on Convince&Convert. His post entitled, 5 Reasons Why Digital Marketing Will Thrive in the Recession was one of the highlights of my day (other than the racoon on my window sill).

Jason goes into detail on the five reasons why digital marketing is recession proof. Highlighting everything from the ROI to the short term commitments. If you want the full detailed observation from Jason go read and comment on his post. I wanted to highlight one area where I feel he was absolutely and positively right: Waste Not.

From his post:

There is meaningful financial waste associated with advertising to people who have no interest in your product or service. The superior targeting ability of online marketing will enable companies to focus their reduced marketing dollars solely on likely prospects.

This is the pull marketing strategy at work. The bomber mentality of traditional advertising tends to fatten the advertising budgets of companies who are already in fear of becoming a victim of the recession. A company has an idea of what their target market should be and wastes thousand upon thousands of dollars pushing marketing messages at a majority. Give me a break.

Digital marketing allows you to focus on the people who are already slightly interested in what you are offering: the people hitting your site. Jason talks about the concept of behavioral targeting.

If a prospect reads several pages on Yahoo! about Nissan Altimas and does a search on Yahoo! using a related term, an ad for Valley Nissan dealers can be served up just in time.

Talk about a great way to use pull marketing on a specific person!

Other than the extreme measurability of digital marketing, the ability for a company to target specific niche groups is a huge advantage of digital marketing. Also, the price of using digital marketing is extremely small compared to some traditional advertising budgets.

I think you will find more advertising budgets switching slowly over to a heavier digital model in the months to come. A recession does not mean you should back out on your advertising budgets to lower your overhead. Instead of CUTTING budgets, you should create smarter marketing strategies. Smarter marketing strategies means adding digital marketing into the mix and creating a measurable model for success.

Is digital marketing recession proof? I think so. A measurable return always wins over the long haul and digital marketing can deliver.

What do you think?

Microblogging=Money? Assetbar Thinks So.

Major props to Louis Gray for cluing me into a new development in the world of making money on the Internet. In his post titled Assetbar Launches Fanflow for Premium Messaging and Content, Gray talks about a new service offered from Assetbar called FanFlow. Long story short, it allows for the monetization of content from the developer to the reader.

There has been major strides in growing content on the Internet. Information is shared and updated by the second on millions and millions of pages. We have a way to create the content (ie Google Reader ) but we do not have a way to sell the content. I agree with Louis when he says:

One of the major issues hindering the growth of many Web services today is that users are not willing to pay. We don’t want to pay for using their service, we don’t want to pay for content, and we usually don’t want to see or click through ads.

I see it daily when it comes to growing social networks. Many people choose not to spend time developing content on social networks because they cannot place any value on the time they spend developing profiles and content on networks. When I am out talking up a new network or a new development project I usually get the response:

My time is worth (some dollar amount). I don’t have the time to spend joining and developing sites like Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, Smaller Indiana, and Plaxo. How can I place a value on something so intangible?

Visibility is king for me when it comes to creating content and joining multiple networks. Though I have recently been conscious about how much of my time I spend on sites that do not create added value to my pocketbook.

Have we reached a breaking point on the Internet? Has growth been hindered because of the amount of time needed to spend on developing content doesn’t pay out?

Has Assetbar created a means to place a monetary value on time and effort in creating content? I think so. I am interested in seeing the development play out.