Social media marketing miracle!
May 21, 2009
Balderdash. If social media marketing works for you, great. Show me the money! Thus far, nobody has. That’s why I chuckled a bit this morning when the Industry Standard Weekly Edition newsletter arrived.
Lately it seems I can’t go anywhere without running into a gaggle of social media consultants bloviating about the wonders of social network marketing. Sure, you’ve seen ‘em, too. Slick shake-and-bake “experts” promising to help you leverage the power of Twitter and Facebook to raise your profile and, inexplicably, boost your profits. But scratch the surface on most of these claims and they instantly crumble. Meanwhile, it seems the only people making any money in social media are the consultants themselves.
For anywhere between a few hundred and a few thousand bucks, you can hire a social media consultant to come to your office and put on a training seminar for your staff. They’ll spend an hour or two pontificating about the power of social media to raise awareness of your brand and the magical benefits of building closer relationships with your customers in 140 characters or less. They’ll probably even offer you a few “insider tips” based on their “deep expertise” in the field. The only problem? It’s a load of bull.
From Beware the Social Media Charlatans by Robert Strohmeyer on the Industry Standard website.
If something sounds too good to be true, ask hard questions.
Entry Filed under: digital strategy, ebusiness, marketing, networking, social media. .
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1. Twitted by RichardEByrd | May 21, 2009 at 9:42 am
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2.
Bob | June 1, 2009 at 10:32 am
Ken,
Love your site and wisdom.
First, I’m not a Social Media consultant, I am though a Marketing Consultant that believes Social Media has its place.
Just a note that we’ve seen great success using Social Media for the entertainment industry, primarily, Record business. (showing my age.) Real Dollars and good Sense.
This year there will be a new Country artist launched and released by a major label. The artist’s social media campaign got him noticed and ultimately got him the deal.
There are several more.
Good luck, and keep up the great work.
Bob
3.
rkenneth | June 2, 2009 at 9:12 pm
Bob —
I was in the radio biz about a hundred years ago, but that’s a story for another time.
I’ve been aware of radio folks using Facebook, MySpace, Twitter to connect with their audiences, and it makes sense that recording artists would use social media to connect with their fan base. This afternoon, I heard comedian Dane Cook on a talk station, and the hosts said he has about a billion or so followers, or tweeters, or whatever. So, point well taken!
Social Media seems to make a lot of sense for the entertainment industry, but the consultants I was thinking about are pitching their “expertise” to any and all takers. So my challenge stands… to them at least… show me the money. I’m ready and willing to be proven wrong.
Ken