Speaking at a social media club event a few weeks ago, Social media Explorer, Jason Falls was very direct in his criticism of social media “experts”. He referred to social media as an echo chamber where we simply talk to each other. He told us, he didn’t care what Chris Brogan thought about him, but only what his clients thought, since they were paying him, their opinion counted.

While harsh, his point was clear – if you are a social media professional, you goal must to be deliver your client’s message to the marketplace, everything else is a distraction. While I agree  delivering your message is your primary objective developing relationships with other social media pros is a means to that end. If you impress them, you may well increase the chances of your message being amplified.

His second controversial point : If Social media expert is your job title, then your career path may include Blogging for Food.

Will Blog for Food

Will Blog for Food

He was not saying there is no career path in social media, but if you want one, you need to bring more to the table then a working knowledge of Facebook. To serve your clients you must be a marketing professional who understands how social media expands, supports, leverages, and compliments each of the following:

  • Blogging
  • Community Marketing
  • Public Relations
  • Email Marketing
  • SEO
  • Web Development
  • Mobile
  • Monitoring/Measurement/Analytics
  • CRM
  • Data Base Management
  • Direct Mail
  • Advertising
  • Online Media Marketing

It seems like a long list, but that is often the case on the path to success.

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  • Pingback: Tweets that mention Jason Falls Will Not Blog For Food | Roundpeg | Small Business Marketing | Indianapolis -- Topsy.com

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan…

    Jason’s totally right. If you think about it, I’m not his buyer. Why should he give a crap if I think he’s doing it right (I do), or whether I think he’s visionary (I don’t think vision is a necessary element of selling execution).

    The #1 critic I get day in and day out is a competitor of sorts (or a co-op-itor, so to speak). Jason doesn’t like what I do some days. Lots of people don’t. I always appreciate the feedback, but I rarely see it as useful to what my clients pay me to do for them.

    He’s spot on.

    Oh, and I’d gladly blog for food. : )

  • http://www.roundpeg.biz Lorraine

    Chris
    I make a mean Lasagna … would that be enough to bribe you?

  • http://www.roundpeg.biz Lorraine Ball

    I quoted Jason today during a sales call, so I have to generally agree. However, I think there is value in impressing your peers, because they can help spread your clients messages.