Posted by on May 26, 2011 in Social Media | 14 comments

Gurus. Ninjas. Evangelists. Divas. Socialites. Rockstars. Social media “professionals” give themselves some pretty stupid titles. Unfortunately, the social media craze has attracted a class of pretenders who know nothing about marketing, public relations, or even business.  They attempt to pass themselves off as social media experts who can help you improve your ROI, leverage your connections, and solve all your problems.

Blah, blah, blah.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but many of these social media experts are full of crap. So how do you know who’s the real deal and who’s full of hot air? A few tips on the warning signs. Please note, these are all drawn from real examples. Really.

  1. They say they can help you with “The Twitter.” Or “The Tweeter.” If they can’t get the name right, run.
  2. They don’t have a blog, or they don’t update their blog regularly.
  3. Look at their Twitter account: Do they use it daily, or is it gathering dust? Are they interacting with people, or just broadcasting messages out?  How they handle their social media is a good indication of how they will handle  your social media.
  4. They don’t have a background in business, marketing, communications, public relations, or anything remotely related to these fields. Social media isn’t just about posting cute things on Facebook: It needs to be strongly backed up by strategy grounded in business goals.
  5. They tell you that social media is free. Yes, many of the tools are free, but most of the better analytic packages aren’t free. And time isn’t free: time that’s needed to develop those strategies, implement them, respond to people, and generally grow a strong community. Social media, done right, can be very expensive in terms of time and commitment.
  6. They call themselves a rockstar, guru, evangelist, or some other stupid name. People who do this are buying into the hype and perceived glamor of social media. You don’t want someone so infatuated with their own image and success that they forget about yours. Look for terms like “analyst,” “specialist,” or “consultant” instead.

Don’t let this list scare you: there are many, many excellent social media professionals out there who can genuinely help you grow your business.  Taking the time to make sure you’re getting the real deal is equally important if you are part of a Fortune 500 firm, or a small mom and pop business.

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  • http://www.leospetcare.com Veterinarian in Indianapolis

    I love your posts, Allison. They always make me smile. :)

  • http://indysm.org Chuck Gose

    I especially like tip #4. This is where the real danger is. A person’s background and experience means everything.

  • http://www.tkographix.com Randy Clark

    Tell us what you really think! ;)
    If we consider the expert-guru title in a more general context we find it’s not confined to social media. Unworthy “Experts” pop up in many fields. I’ve recently heard complaints about so-called photographers, vinyl decal applicators, and live performance musicians, among others, parading as experts.

    With that in mind, #6 is good advice to consider with any guru-ninja-diva-rock star – in any field.
    Excellent post. Thank you.

  • http://www.thenewradar.com The New Radar

    Good stuff Allison. Seems like there are finally going to be a lot of “gurus”, “experts” and “rockstars” who get exposed when businesses start looking at how their 1,000 likes = $0.

  • http://www.smallboxweb.com Jeb

    I agree with all points except the last one. I don’t worry about the titles- rockstar, guru, consultant, etc. If someone is badass at SM marketing and wants to call themselves a SM rockstar then so be it!

    Remember that words mean different things to different people. Some clients might respond well to “guru” or the like, some might respond well to “consultant” etc. Know your audience, right?

    I firmly believe we attract who we are and if you are a Social Media Ninja then let the world know and be that ninja for your clients! You will attract clients that want that kind of approach.

    As for me I’m definitely more in the consultant camp, I’m not terribly flashy. :)

    Jeb

  • http://www.slaughterdevelopment.com/ Robby Slaughter

    Let me just add one more:

    7. They NEVER talk about *conversion.* Instead, they talk about how people will interact with your brand, how people will know who you are, how much fun it will be to be online.

    At the end of the day, your social media strategy is about creating CUSTOMER relationships. You know, people who buy things?

    But yes—points 1-6 are right on!

  • http://stevenahill.com/ Steve Hill

    #4 Trumps all. If you don’t act like a business person, don’t call yourself a consultant.

    Example: Let’s say you tweet on behalf of a restaurant and advertise buy one get one free entrees on a Friday night. You had better make sure that your client has enough inventory on hand to meet that demand or they’ll run out and their reputation will be damaged.

    As with any form of business communication, it’s completely useless, if not counter productive, if it’s not well planned. It also needs clear and concise business objectives. Nothing more, nothing less.

    Furthermore these consultants shouldn’t sell people what they don’t need. There is absolutely no reason that a company that deals in police car mods, needs to spend money on social media. Government contracts just aren’t created through a tweet or a facebook post. #useyourhead :)

  • http://writenowindy.com Chris Vanasdalan

    Another great post Allison. It’s refreshing to see it laid out so bluntly. I’m also wary of anyone that gives themselves the title of “expert.”

    The comments raise some interesting points too. I especially agree with Robby. Folks truly knowledgeable in social media will ultimately speak to business owners in terms of sales. At it’s core, social media is a tool for marketing your business and connecting with customers. Marketing has to start with making the sale. If you aren’t making sales you’re wasting your time and money.

    This is something I wrote about on my blog earlier this year “Why You Should Be Wary of Self-Described Social Media ‘Gurus’” – http://writenowindy.com/blog/?p=223

  • http://douglasleemiller.posterous.com Douglas Lee Miller

    I prefer the term “Social Media Maytag Man.” ;)

  • http://www.roundpeg.biz Lorraine

    As Robby says, it is ultimately about lead generation and sales so a productive social media campaign must be supported by a conversion process and follow up engagement system.

  • http://www.twobananasmarketing.com Marty Thompson

    There are a couple of other great posts arguing this point. One from Rand Fishkin over at SEOmoz…

    http://www.seomoz.org/blog/everyone-should-hire-social-media-experts

    as a response to Peter Shankman.

    http://www.businessinsider.com/why-i-will-never-ever-hire-a-social-media-expert-2011-5?utm_source=pulsenews&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Falleyinsider%2Fsilicon_alley_insider+%28Silicon+Alley+Insider%29

    My recommendation is that under most circumstances if you are looking for a social media resource, just be sure they have good “chops.” In other words, they should be able to demonstrate a sound social media acumen, know the tools, etc. But if you are going to rely upon a new social media resource for overall marketing strategy, wide ranging digital expertise, etc, most so called social media expert resources don’t have the depth, or length of service in marketing.

  • http://www.roundpeg.biz Lorraine

    Marty… Thanks for the links to other conversations on this same topic. I think it is going to be something we debate for long time.

  • http://www.blockbeta.com Robbin Block

    I could kiss you for #4 and #5. And I hate when people introduce me as a social media expert. I’m a marketing strategist from the top of my head to the bottom of my soul.

  • http://www.roundpeg.biz Roundpeg

    Me too.  At my roots I am am a marketing professional, and social media is just one of many tools