Amen, brother.

I’d hang around, but there’s another bright shiny object demanding my attention … some kind of social networking site …

Amen. I actually think that term “social media” is oxymoron

AMEN brother! Sing it high on the mountain.

Can someone be an expert in social media? Yes they can.

I’d say I’m pretty damn well versed in it, but you are right that it is a skillset that I’d argue any company or organization needs on their teams now. BUT, it is a skill that people in every position of their company should be versed in. Sure, some more than others, but still you need to know it. Work in marketing or PR in any capacity then it is a required skill in my book.

Your going to get a ton of shit for this, but you knew that.

Can’t wait to watch.

I could not agree with you more. And it is just not in US but in other countries too. For example in India, there are tons of Social Media experts/gurus and what nots who have read few blogs and books and can opine. I am pretty sure that you know about the modus operandi of the experts or the social media agencies.

This is just like the barge of web 2.0 experts we saw few years back. Sometimes, in my company I am introduced as the guy who will handles the social media. Only I can say how my heart cries at that introduction but for simplicity sake, I let it be.

Few things which are important here are -
1) It is about facilitating interactions everywhere. Not just online but taking it offline as well.
2) Practising it and not strategizing it.
3) The intentions have to be very clear and with approach towards long term benefits.

Can I come up with insights which helps the sales team get better revenues? Can I train the customer care team to be more open and resolve problems faster? Can I help the marketing team to design their campaigns and hit the right chord? Can i project my brand instead of trying to protect it? Can i define clear metrics where I can show contribution to revenues?

These are the questions I try to answer, day in and day out :)

Thanks Peter for this lovely post.

Bravo – and thank you, it is easy to get caught up in the social media tornado

I can’t wait to read all the responses to this! Bottom line, if you can’t support your customers it is all pointless.

I daresay the best sales and marketing techniques haven’t changed since the dawn of sales and marketing. It’s not the loudest fishmonger in the market that people buy from. It’s the shop with the freshest fish and best service. Social media can be powerful, but only if it is incorporated into a full communications strategy, framework and plan. P.S. You, I fear, have a typo in “contests for the next followers.”

Great insights here, Peter. I think it’s true that many of us are falling into the same mistakes we did during the dotcom era and losing the big picture that social media isn’t a shortcut to building customer relationships. As you say, social media is one of many tools we can use to generate revenue through solid marketing and excellent customer service.

As a writer and editor, I was cheering inside when you wrote that bad writing is killing America. Every time one of my former bosses received a resume with spelling mistakes or grammar errors, she would mark the resume up with a red pen and send it back to the applicant telling them not to apply for a job at our company again until they had more experience and a solid grasp of the English language. Harsh but effective.

Thanks for a thought-provoking post. @kamkansas

Wow! Peter, way to bring it. I don’t see how anyone worth his salt could argue against your points about revenue, transparency, relevance, brevity, and truly knowing your customer. I also tend to agree with your assessment of so-called social media experts. That said, there is a definite skill set or at least comfort level that helps “build” that additional arrow for the quiver. What really riles me up is when the “new gurus” subconsciously (ignorantly?) steal from IMC pillars that have been around for 15 years. The voices in social I find solid are those whe seem to get exactly what you’re talking about…which usually means it’s not their first ride on the marcom/PR merry go round.

Thank you!

I LOVE it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So in the header of your website, you describe yourself as a “social media entrepreneur”. Is that like saying you are an entrepreneur at taking bread out of the refrigerator?

Please explain the difference.

Thanks

Jeff: Happy to:

I create companies that in part, use social media as a basis for generating revenue, similar to Help a Reporter Out. I’m taking that niche of marketing and using it to make money, as opposed to using social media to simply “be cool.”

I also invest in companies that have a particularly good knowledge of how marketing and social media mix. Check out http://shankman.com/investments-advisory-roles/ for more on that.

Cheers,

-Peter

Could not agree more with this article!

I think what you’re saying, if I might summarize into one sentence: we need business professionals who understand how to use social media to grow the business. Wait – let me have a 22-year old intern check me on that…! ;>}

First, let me say I found the “throwing off our clothes and running naked in the rain” analogy to be quite refreshing…

Second, I think the problem here is that, even though it’s just another tool, we didn’t know how to refer to social media other than the term “social media.” Then, those who had more years of experience didn’t know how else to describe themselves other than “expert” or “consultant.”

I am no longer working in social media (I went back to being an analyst for telecom) but when I was working as a “social media services writer” [a term I used to describe myself since my background was writing] I worked for small to medium sized businesses to national brands.

And, as I worked on a campaign for a major North American credit card company and interacted with their marketing team and their PR agency, I realized that they truly didn’t understand or use these platforms. Especially when they asked me what a DM was on Twitter.

So, in an ideal world, everyone inhouse should be able to do this and you shouldn’t need an “expert” but the reality is that…even the Fortune 500s can be totally and utterly clueless. The issues isn’t dismissing all the “experts,” it’s just weeding out the ones who claim they are.

Great article, Peter!

I love when you note that it’s not about the bread, it’s about making a really good sandwich. I talk to a lot of people who tell me, “we’re doing SEO… we’re doing email… we’ve got a FB page…” but when I look at it all, they’ve got the ingredients of their sandwich spread all over the kitchen… they barely understand it, let alone do their customers/prospects get it.

Thanks for calling out the silliness!

Thanks, Peter. That makes sense. My only additional thought would be that “maybe” not all folks that label themselves experts are all just trying to be cool (although many surely are). I know someone here in my town that is making a tremendous impact on the local business economy and delivering real value through her work, and I am sure there are many others like her. We run the risk of getting some hard working, smart folks bunched in with the attention seekers when we generalize a single title. Just my thoughts.

Thanks

Once again, great solid information. Peter, you always nail it. Seems that building a solid business comes from knowing who your customers really are then over delivering in value while constantly strengthening the relationship with them. Kind of like the pre web days when the owner of the local store knew everything about their customers, spent the time getting to know them and the customer left the store feeling great…which kept them coming back for years and years.
Retro marketing!

Target hit, Peter.

You are SO right that it’s still about the basics – making $$$ and taking care of people. If anything, social media exposes many organizations in a way that should be forcing them to deliver better customer service in unparelleled ways. Many of us have seen tons of tweets and posts about lousy food at a restaurant or rude “customer care agents” in some call center.

The saddest part is that there are many companies that don’t understand why they are getting creamed in sales. Instead of pushing their deals and hip philosophy in social media, they should be pulling the valuable intel social media can provide and using it to keep their employees on the top of the heap.

To Steve Woodruff, don’t ever underestimate an intern. Who knows, maybe someday that intern will be your boss…

I think the biggest issue when it comes to social media expertise is self-proclamation. I would never refer to myself as an expert but some of my clients do. I’m still not comfortable with the title and I don’t condone it but I do accept it.

I know if I had a heart condition and was looking for a doctor, I would search for the word expert.

It’s ok to be an expert, just don’t throw the title on yourself.

Peter:

You are soooo right!

Santayana said: “Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.” I just think about the LinkedIn IPO yesterday and the comparisons with the Dot-Bombs out there… it will happen again!

This is not the only industry in which this is happening. The legal industry (in which I work) is doing the same thing they did just a few years ago and expecting a different result (isn’t this what people call the definition of “insanity”?)

When will we learn? If we survive the Rapture tomorrow … ya think that humans will get the idea?

Jaimie

By the way your system doesn’t apparently allow for sarcasm re: rapture….

It’s another tool in the marketing tool box. Period.

Well said, Peter. Well said.

Amen, Peter. Social media is another tool in the tool box.

THIS.

Actually, I think that you’re going too easy on those that call themselves “Social Media Experts.” From my experience a few are naive wannabes, but many more are charlatans.

The same thing goes for SEO. Dark arts, black magic, and almost completely useless.

It’s all about marketing and sales. It needs to be informed by the latest ways to connect, but those that claim special expertise without solid marketing and sales experience are doomed to, well create failure in others.

Do you actually keep your bread in the fridge? Must be a Canadian thing, but I don’t know anybody who does that. If you do, we should talk, because I’d love to understand bread cooling rationale…you would be the only expert I’d know to call about this… ;-)

Thanks Peter, I think I get your point about the overwhelming tidal wave of social media expert mania that has taken over the internet. It is a bit sickening and there are a lot of people that are bandwagon jumpers looking to cash in on the next big thing. However, I honestly don’t think the social media thing is just a fad. No one can deny that there has been a massive shift in society toward socializing and shaping buying decisions via the web.

Anyone who overlooks the incredible importance of effectively marketing on the web and using the tool to their business’ advantage is leaving a lot of cash on the table. Devoting some attention and marketing dollars to have an effective presence on the web and via social media is money well spent in my opinion.

I was a marketing expert, long before I developed social media expertise. Hopefully, I’m still here when all the smoke clears! Cheers

Shankman,

I usually smell what your cooking but why do you have to go and say something like this, “Want to lose me as a customer, forever, guaranteed? Have a grammar error on any form of outward communication.” So stupid… I’ve read this before and it just totally deflates your message because I guarantee that it’s 100% without a doubt positively untrue…

An absolutely solid, drop dead message is an absolutely positively drop dead message. A simple grammatical error can be easily fixed but the creative thought process that brought that message to life cannot.

I get that your a Shock Blogger but that statement is just silly.

I agree with everything else you say here. I run into these people every day at Chamber functions… They make me sick because they pray on good-intentioned with buzz words and technology.

Thanks,

Ryan H.

I don’t know what’s worse, the social media expert or the seo expert.

wonderfully put. thank you. Sm is one piece of the marketing and communications puzzle. I’d even argue it’s one that in today’s world, it’s a piece that your success strategy almost cannot be complete without. But if you just pick it up on it’s own, it’s the same as taking one puzzle piece out of a box consisting of 500 pieces. You won’t know what the puzzle is a picture of and you certainly won’t complete the puzzle.

I think part of the problem is people wanting something quick and easy and cheap (as is the problem with virtually every human ill out there). Then, there’s the problem of some “seeming successes” which generally fall into one of two categories: 1) exception to the rule (yes, overnight success using social media) and 2) apparent success using social media (never mind that the company has a solid strategy elsewhere and has been using it for YEARS). So people are believing that X-company used it and WHAM! and so can I. Um, no.

Another problem is that the so-called “experts” use the language of marketing such that unless you really understand the communications landscape, it’s easy to get confused as to who is a marketer and who isn’t. The terms social media and marketer are being conflated and fuzzied-up (by the experts).

Thanks for your post/rant.

Ryan: May be untrue for you, but if I get an outbound marketing piece from you and it has a spelling or grammar error in it, I’m not buying from you. End of story. Thanks for the note!

Right on. My business niche, investor relations, has a zillion consultants banging the SM drum. I blogged against too >

http://muncmedia.typepad.com/r.....tions.html

TRANSPARENCY > RELATIONSHIP > REVENUE.

Correct. ‘Social media’ in the article can be changed to anything: ‘computer’, ‘internet’ ;P

Now let’s have a competition about who’ll say “AMEN bro” loudest.

The article is definitely relevant, takes up some good points but if you are so out there that the contents of it are a revelation to you and you feel to you need to yell out AMEN in orgasm then you are as stupid as those depicted in the article.

On the other hand maybe you are just trying to buy Dave’s liking hoping that you won’t be the next looser her depicts? If that is the case then you at least have a legitimate reason for your ass-licking.

Now let the next round of AMENs commence

BTW: Ryan: You’re – not “your.” :)

@Haris, the AMEN sentiment is born of hearing someone say OUT LOUD what you’ve been thinking, but couldn’t say for fear of seeming negative or less than a team player.

Hope that helps.

I agree that those who self proclaim or even willingly accept the title of “social media expert” should be very careful about what they are doing- accepting that one holds a level of expertise in an area where it is well known the most knowledgeable about these forums are likely the digital natives that businesses engaging in social media are in fact targeting…
I refer to the kind of work I do in this kind of area as “Online Reputation Management” – social media is really just a new way to interact & communicate with others but in a digital world. We often try to advise and educate businesses how to use these tools for themselves rather than outsourcing it. But most who aren’t using it, have little interest in learning and would rather just hand it over to someone else. I have been asked on a number of occasions to manage or run Twitter feeds especially for other peoples businesses, personal or brands and I refuse.
Obviously I manage my own businesses & charitable trust projects Twitter profiles and on occasion, I have helped out different projects but only ever on a pro bono basis as I believe that outsourcing or handing over your brand or reputation, weather it be personal or business to ANYONE else is a massive risk. I also wonder what kind of contracts those who do currently agree to take on such jobs take out with their clients as I imagine in a few years time there maybe a number of liability suits on the hands of some who will eventually make a mistake…. It is too easy to when you have multiple feeds on twitter!
But I do disagree completely that “social media” is an empty term or oxymoron as one reader put it.. Rationally it appears obvious, if we have always only had one source of media, mass medias coming from one central information source and then all of a sudden you decentralize that, make it distributed and two way, that changes things- even if we are not quite sure how to handle that change yet, that doesn’t make it redundant! Check out this video from Common Craft if you haven’t seen it before – http://youtu.be/MpIOClX1jPE

You just made my day-before-end-of-the-world …. day. LOL LOVE IT!

As I’ve said many times over, social media is not a “marketing strategy”. I can’t tell you how many times small business owners have come to me for help with their social media marketing and when I try to get them to think about it as only a portion of their marketing strategy, they glaze over.

Returns on social media marketing are very difficult to quantify…a meaningful strategy grounded in the real world, with social media as an ‘aspect’ of it is a marketing plan.

@Mike who dares wins bro…

Peter- My buddy just emailed with an “you idiot” subject about that same mistake! haha…

To me, social media, is not hard.

Social Media, as with real life, everything comes after you respect & value your relationships .. with your “friends” – too many attitudes from the old Mass Marketing days are hanging over on Social Media .. many social media “experts” marketers do not seem to get the fact that it is about building relationships .. real relationships where you value your “Audience” .. for instance, many on Twitter ‘shout’ at us,with no credibility .. Twitter is about building the relationship and pointing the way to other sources to continue to build the relationship .. many relationship marketers do not seem interested in actually building the relationship by engaging with their audience, their followers.

There is so much potential now that mass marketing is fragmented and part of history, some may say already dead, the way forward is niche marketing, so follow your bliss.

There are many ways to make money in this game, but I would point to someone who may know more, when Eric Schmidt ex: Google CEO – “Free is better than cheap” work with adjacent income streams.

Thanks Peter, I like your blog.

I couldn’t agree with you more, Peter. Social media “experts” are contemporary snake oil salesman.

The problem is no one seems willing to consistently call these people out. I listened to a HubSpot webinar last month in which the presenter – confusing correlation for causality – encouraged attendees to add “social media expert” to their profiles, because statistics show people that do have 100 more followers on average. I wanted to reach through my computer screen.

We need more thought-leaders like you to go on the offensive. The quicker we do, the better off we’ll all be. Social media is just another tool to employ as part of a much grander strategy. And you can’t be effective with it unless you understand your audience. That means understanding people, which is, of course, the underlying trait of any successful PR practitioner or marketer.

Cheers,

Mike

http://www.HigherEdPR.com

Sing it! You are so right. Not to mention, “social media” is changing constantly.

It makes sense to have someone in a company who is tech-savvy and good at keeping up with changes in the landscape; someone who can bring the latest & greatest to the rest of the plan. But “expert,” in addition to your strong point that it’s not enough, is also the road to calcification.

Good point, but you’re missing one important aspect: Social Media is a tool, and you DO need someone who knows how to use that tool.

Sure, marketing on social media requires all of the core marketing principles that have always been used. But does that mean if you want to make a television commercial you shouldn’t hire a video production company to make it? Or more extreme, if you need to have a heart transplant you can simply hire a plastic surgeon? After all, heart surgery just uses basic surgical principles; who needs a specialist?

Hey Peter,

Way to rock everyone’s socks off again. You should look into joining a band:) I have a few questions for you. What are your thoughts on “impressions?” Say a company isn’t making much money off social media but they are all over the internet. Their online presence creates a TOMA (To Of Mind Awareness,) which eventually leads to sales. The only problem is that when people see this company on the internet and purchase something from them, the customers don’t mention that they saw the company on the internet. In other words, the company is seen a lot on the internet but doesn’t know that it’s online presence is effective… Would you say that the social media manager has failed at doing his/her job? Is it fair to assume that higher impressions means higher chances of a sale? Sorry if this doesn’t make sense… If you want me to explain more, please email me. Thanks for your sound advice!

Love this article!!

You hit the nail on the head – “Real marketers know when to market using traditional methods, social media, or even word of mouth”…

I even had a client suggest that I pay for something that would “boost” their Facebook Fan Page… Some idiot told them that’s the way Facebook works. Really? Give me a freakin’ break!

It’s about relationship building and how can you do that randomly? That’s where real marketing comes into play and, like you said, the so-called “Social Media Experts” don’t have a clue.

“Want to lose me as a customer (donor), forever, guaranteed? Have a grammar error on any form of outward communication.”

Shouldn’t that be “grammatical error”?

Hi Peter, Hi everyone,

This is an article taking a bold position and I appreciate it. I would even say I agree with what you say, since social media is not about creating a Facebook page or a Twitter account. It is about building relationships with your customers, taking care of them and driving sales.

Exactly like Jeff said, I know a Web Marketing Specialist who is focusing on SMBs and helps them to get into social media to improve the efficiency of their business: she sets up their accounts, train them to use social media and support the businesses in engaging with customers. All the things she does are framed into a communication strategy she defines according to the needs and the objectives of the client. For instance, when she creates a Twitter account for a client, she commits to finding X people to follow, who will specifically be in the target of the client.

So, my questions are the following:
- Do you think she is a clown, in the exact same way as the social media “gurus” you describe?
- Don’t you think there is room for real knowledgeable people who want to make social media accessible to SMBs to drive real sales with their local customers?

Thank you for your great post and for your reply.

P.S. I am French so please excuse my potential grammar mistakes!

You’re self proclaimed title is “Social Media Entrepreneur”; you’re using a blog (social media) to espouse your views and position yourself as an authority/expert to gain followers who will comment and spread the word (via social media) so that more people will read your blog and buy your books about your “expert” views and opinions. Hmmm?

One important fact, Twitter itself still hasn’t really figured out how they are going to make money. That says a lot. Also keep in mind, the guys who started Google hate advertising, even though that is how they make all their money. They didn’t even want to run ads or allow sponsorships when they first bought YouTube. So if the biggest internet company out there is hostile to you getting your message out, why would you focus all your energy on Internet marketing. In our medical practice, it is still about shaking hands and shoe leather. We also make sure we take the best care of our patients, and then ask them to tell their friends and their doctor. Then we reward them for doing so. The Internet is just one more tool to support those efforts, like having a good logo or nice brochures.

What is the difference between a “Social Media Expert” and your byline of a “Social Media Entrepreneur” ?

This is so misunderstood. It`s never “we” the social media experts who call ourselves experts. It`s other people who like calling us that.

“GOOD WRITING, END OF STORY.”

BRAVO! Content and Style totally hit the Bullseye ~!

“Yoder” and Nate:

Scroll up. I’ve already answered your questions.

I want to comment here but am afraid I am going to spell something wrong.

@Haris -

You’re the one who has nailed it. I tweeted something similar to your initial response shortly before reading it. Although Peter’s logic is sound, reacting to this post in a eureka!-like manner is lame.

I read “Social Media Expert” and am instantly turned off. I don’t want to hear someone tell me how fantastic they are at communicating and reaching their customers/your customers – I want to see it in action. The problem? Most times it’s stopping far short of action.

Thanks for this, Peter! :)

It’s really quite simple, to me: I don’t want to hire social media people; I want to hire communicators who have taken the time to understand the nuances of social media.

Harsh!

Point 1: I speak to corporations and groups on the topic of social media in the business to business space. I have never used the word expert or guru in my materials I have supplied. They always stick it in. I always rephrase and explain I am just someone who is spending 20 hours a day trying to keep up with the social media channel and integrate 30 years of experience in business development and marketing with cross functional teams.

Point 2: In the social space, there is a saying “speed is more important than perfection.” Sometimes that means less time for proof reading and some feel that is justification. However, I would never want to work for a company where a boss wrote such a negative statement on a resume (and returned it to the applicant) I hope she/he loses a job when they forget to dot an “i”.

Point 3: Somehow social media makes people think they can be so transparent that they are rude, hurtful and hateful, even if they write with perfect grammar and punctuation.

Signed

An sales engineer working on better writing skills but always willing to hire a professional.
Wendy
xeesm.com/wendysoucie

I love learning from you.

Aha!… A kindred spirit. Was beginning to think I was the only one.

Question: what’s worse than having a Social Media Expert in your firm?

Answer: two Social Media Experts!

Mac at http://Clientonomy.com

I was going to call this article “All “Social Media Experts” need to go die in a fire,”

I think you meant ‘cancer of the face.’

How true!

There are no new musical notes, just new instruments. Social Media platforms and media are amplifiers and they will change. The skills needed to listen to your customers, build relationships, provide excellent service and earn other people’s business are the musical notes.

Just yesterday, we were discussing ‘experts.’ My thought: “If you have to say you are one, you’re not.” The intern’s feedback, “I have decided I’ll never proclaim myself an expert, I’ll wait for someone else to do it, then quote them” She gets it. You earn praise from others by your performance and the value it brings.

Your post should be required reading for anyone using or considering social media.

Don
http://donkincaid.wordpress.co.....cal-notes/

Great post, Peter!

There is no one size fits all; there is no silver bullet and growing a business still takes strategy, planning and above all else hard work. You need to know your goals, your audience and the best way to reach them. You need to know how to get and keep customers. Business has not changed; we just added more tools to the game.

Thanks!
Cinzia

Yeah!! Say it!! Shout it!!

People who sell their services on fear – well, create fear! You are right, its back to basics, fun a good honest business, service your customers, and know the tools of the day.

And yes, please write a coherent thought! Oops, where was I?

I’ve got to agree with the major thrust of your argument, only to add that the two are not mutually exclusive. I’d hope by now all the “experts”, “gurus”, “ninjas”, etc who actually are able to use the medium effectively have considered using titles that better reflect their business responsibilities.

Social media is only a tool/tactic part of a larger communications strategy, and it’s time organizations embrace this by putting the best professionals in place. What may be worse is that some orgs still assign INTERNS to handle social media; I wrote a little more about it on my own blog http://www.matthewhurst.com/20.....ial-media/ . I consider this just as irresponsible as handing the public face of a company to the so-called “social media experts” you’ve written about here.

Thanks for sharing this well-thought through and cohesively written argument that speaks out against this class of self-anointed professionals who don’t bring value to their companies.

Dave Fleet took the words right out of my mouth. Seriously, I wish I had something more to add but he hit the nail on the head!

Amen.

My title is “Social Media Strategist” but I’m sure when phones came out they also had a “Phone Manager.” I second CC in his sentiment that there are no real experts in social, but some of us come damn close. Just like my agency’s lovely receptionist comes damn close to a phone manager sometimes. I predict that just like the transition from “Phone Manager” to “Receptionist,” the marcom world will soon be able to better categorize the gurus, experts, etc. I, personally, prefer “Creative Technologist” (hat tip to Edward Boches) or “Community Intelligence” (hat tip to SapientNitro)

Thank you so much, again, for writing this.

Shankman vs. Vaynerchuk in a steel cage match?

Awesome post. Well said. I find that when dealing with clients, more and more are asking all about Social media. In a couple of instances I’ve lost contracts to these so called “social media experts”. I will be sure to refer all future clients to this post. Thanks!

I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment but I feel like I’ve read variations on this theme before. Are we really still having this conversation?

I too hate typos in marketing materials. I was shocked to see a misplaced apostrophe on a bottle of face wash I’d bought recently – made by L’Oreal. If a big brand with professional copywriters on board can’t get it right, it leaves me with little confidence.

Having said that Peter, would you really stop buying your favourite drink, cereal or underwear brand if you saw a typo in an email or tweet from them?

The only thing I didn’t like about this post is the condescension towards “the 22-year-old”. Just because someone is young doesn’t mean they don’t understand marketing. I’ve encountered older people with years of commercial experience who appear to be totally clueless when it comes to strategic decision-making. Furthermore, most of the people I know who cast themselves as “social media experts” are considerably older than 22. You didn’t need to bring age into it.

(I’m not 22, by the way, or even close! I wish…)

Right on, Peter!

What a great way to start the day — I’m late in posting but I’ve been sharing this folks all morning. Pull back the curtain and let some sun in!

@Dave – I totally agree.

Social media has a place – but that is that. A place! One aspect of a huge picture. And a crappy writer IRL is still a crappy writer and communicator on twitter. Doesn’t matter how many characters they have (or don’t).

My approach to social media at this stage is consultation. How to set it up, use it, analyze it, ideas on how to leverage the social media formats that are most in line with the business, etc. At the bottom of it, social media is an extension of customer relations, and the business should be the one in that interaction, not a ‘social media expert’ they hired. Even if the communication is a bit crappier than it might be if a trained writer was tweeting for the company, a company (especially a small business, as that is who I am mainly dealing with at the moment) is who benefits from these kinds of conversations the most – the crowdsourcing and instant feedback that twitter and facebook (among others) allow.

Forgive my convolution, or feel free to mock it! :D

I just want to know… am I the only one left out there that has issues with people misspelling and misusing the words your and you’re ? maybe I am just behind the times and the two have merged and are one and the same? Should I stop judging based on this most common spelling and grammar error?

Wait. You keep your bread in the fridge? Weird.

Peter,

I love the sentiment expressed here. I also want to say that I work at a very small marketing firm and that my bosses wish to be seen as “experts” I respectfully told them that we should not be telling anyone we are experts.

I was told to toe the line and be a team player or find another job.

My boss wants 100 pages of content for an “authoritative” website. I am powerless to stop the madness!

Thank God I am only a staff writer!

People forget the “Media” part of “social medial” and that the “social” aspect – is largely a myth. Ask anyone hit with a set of discovery questions based on a Facebook posting.

Come here and let me kiss your feet. Thank you.

Been saying this same thing for awhile now. But not nearly as well. Cheers to this, Shankman. And, how’s the weight loss thing going?

@Corey, you don’t keep your bread in the fridge? Gotta keep the mold away.

Read this book: http://www.amazon.com/New-Rule.....0470113456

Then talk to me.

You’re right, in that a social media expert in a vacuum is worthless. However, I won’t go as far to say it’s the arrow in your analogy. It’s probably more akin to the quiver, especially when you realize that the term “social media” refers to more than Twitter and Facebook. By some definitions, it includes blogging, newsletters and email marketing. It’s not just about how many followers you have, either. It’s what you do with them. Your criticism is, by and large, based on a large, corporate and soon-to-be outdated approach to marketing. Not that this means basic marketing principles are getting thrown out the window. It just means that they’re being relocated. Again, read the book. (No, it’s not mine.)

If you were buying media in the past, you were analyzing audience size and potential ROI and a whole mess of other factors. When you invest in social media by incorporating it into your strategy, you get to control the message’s size, content, frequency AND audience. What ad spot can give you that?

I’ll give you credit, because you’re not saying social media is worthless, and you’re admitting that, to some extent, a knowledgeable person on the subject has something to offer. It’s still important to realize that social media isn’t just an “add-on” to your overall marketing and PR strategy (or- as is more appropriate today- your communication strategy); it should play a pretty substantial role in it if you want to keep up or start up.

:-)
I’ve been involved in IT and market for my entire career, by default i have ended up becoming the ‘SM girl’.. to the degree that i’ve started taking on consulting work. It hasn’t been sitting right with me, and i keep getting shut down when i ask questions related to business goals etc – usually i get asked ‘can’t you just give us a price to set up and run our facebook page?’, my reply of ‘that isn’t really what i do, because that really won’t benefit you’ is usually met with ‘well, we could just pay you more’. it’s soooooo frustrating. Thank you so much for the post, i have recently turned down some work because i couldn’t really articulate my sentiments without sounding offensive, but from now on i will just be sending potential clients to this post! Truly great work – succinct, concise, not preachy: spot on!

That’s it…I’m putting “telephone and mail expert” on my business cards from now on. I’m good at using those platforms, I get customers and clients that way and it looks like some people are ready to rock their marketing with them… : )

How about a “Social Media Choreographer”? Are we safe to hire one of those?

Perhaps you might benefit from some anger management classes.

Preach!

I am 22. But I still loved this post.

Mad props, Peter.

Bravo!! I cringe every time I see the title ‘social media expert.’ What’s even more ridiculous is that there is a woman in my local chamber who is a “certified social media expert.” Certified? Really? By what accredited organization? There are none.

What a joke. The sad thing is that these local business owners, who don’t spend much time online, have no idea that such a thing doesn’t exist by any real school.

It is bound as a sign and these words shall be frontlets between my eyes! I am getting so sick of folks saying social media is a solution when it is just the evolution of distribution and promotion channels (place and promotion of the 4 P’s!). It is not a solution for everyone (I don’t see defense contractors using social media to increase revenue!) and still must be used appropriately to be effective (tweeting only special offers attracts only price sensitive customers, not necessarily the quality seeking ones), and measured for its effectiveness (if you don’t know what works, you waste a lot of time and resources chasing thin air). Thank you for spreading the gospel!

I’d actually disagree, and here’s why.

To stay on top of Social Marketing takes time, and a degree of know-how. Sure, everyone in a mid-sized company may have a Facebook account or know how to tweet, but an ‘expert’ should know more than that, and be able to tie things together well.

Like anything else in business, you outsource the things that other people can do better than you. So, if you’re an automobile dealer, you focus on selling cars. You hire an accountant to handle the books, an attorney to review legal documents…why would you spend your time learning how to properly do social marketing when you could outsource it to a specialist in that field?

I think you may be over-estimating the ability of many business owners. There are MANY business owners out there than run a decent business, and understand their industry but couldn’t even send an email newsletter if they had to. And, yes…social media does drive dollars if done correctly. So, as long as there are people who can’t or shouldn’t be doing this type of marketing, they’ll need some people who do know how.

Peter –

I think this is a great article – but what if you’ve worked in an agency where social media is effectively integrated into a larger marketing campaign? With that knowledge, and the ability to convey that social media is one component in a campaign, then I’d think someone could be on their way toward being a very successful social media ‘expert,’ right?

Would love to hear your thoughts, and awesome job as always!

I waited a year before using social media to promote my product – FitDesk – the best way to stay in shape while using a computer or video game. Now I have a page http://www.facebook.com/fitdesk. I am selling more bikes now that I have the page… but I agree with P.S. that I did not need a Social Media expert to make it happen. $2000 too late.

LOVE! As a writer, I can’t ever stress the importance of words and communication enough. Thank you for pairing writing as the essential special sauce to marketing. Because without good writing, there is nothing but shitty communication.

At first I took offense to your posting. Your social media “expert” should be someone who takes the tools of social media and uses them to better understands your customers and how to communicate to them on platforms where they’re talking and sharing.

Most companies don’t do social media right. They’re a monologue of boring promotions but if you turn it into a dialogue you can really find out some great things about your customer and more importantly get them talking (which I love most). Most companies should have someone doing that…because most companies don’t do it and more importantly can’t keep up with the changes on the ever growing platforms call social media.

Social media provides amazing data and insight that you (a business or an individual) can take to the next level as to how you talk with your customers on may levels. Again, most companies don’t do this to the level they can – they get a bunch of “likes” and then push out their stuff. A smart social media professional (for the love that is all pure I won’t say “expert”) helps you build the bigger customer net, drills down the customer data, spits it out in information that you can use to build (better) relationships, drive traffic, launch new products (with customer input in advance of the launch), market research, lead flow…just to name a few cool things you could do if you had someone who understands how it works.

As an advertising student in college, I will have to agree with you. Poorly handled social media campaigns can do much more harm than good, and everything in marketing needs to be integrated and move toward a common goal.

Thank you for this insight of what benefit/selling point companies should be looking for in employees, since I will be searching for a job in this very industry in a year. While my aim has always been to be capable of making the entire sandwich, (INCLUDING selecting the right loaf bread out of the fridge to maximize the taste and presentation) seeing that others recognize such a need for this is encouraging.

Potential Client: …our ceo’s admin is all over social media. She pretty much lives on Facebook and the Twitter and shes way into those blogs. She’s going to set us up with a page so we’ve got that covered…”

Me: I genuinely hope your next campaign involves growing crops or building a mafia.

I think that social media really capitalizes on ego, and that is why so many people are willing to jump on board with these social media experts. Egos are fed when people accumulate thousands of fans, followers or friends. So as long as there are people who feel all warm and fuzzy as they watch their number of followers grow, social media experts will continue to be in demand.

I ask other entrepreneurs all the time if they would rather have 100 more email subscribers that they interact with in a meaningful way or 5000 more Twitter followers. They always answer “email subscribers” and they often admit that they don’t make money from their huge number of Twitter followers. It’s nice to offer customers the additional opportunity to connect that social media provides, but it’s pointless to accumulate massive numbers of followers just to feed your own ego.

Lauren: How do “print advertising” “outdoor advertising” “out of home” advertising, and other things similar fit into the quiver if you’re calling the quiver social media?

Great article! It’s time to get back to basics!!

Great post.

Anyone who mistakes expertise in one set of techniques for true professional competence is at best a hack. Social media is very useful but only one of many tools in the kit.

Thanks.

Love this–looks like a great link/article to include in my next presentation on why you should ADD social media to your rock solid communications skills toolbox. Thanks for saying what many of us have been thinking.

Matt:

You’re RIGHT!! That’s my point! Don’t hire a SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERT – Hire a MARKETER!! Hire someone who knows MARKETING, not just how to spell “Twitter.” :)

Social = sharing/being interactive
Media = information
Facebook = platform
Twitter = platform

Social + Media + Expert = Someone who is good at sharing/spreading information?

Don’t we have those people already with our friends in Product Marketing & Advertising?

Why give those people a new title just because they learned about new tools/platforms like Facebook & Twitter?

Also, just because you know your way around a tool, doesn’t make you an expert. The term “expert” should be reserved for those that really are.

Hats off to Peter for calling a spade a spade.

Peter:

That’s a fair point. Perhaps it is better phrased as, “Social Media is BECOMING the quiver.” Look at a TV spot, billboard ad, etc. today and you’ll find the majority of these have added social media callouts at the end or bottom. Is it possible that these traditional forms of advertising are becoming the add-on component to communication strategies? Maybe…

Since submitting my initial comment, I’ve been trying to come up with a better analogy. Maybe instead of trying to figure out how social media fits into advertising, it’s better to look at things from the angle of a comprehensive communication strategy, with tools including traditional media coverage, social media and traditional advertising mediums, as all have become components of this new view of brand development and promotion.

I won’t say I have all the answers, but I felt like this article didn’t quite hit the nail on the head.

The message is clear: consumers don’t want their personal forms of communications to be highjacked by unsolicited companies or brands – I’m thinking back to the days we were bombarded by telemarketers and spammers. We all still use phones and email, but limit who can engage with us.

I wonder how long before there is a “Do Not Tweet” list…

This is a great article. I was pointed to it by a friend this am, and it has stirred quite the productive debate. :)

I agree with you on all points, but I do think Social Media is a viable career for the right people.

I don’t think anyone should ever call themselves an expert. An expert is a person who has been appointed so by their peers. In the age of social media, it’s way too early for anyone to be a social media expert. (Even C.C. Chapman points to that above, and I consider him as much of an expert as anyone in this industry.)

I think the people that will be the most effective in, say, a Social Media Director position, are people who are seasoned digital marketing or public relations professionals. Those with digital marketing experiences know better than others how to generate traffic, create email newsletters that incorporate social, how to develop a website, etc. Those with public relations experience know how to manage and deliver a corporation’s message. They know how to pitch the media, and in turn, bloggers. And as you addressed, the PR people tend to be good writers.

The (seasoned) people with digital and PR skills know it has always been about ROI and customer service. These professionals integrate these marketing necessities into social media strategies.

I believe anyone without a good chunk of these skills doesn’t have what it takes to create and execute a comprehensive social media strategy. (Read: Interns and junior level folks.) But a person with a good mix of these skills, in my opinion, can certainly have a successful career as a social media strategist/manager/director. Social media will continue to be integrated into marketing strategies and in my opinion, social media as a career, in some form, can not be ignored.

The new gospel. Right on! Make a bumper sticker of “Bad Writing Is Killing America” . . .

I’m going to Amen and add a Hallelujah! HA!

Always great to read your work Peter…(How is my ass kissing going?)

All people think I do is ‘Tweet’ all day.

What do I tell them?

I control your largest marketing message. I hit hundreds of thousands of people per day. I also control your next major stream of revenue.

You want to maximize this potential? Speak to the people who follow your brand and do so with authenticity.

That being said, replace brevity with ‘don’t fucking bore me’ and you are dead on. Give me a REASON to go to your content and spend my dollars with you.

I find it quite interesting you make such a bold statement against the value of social media and having a knowledgeable person in charge of it, and then go on to completely pull a part your own argument.

The issue you describe is not one of paying someone who specializes in social media, it is one of paying someone who doesn’t know what the hell they’re doing. As a matter of fact, the points you bring up are ones explaining why social media does deserve its own spot on the payroll, as opposed to handing it over to the one person in your company who happens to have a Twitter handle.

No, taking a loaf of bread out of the refrigerator does not make one a chef, just as knowing the alphabet does not make one Hemingway or owning a paint brush does not lead automatically to the second coming of Picasso. This is why one has to prove they can actually do something of value with said tools. (Make a sandwich, write a book, paint a picture.)

Your issue is not with social media or the emerging profession, as you clearly understand how to use the tool; your issue is with every person who concocts a moderately coherent 140 character utterance claiming to be an “expert”. Companies who complain about social media not being valuable do not have the proper people in charge of it. Period. Social media is a real form of communication, marketing, customer service, research and more. Treat is like a real position, hire people with real insight, and you’ll get real results.

But what do I know, I’m just one of those 20-something social media morons.

Amen!

I think the other emerging term is “Social Business” where the social intersects with every arena of the business to actually — be more responsive to the customer and make MONEY.

The age of inflated social media egos, one way tweets, retweets, and social media spam are over. The age of interns running social are gone too. The evolution of how we manage information and knowledge sharing with the organization is here while the premise of running the business is same. Sell to the customer in the most efficient manner. Service them. Grow.

“You know what the majority of people calling themselves “Social Media Experts” can’t do, among other things? THEY CAN’T WRITE. The number of “experts” out there who can’t string a simple sentence together astounds me.”

____________________________

This. A million times this.

Great post! All I can say is “Amen!”

Peter
While I agree that just calling one’s self a social media expert does not mean you are one, I also have to say that it’s curious that in the past you have let yourself be monikered this way numerous times including with PRWeb. The term is simply overused and anyone who just looks to hire someone based on the word “expert” at the end of it has not done due diligence.

But I also think just en masse bashing everyone in the field as you are prone to do is also not useful, not edu-focused and frankly a little redundant.

Having been online since 1996 and spending a decade as a technology journalist – ebusiness journalist, the phenomenon of seeing how this terms fall and rise is just part the hype cycle. (See Gartner Hype Cycle – http://www.gartner.com/technol.....-cycle.jsp )

The hard work is not commenting on the terminology or the hype good or bad, and not bashing folks – it’s actually producing results, good relevant content and moving people away from the fear of using these tools.

Which I agree, are just at the end of the day new tools for lead generation and media visiblity.

It’s curious that Google returns hundreds of results if I do a search for Peter Shankman social media expert – here are just a few-

http://www.prweb.com/releases/.....978234.htm

http://www.reuters.com/article.....RN20090202

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twXnEPvnQ2U

‎”What’s going to do it is GOOD WRITING, END OF STORY. BAD WRITING IS KILLING AMERICA.”
If so, why is good writing unappreciated? Why can’t good writers find work? Why are good writers eating cat food?
Or is the question, “Why are illiterates doing the hiring?”
You can’t have it both ways. If clear, concise communication is a keystone, why do people refuse to pay good writers a living wage–not a lavish wage, a living wage? Why do we let content farms exist? Why do writers have to “know someone” to get work? Why are manuals written in Indian or Chinese English good enough? Why don’t the instructions help you program your TiVo? Why can’t the marketing department get its message across?
Because the managers at countless companies see writing as something anyone can do, the world as post-literate, and writers as disposable commodities (“Get a temp.”). And, not least, because most managers wouldn’t know good writing if it bit them in the ass.
If we are going to have some people die in fires, I think we should start with those who lurk in corner offices.

Way to use Google, Nettie! :)

Question – Have I ever called myself that? Ever? Come on – Put that Google ability to real work – Find out if I’ve ever called myself that even once. Quote me if so.

Last time I checked, I didn’t have the ability to censor people. (Hence the reason your post is here, even though it originally wound up in my spam folder.)

I’m not an expert. I’m someone who created a company founded on the tools of marketing, of which social media played a very big part, and sold it for a substantial, life-changing ton of money.

But an expert? Far from it.

Cheers, Nettie.

Hi Peter,

Good article; good read!

While I agree with your assessment that most companies are taking the wrong approach with “social media”, I would offer the opinion that it isn’t necessarily ALL about “making money”. Or, at least, it doesn’t have to be.

Vancity Credit Union in Canada is taking an interesting approach, focusing on the “social” instead of the “media”, and has empowered regular employees to engage the public. I am very excited to follow their journey, and hope that it will succeed and inspire companies to engage their customers and the communities in which they operate. You should check it out! http://azaroff.com/?p=5546

THANK YOU!! You just renewed my faith in my fellow marketers. The key to successful marketing (at least in my 15 years) has always been about the customer – listening and providing value. Social media just provides new, fun tools for wider and faster reach. You still need a smart integrated marketing strategy – online and offline – to build customer relationships, loyalty and increase the bottom line.

James,

I think the bigger issue isn’t what a writer can do, but what most can’t do. (or don’t want to do)

Nearly 80,000 journalism degrees will be handed out over the next few weeks. That’s (if we used 15K per year for four years) almost $5 billion U.S. on an industry hanging by a thread.

How many of those 80,000 can justify the value of their work in dollars and cents? How many of those 80,000 can claim that they have contributed to the direct revenue stream of a company.

Why hire a $75,000 writer when the intern will do it for $12.00 an hour? The money saved, including benefits and the HR hassle make up for 99.999% of grammatical errors.

Heck, one of my posts on this very topic — was picked up on SocialMediaToday.com few months ago.

http://socialmediatoday.com/bi.....cial-media

Best Social Media Strategist will not even look at it as a social media. It’s how you connect it to the business objectives. Writing another post on this to highlight your post Peter, as we speak. ;)

I don’t even follow anyone that mentions social media.

Thank you for being bold, authentic and on target! What a refreshing spin on what I have thought to myself and voiced to some how I feel about the whole “expert” stance on social media! Social media is part of the pie – not even that, an ingredient of the pie. It doesn’t make it an apple pie if all you are adding is the apples.

@Bilal Jaffery

Right on. I look at my job as Communications, Marketing and Corporate Relations.

Poor writing, indeed, is an instant deakbreaker for me, too.

Most welcome,

Added a little more here on my blog:

http://www.bilal.ca/why-you-sh.....pertninja/

Incorporated Gary’s latest mantra of calling them out!

I am the author of two #1 best-selling social media books and I feel the same way. Amen!

I feel the reason my books have been so successful is I train people to focus on what is important…relationships. I cringe when people call me a “social media expert” or a “guru” because I am just a writer who was finally fed up with what these “experts” were teaching writers….new and improved ways to spam people.

Any moron with a Twitter account was suddenly a “social media expert,” and I watched them charge disgusting amounts of money to teach tactics that would get a writer digitally tarred and feathered. Or worse, leave the poor writer no time to write more books.

I totally agree with you and have even used the dot.com analogy myself. We do better to focus on people, not gizmos. Gizmos change. Humans are timeless. Why are people gravitating by the millions to social media? Information and entertainment. Yes, but go deeper. Community? Yes, but again, deeper, more primal. Why are humans on social media? Purpose. We long to matter, to feel that what we believe and think and want and say actually amounts to something on this spinning hunk of rock.

People long to matter, to be heard. Customers want to feel they matter and to feel like those selling them goods and services are hearing what they have to say….just as they did 4000 years ago.

I liked your original title better.

Thanks for the wonderful blog.

Kristen Lamb

Social media services need to be looked at individually (Twitter vs. LinkedIn vs. Facebook, etc.) to understand their specific strengths, weaknesses, and roles. Just like any other media.
The challenge for any business using them is always to ask and answer ‘In return for our investment of time and resources, what value does this create, and how does it contribute to the achievement of our mission?’ In other words ‘Is it on strategy and do the benefits outweigh the costs?’
This requires that ‘value’ be re-examined in terms of employee and other stakeholder benefits, not only short-term purchaser benefits.
The more committed a company is to corporate social responsibility initiatives that are core to their brand, the more valuable a role social media can play in communicating and supporting those initiatives.
Yet, it’s important to keep in mind that (with the exception of web-based businesses) the most powerful way to support a brand is to make sure that you have good market penetration (distribution/availability) and strong low-cost/high reach ways to remind people that your product meets their needs. If this is taken care of, then social media may make sense. If this is lacking, then using social media is, to use the old expression, ‘putting lipstick on a pig.’

Peter, here’s one more “Great Article” comment.

Spot on. This is why I hire writers and teach them marketing. My background is customer service and then marketing – so that’s always been the position I start from – the customer.

Loved your post. Thank you.

@shiraabel

There’s a sad paradox that goes along with what you are saying.

You are, without a doubt, correct that the expertise people need is not someone well versed in Social Media. The expertise they should be looking for is in someone who can help in the messaging and the execution of marketing.

The challenge is that while most of the self-proclaimed SM Experts have no clue what’s gong on, there are some (at least some that I know) who actually do get the fact that SM is just a different megaphone.

The paradox is, that those folks who do get it are shooting themselves in the foot by positioning themselves as SM Experts. Wouldn’t it be a true statement that shooting yourself in the foot with your own messaging lessens your credibility?

I read much of this thread with interest and learned enough to make spending that time worthwhile. But reading that anyone “should die in a fire” burns up the good will and credibility otherwise won. It is the kind of knee-jerk remark that belongs at home, not spread into a public forum like I would expect from a teenager. It is simply unkind and lacks any useful purpose here, paralleling the rise of attack-style politicking we have been seeing in those running for public office in recent years. The shooting of Gabrielle Giffords finally raised that issue to a national level. Why feed the reactivity???? My point is that your message WAS credible without it and I would have shared what you wrote without this hateful language. If it was intended to be funny you missed the mark.

I totally agree with you! I mentioned something similar on my website – http://www.aahsomepr.com – sometime ago.

“Just because everyone’s doing it (social media) doesn’t mean it’s right for you. We’ll determine whether social networks are right for your industry and your company.”

“We don’t believe in jumping on the bandwagon just because “everyone else is doing it.” It must make sense. Business sense.”

Peter, you just wrote to me personally that, “Actually, one of the top marketing minds in the country thought my attempt at humor was spot on.”
Well of course, with a big audience, no matter what we write there will be somebody out there who thinks we’re the best thing since sliced (or refrigerated) bread. Taking it an exaggerated level, there were MANY highly-esteemed people who put Hitler on a pedestal, but look where that got us. It just wasn’t funny and I am quite clear that it was not viewed as humor by a great many people. Remember all the ethnic jokes growing up? It’s not just political correctness that has taken ethnic jokes out of public circulation, but sometimes also basic human decency. I appreciate what you are doing, but how is your cause served by this kind of remark? When I read others’ editorials I make very clear distinctions between the use of language facetiously and the use of sarcasm, which is intended to wound. WHY? The person who can use language in a clever manner without resorting to harm and intimidation is the more intelligent one and earns my respect. I believe you have that native intelligence and I hope to see it employed more in your choice of language. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

Cheri, you just invoked Goodwin’s law! Your time here is done. Thank you for playing! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin's_law

This is so damn preachy it makes me want to vomit on your shoes. Good points, crappy attitude.

Loving your punch, pomp and info loaded messages! Nice work.

Keep it going.

Alex

Sigh.

After this post and Gary V. the other day, it’s hard not to be bitter.

He’s two super people who I have heard speak and really respect, but who want to crap all over everything because of hair-splitting and nuance. Not to mention doing a fabulous job of lumping everyone into a group and telling us to die in a fire!

Bravo, Peter, bravo. (Slow clap.)

While you jet around the world and speak at conferences, lots of small to medium sized businesses in states you only visit when the check is big enough are wondering how to use these new tools to help get more customers.

Now if someone points them my way because of my background in helping other businesses because of my experience in public relations or journalism or marketing or whatever, and they ask me for advise, what should I do exactly?

“Sorry, sir/ma’am, this is all so simple that Peter Shankman thinks that you are an idiot and I am a shyster, please put your money away.”

I just strikes me as playing really nasty for you to be doing some of this same stuff for a living (consulting companies, speaking) that many of us do on a smaller scale, all while shouting with a much bigger megaphone that it’s all crap.

Am I a social media consultant? Sure. But I’m just trying to make a living and pay the bills. I’m not trying to fool anyone into thinking I have all of the answers and I don’t know many people in the same position who are. It’s an opportunity to make a go at working for yourself, helping other people and earning a living. Just like selling t-shirts outside the movie theatre was an opportunity for you.

The difference is that you (and Gary) have now given us all the wonderful gift of making it that much harder to talk to potential clients, who may want to do something online but need a hand because they don’t have the marketing skill, web know-how or time.

I’m glad your successful Peter and I’ve incorporated some of the advice I’ve heard you give into a lot of what I do and share with others. I appreciate it, but this post sure seems like a punch in the gut.

Mike, here’s what it comes down to, end of story.

If you want to be a social media consultant, that’s your right. If you want to pigeon-hole yourself into that, go for it. When social media dies out and simply becomes another thing we all take for granted (like the web did in 2002,) then what? Gonna go sell BMWs in the Valley?

Be a social media consultant if you want to. I’m not stopping you.

I’ll be a marketer.

Cheers,

-Peter

I love this post. So true on many levels.

Outstanding article! I couldn’t agree more on all accounts. Too many people think Social Media is the cure-all.

All I have to say is…AMEN!

Good points, I think we sometimes forget that social media is just a tool like anything else, and won’t help you out at all if you don’t use it correctly. Also I’m a bit skeptical of anyone considering themselves an expert in social media. While it’s probably possible, it seems to be a title floating around quite a bit recently.

I work for a social-media-centric PR/marketing firm. And having seen every single thing you mention, I agree. Companies and individuals thinking they need this miraculous thing called social media, and having no idea how it fits into their business plan (or that frankly, it doesn’t). No twitter is better than a crappy twitter headed by a clueless intern in the back room.

Hi. Very interesting post and intriguing comments.

No offense, but as a business professional when I encounter the term “social media” coupled with expertise, expert, professional, consultant, etc. I become extremely sceptical.

Quote: “…just adding the term .com to your corporate logo made you instantly credible.” I loved this :)

Quote: “it’s about knowing your customer” Yes! I’ve been repeating again & again that everyone selling a product should know his/her target group, as well as possible.
Unfortunately, many authors do not realize this. They write for themselves, not for their readers. This mentality from start is a business failure. Writing is business, whether we like it or not.

Quote: “…have a grammar error on any form of outward communication.” I totally agree with you, with the exceptions of some product categories. Typographical, grammar and syntax errors do not work for me either. Although I am not as strict as you are, I will allow for some human error, but it will definitely alienate me.

Thank you for the interesting post :)

Thank you! So many offers from Social Media “experts” filling my inbox! Who can’t figure out how to make a FB page? Sheesh. Let’s move on already.

You nailed it, Peter. Gary V said a similar thing the other day and I commented how, when I first began in business, video was the new shiny object. Everyone had talking head videos of CEO’s who had nothing to say.

We started educating people that it was about communication not pretty pictures. Nothing’s changed. Social is a very cool tool but it’s just that – a tool.

When I hear someone tell me they’re an expert, I run the other way. The actual “experts” know they’re not. I’m an expert in finding the people who know what I don’t.

Here’s the dilemma, though: I’ve been labeled “social media expert” even as I’ve been arguing to the client just what you are arguing. I’ve begged employers to apply some basic marketing strategies on and off of Facebook rather than ignoring those strategies, and then trying to get results from clumsy social media broadcasts. I’ve also advised savvy marketers who are mystified by “social media” even though they can appreciate that TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines are just tools or forums.

You’re preaching to the choir. Many customers think they need “social media experts.” That’s what they’re going to hire. If they’re lucky, they’ll get consultants smart enough not to resist that label and knowledgable enough to focus on customer service and marketing.

Damn, Peter! Tell us how you REALLY feel, why don’t ya?!

Agreed, all of it. However—and this is big, but temporary—notice how many Fortune 1000 firms are posting for a manager of social media. So while I agree that this is just marketing 3.0 (or whatever iteration you want to attach to it), the term “Social Media Expert” will get you found by recruiters & CMOs looking to fill a spot that is top of mind in the C-suite this month.

I’m no expert, but I do want to make money consulting (aka sharing what I know) about how to understand social media and how to integrate it into existing marketing efforts and how to … you get the picture. So is it OK to call myself a social media consultant for a while longer until reason returns to the boardroom and I can go back to being a marketing consultant?

Stephen

PS: I do believe you have outdone Chris Brogan for one-day comment count leadership. But I won’t call you a rock star (lest I offend you)!

D

You, sir, are the ballz! Another great pearl o’ wisdom. Thanks, Peter.

LOVED this! And yes, thanks to texting and Tweet-speak, bad writing IS killing America. Social media is supposed to be another tool in a marketing arsenal; not the be-all and end-all. This article needs to be submitted to magazines Peter!

Somebody said “when social media dies out” and I can’t help but laughing my eyes out. You are right man social media will die out while the dinosaur media they you were schooled in 40 years ago will survive.

For crying out loud it seems that many “redactors” (or whatever you used to call yourselves back in the days when your were the ones controlling the message to “the masses”) have found a shoulder to cry on right here.

Wake up my friend, hoping that social media will die out is like those who hoped that internet would die out.

Haris, you almost had me on your side, then you blew it.

“When the Internet dies out,” you said.

Question – When was the last time you saw someone with “Keen understanding of the Google Search Engine and other search engines” on their resume?

You haven’t. Yet in 2001, it was the number one term on resumes.

So things do change, my friend. In ten years, it won’t be “social media” experts. It’ll be something else, and I’ll write the same damn post, substituting that.

Remember, Haris, the stone age didn’t end because of a lack of stone.

I didn’t say that it was going to be “shiny, glossy, favorite” baby forever ever I just meant it is here to stay. Just like SEO that u refereed to is here to stay, it didn’t die out it matured and found its place. As has social media but as always there are early adopters and then there are slackers…

I am a Social Media Expert, Web2.0 Expert, SEO Guru and DotCom strategist. Do what I say and you will make a ton of money. :)

Enjoyable post and interesting comment thread, almost more interesting to see who is not here than who is here, isn’t it?

I was wondering what you/others think of someone who puts “social media branding” as one a a handful of interests on their resume. I do that so that it is clear that I don’t know how to code, but that I am versed in writing focused messages and interacting with consumers. (A bit more about my background: I’m a student double majoring in Advertising/Public Relations and Journalism, but my real passion is in PR.)

My co-op this summer with a student housing startup is a dream job for me, since I get the chance to develop their social media presence, plan events and create the copy for their advertising and promotional materials. This company knows exactly what it wants from each of these duties, and have some great ways to measure the success of my work, particularly in the social media and blogging areas.

Do you think that looking for social media-related work in association with planning and executing events could be advantageous? I worry about how I can stand out from the other applicants, and I think that my writing background, work with online branding and event experience might be a good way to show versatility.

You couldn’t be so more accurate. A client called me about all of this and I just said we all still have to take marketing 101 and apply the rules whether it’s now or 30 years ago…Touche Peter, you are always on target…

Great.

After 9 years of unemployment due to anxiety disorder, another push to end one of the two or three careers I could possibly do!

Can’t be a Flash developer anymore, because Apple builds crappy products that overheat using the best web development tool, and theirregudal to use Flash kills the career.

Can’t be a fantasy/sci-fI author- spoke to five+ published authors and all stress you can’t make enough to live off of barring winning a “luck lottery” to be the next Stephen King or JK Rowling. Can’t work a primary job & write in spare time, require all free time destressing to be able to return to work next day.

Now you want to remove Social Media expertise? There are tons of companies who don’t know how to turn their computers on- Doing something like this doesn’t have to involve all the other crap you mentioned no one cares about (unless work is your life, and if so, I apologize for your loss). It can simply mean being the one who runs the FB & Twitter page along with a company blog. That’s plenty for most companies who otherwise are quite out of the tech loop.

At least, if you’re pushing companies not to hire social media experts, let me know of a career involving creativity on computers that requires no travel, has no overtime, no phone work, no direct customer/client contact, no physical/manual labor in a casual and modern flex environment so I can work again some decade!

Dead on. I would disagree with one thing. Social Media is cool. However, as you said, cool isn’t the point. increasing revenue is the point. Love it.

-Pie

*their refusal to use Flash

damnyouautocorrect.com!

“…GOOD WRITING, END OF STORY. BAD WRITING IS KILLING AMERICA.”

‘Nuff said. Seriously!

Could not agree more, especially with what you say about the writing. Just read this article by HubSpot that says 60% of Social Media are links to published content.

Content = Writing. It all starts with words.

http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/t.....-Data.aspx

I put in a lot of years in the media where I learned a lot of about assessing audiences, interacting with them using the tools available at the time, listening to feedback, writing well, scoring some journalism awards, and learning how to read the metrics we had.
My first computer was an Apple II and I hit the BBS world and learned how to hack my way through a lot of systems and work with people online.
Then came time playing with AOL, Source, Delphi, and eventually a role as a SysOp with CompuServe. I created an online skunworks project for the CBC up here in the frozen North and helped introduce desktop newsrooms.
I now lead a substantial online effort in science communications and speak at conferences and workshops every chance I get.
So I will defer to some of your points and not call myself an expert.because I really don’t want anyone vomitting in my shoe. But can I at least call myself an experienced veteran who is tired of hearing how there are no such thing as experts?

I own a business and I get approached by social media “experts” ALL the time offering the moon. I always say the same thing: I’m happy to give a fat commission kickback from sales quoting voucher codes created for you – incentivized by a discount to the customer, as well – but I’m not paying up-front.

No social media “expert” has ever gone for it, though my offline partners make excellent money and jump for joy from the exact same offer. Hmmmn, perhaps it’s because these gurus don’t actually know how to hook real customers.

PS – I’m 20-something, so age isn’t the punchline. It’s just about how much brain matter you have between the ears.

One post on Facebook from my “Social Media Specialist” Girlfriend recently drove around $5000 in very mesurable new revenue for the client, just one post. An “expert” knows their tools inside out, and knows how to use them effectively. Find me someone who doesn’t call themselves a Social Media “something” and can produce similar results.

Thanks, Peter for saying it so well.

Social media is a means to an end, not an end itself.

It doesn’t really matter how many likes you have on Facebook, followers you have on Twitter, or connections on LinkedIn. It’s about what you do with those folks and how you engage with your target audience.

I love this response to the increasing surface-level “expert” trend of snake oil out there. It’s the society we live in where EVERYONE is an “expert,” and so many, both high and low, are so quick to chomp the bait. Real expertise in anything takes a vast amount of experience, learning, and training. Considering the negative impact poorly executed social media can have on a business, it’s time everyone take the art seriously.

I especially appreciate the communications professional’s ability to write well. Both in social media, and in the blogosphere, there seem to be very few who can do this. Spewing bloated or poorly written copy closes me out of the conversation any day. Thanks for this very direct piece.

@Corina – You make a very valid point, but it’s not limited to those branding themselves as “social media experts” or social media anything.

From our experience, very few marketing/public relations (or social media) professionals will work on a commission or performance basis.

I suspect that is because they really don’t have an exact formula for generating the buzz/visibility that will ultimately turn into sales for you. And still yet, they want to be paid for efforts that yield no results to your bottom line. That my friend is pure madness.

Like you, we’d gladly pay for performance – and performance doesn’t necessarily have to me actual sales. It does, however, have to imply sales at some point. Happy to talk to any marketers who’ll put their money where their mouth is.

On a separate note: For all those Social Media folks (or marketers) who are selling services around growing a company’s FB or Twitter followers — let me ask you this — Who cares if 50,000 people Like us on Facebook or 100,000 follow us on Twitter IF those people are not engaged or interested in our products? Not us.

Engagement is the key, not mass numbers. Case in point, this blog post and all the engaged comments. Hopefully Peter is smiling right now.

I’m confused. This week, I’ve worked with two clients on their websites and marketing campaigns. We discussed Facebook as well. I’m working with another client on a Twitter drive and Facebook, including updating this client’s landing page and making it more actionable.

I have an MFA in Nonfiction, so yes, writing slightly important to me.

What do we call ourselves? I don’t use the word “expert” but consultant seems apt. I write, I edit, I curate, I research, I design, I market. Too many hats for one word!

Thank you for this article! Very enlightening!

Joseph

writing IS slightly important to me. Consultants make mistakes. Experts never!

If the title, expert, is bad, then how about synonyms specialist, wizard, maven, aficionado, or pro?

While I agree with you that you are not a social media expert ;) – I also take the risk to get tarred and feathered, grilled in the hell of all -anti-socialmedians but I totally disagree with your reasoning.

You declare “Social Media is just another facet of marketing and customer service” I really hoped we were over this by now – but there are apparently still those who preach what people thought about social media 5 years ago.

If that would be true:
1) nobody would use it
2) nobody would listen to yet another marketing bullshit
…

If the purpose of your post was to get attention, I’m happy to add to it :)

Have a great weekend

Axel
http://xeesm.com/AxelS
(my social presence)

Damn brilliant!

Can I agree with you and violently disagree with you at the same time?

The source of agreement is obvious. I actually met someone last week at a cocktail party who said he was looking for a job in “social media.” When I asked what his background was, he said, after an all too long pause, “well, I have a Facebook page.” I wish I was kidding about this. And he’ll probably get a job, because he’s under 27 so therefore, he must know social.

But my source of violent disagreement? This is *not* just another marketing channel or, if so, it has wildly different success metrics than the “traditional” ones. Traditional marketing approaches don’t require listening as a core skill nor do they necessarily involve effective dialogue skills.

You’ve just given traditional marketers, who are looking for an excuse not to do anything differently with social, an excuse to do so. “Well, Shankman says so and he’s a social guy so if he says so…” This is different and requires different skills and is only going to grow much more so. We’re in the early infancy of this social transformation and thus I have serious problems with a message to marketers that says “this is really just the same thing you’ve always been doing.” I don’t think you believe that. I know I don’t.

Good post, though I do slightly disagree on one thing. While social media is just one part of your marketing mix, it’s also a part with a unique capability – allowing you to get feedback on what you’re doing and saying. If you use social media as just another means to shout your message out to the masses, you’re not going to get the most out of it.

Don’t just use it to announce your new product – also use it to listen to how your customers are responding to that new product (as well as older ones), identify how it can be improved and build relationships with your customers – all with far less cost (and in a much more comfortable setting for the customer) than using a focus group or other traditional market research tactic.

But your overall point is very correct – social media “experts” are a waste of resources. Having someone who knows how to listen, study your customers and determine how you can best fulfill your customers’ needs is much more valuable.

I think the new national anthem is “from extreme to shining extreme.”

So, we’ve accomplished our objective. Make a bold, even rash statement, and get people’s attention. Good job. Emphasis business basics 101. We need to be reminded … over and over and over.

So I guess my take would be, never hire a social media expert who does not understand basic marketing and how social media fits in the the plan. And these days I would never hire a marketing person that did not understand the importance of social media, how it fits in, and how I can employ it.

And for those entrepreneurs and small business people out there, the guy is right. All the social media in the world will not make up for not being good at what you do. But if you are good, social media can help you do it on a different level and to new, more targeted markets.

It’s funny that so many people write that they can’t wait to see the backlash to this article when, for the most part, those who posted responses are in agreement with your observations. I loved reading the comments and agree wholeheartedly with many… “social media is a shiny object” and “social media is driven by ego.” There are way too many people out there trying to use the platform as another form of a pyramid scheme or network marketing play just to “get rich quick.” Great post!

You’ve just described the habits of a bad ‘social media expert’, good ones will care about what customers say and think – be on the pulse, be ready and alert to help those in need of it. Social media platforms can be a great way of improving your customer service. Someone rants about your company over twitter? Notice it first, be the first to make contact, and make them happy again.

About the only thing i’d say is that companies *should* have a ‘social media expert’, but it should *not* be their primary role.

So I guess this means you don’t hire SEO experts or adwords experts, or even database experts for that matter.

Guess what: They are ALL tools. I just so happens that I DO want people who happen to be expert at manipulating their chosen tool – but those experts need also to have experience with the bigger picture. So in that sense you are right that knowledge of the tools in an of itself is not enough.

So tell me: the next time you need a plumber, do you want an expert?

We’ve been social for all of our lives.

Social Media = Communiction = Listening & Conversations

Most companies have no clue how to listen so there is a need for someone in the organisation to Champion the cause (same goes foe SEO). Whether they have social media in their title is besides the point as long as they’re able to help the company achieve the business objectives.

PS: the ‘s’ in organisation is not a typo. It’s the way your neighbours to the North do things.

Wow — bless you for telling the truth about the Emperor and his lack of wardrobe. This is why I subscribe to your blog!

From someone who frequently is referred to as a “social media expert” or “guru” I completely agree with you. First of all, I hate cliches. Second of all, I look at social media similarly as you described it: as a tool for successful (and in the trenches) marketers to use. Experts/gurus/savants/rock stars/coaches (I’m sorry coaches, but I can’t handle that word any more) be damned!

Enjoyed this post. Posts or newsletters with misspellings and grammatical errors are really annoying and hard to read! (Hope my spell checker worked.)

FINALLY! If this article is read by the masses, it could be of the magnitude of the “burn rate” WSJ article had in bursting the dot-com bubble.

If you recall, in 2000, the article exposed the fallacy of investing in companies based strictly on market share (revenues). Companies were burning cash at record levels just to gain market share.

You need to read this
http://www.girardbrewer.com/20.....anagement/

Agreed. Your article really hit home with me. I’m tired of the “hype” over social media and to quite honest tired of being bombarded with the “noice” of being marketed to at every turn. It has diminished the effectiveness of marketing and who has the time to be fans of every business they have patronized in the past with no real intension of listening. When really was the last time you looked at your feed in twitter? Do I really want to get a groupon e-mail every day so I can ignor it and spend time cleaning it out of my inbox? I want the information when I’m ready for it on my terms and for things I’m interested in. Small business has been “sucked into” the social media hype and it’s a sad day when they are “sold” the bill of goods that they should hire a social media expert to create the visibility they seek. Only to learn they were already doing it the old fashioned way with more flare and customer care than they can get through social media….they actually talked to the customers directly!

It’s actually running out into the rain naked in Florida (lightning capital of the U.S.), just daring to get struck. First thing I say in my talk is “I’m not a social media expert; I just use the stuff an awful lot.”

Ha Vanity ! Vanity … Vanity, definitely my favorite sin – John Milton in “The Devil’s Advocate”

Okay – it’s official. YOUR BRILLIANT! Preach on my brother and lead them all to the real, get down, nitty gritty truth! VALUE…Give em value and “REALNESS”

Dale Carnegie knew it all…and everything else is just well…fairy dust, smoke and mirrors! LOL

Social Media is just a tool. Much like a hammer, by itself, it doesn’t do much. You need nails, wood and plans in order for that hammer to create something. Social media works the same. You still need a marketing plan, an offer, a message, etc. etc.

@Mike, we are one of the companies that does work on either paid for performance, or flat rate with a guarantee (guarantee is you get ‘x’ number of new clients, or you don’t pay us!).

Did you correct PRWeb and weren’t you pissed when this article was printed?
“Social Media Expert Peter Shankman Reveals Best-Kept Secrets for Creating Buzz at PRWeb’s Thrive 2010 Online Conference”

Firstly I want to say that this is a great post, and the reason I know that it is a great post because it has me torn.

I, along with almost everyone that responded, am completely exasperated with the deluge of social media experts, and like you I agree that Social Media is essentially just another string to the marketers bow. What I also know is that Social Media is essentially know more than a technological process, and learning the technology and the process is not very challenging.

However I also believe that Social Media is represents a real revolution in marketing, for those prepared to invest in it properly.

The two outstanding opportunities that Social Media offers marketers appear to be over looked in your post.

The first is Social Media as a research tool. Marketers are still obsessed with landing their messages on as many people as possible without any concern for what those people are interested. Social Media offers the opportunity to really understand markets and opportunities, in real time and at zero cost.

The second is the opportunity for small businesses with limited budgets to use a variety of media including video and audio, which may eventually negate the need for writing altogether. Historically marketing may have only been available to those who could afford fantastic writers like yourself, these days anyone with a passion for what they do and the people that they do it for can create their own messages without having to be experts in grammar. Having said that I have taken the trouble to check the grammatical correctness of this post.

I get into trouble for not being niche enough because my particular niche is being a marketing generalist. What I understand is that if you develop products and services that meet a demand, develop messages that resonate then all of the different marketing channels are just opportunities to land those messages. This work is what makes marketing initiatives work and without this work Social Media campaigns will never have the desired outcome, and the experts that initiate those campaigns fully deserve to be outed.

For anyone who is interested here is my approach:

http://www.effectivemarketingc.....ging-clue/

I completely agree that marketing is much more than social media will ever be on it’s own!
What I don’t appreciate is your bold, & offensive writing style!
If you’re trying to be cool by being a shock blogger, then you’re just as guilty as the “social media experts”.

Excellent – social media just gives us more free channels than we had before.
But being free is both a blessing and a problem. A blessing in that SMEs can develop niche markets inexpensively. A problem in that anyone can post anything.
People just don’t think about their content as hard as they do when they have to lay out cash for every column inch.
With so many great word smiths being dropped by offline media thanks to online competition, there should be lots of people available to write engaging and interesting content: not cloying ad copy or features and benefits marketing-speak.
Will the next online revolution revive the ‘content is king’ mantra, pre-fixed by ‘quality’ or ‘engaging’?

Your timing is impeccable. Just this last week I was engaged in a debate over my remark that “there is no such thing as a social media ‘expert.’” You encapsulated my entire argument in a tidy nutshell. Moreover, I’d say that too much emphasis is given to other catch-terms such as “Search Engine Optimization.” Here too, an over emphasis is given to the ‘mystery’ of tech rather than the function it plays as a tool in public relations.

squirrel

Had someone note Social Media Experts were the Tupperware & HerbalLife of the Digital Age.

Right up there with SEO services or experts.

Pure snakeoil.

Great Post

So, why can’t someone be a marketing expert and a social media expert?

Someone call an ambulance, there’s a strawman dying on the ground!

Well said my friend. Well said. Peter, when did expert consultants become coaches? Are coaches now regarded as expert consultants? Just asking.

Amen my brother!
A powerful voice in the darkness…
XOX

Couldn’t agree more about the spelling and grammar errors. Totally cringe-worthy and earn the sender a swift “delete” every time. I have no mercy.

Thanks for the great article…

Looks like HARO needs a new tagline – “Everyone is an Expert at Something…except social media”

There are too many posts like this one. I have respect for you Peter. We’re even friends on Facebook :)

But I think there are too many posts like this one. Yeah yeah, we know there are too many “Social media experts” out there. Sure, there are a lot of spammers and liars and snake oil salesmen.

But to generalize like this makes no sense, especially when you consider Fortune 500 companies.

This post is way too general, especially when considering Fortune 500 companies.

good points! It’s all about this article! haha! great stuff!

All good points. I lived through the .com days and now this. This was spot on .
edw

Peter,

I couldn’t agree with you more, especially about people not knowing how to write. I thought it was because I am a writer, but it drives me CRAZY when I receive promotional materials with typos and grammatical errors. Not only does it make the sender look bad, but it is a sad testament to the importance of language.

I have been following you for a long time and I applaud you for this post. There is no quick way to obtain customers or clients. It is all about being real and reaching out to people…it’s about relationships.

Thank you for such a fantastic and poignantly relevant read.

You keep your bread in the fridge?

Great article! However, I must express a bit of disappointment (and laughter) that while glancing through these comments made by PR professionals, I came across a number of people using the word “your” in the place of the correct “you’re”! A grammar Nazi, yes I am…

Customer Service, Relevancy, Solid Plan – right on! There are times and places for a social media aspect to one’s marketing plan, but only when that’s where the customer’s are, and only when those customer’s want to see you in that setting.

Great post!

Thank you for the great tips.

@Matt: Spot on. There is still a large proportion of business owners and high level execs out there who have decided they need access to someone with social media knowledge and skills and they naturally want to hire an expert. For anyone to say that said business owners are fools to hire someone calling themselves a social media expert (or any other type of expert) is ridiculous.

@Peter: I absolutely agree with your response to Matt. Business owners should hire a marketer who, if they are any good, will of course have sufficient knowledge of social media to integrate it into the way the company does business. The trouble is, many of the aforementioned business owners will say to their recruitment agent, in their recruitment ads or to agencies/consultants they interview ‘I want a “social media expert”. For many people, the quickest way (though often not the best way) to gain the interest of such a business owner is to say that you are an expert in what they are looking for.

@the people in this thread who posted their rage at the use of “expert”…. Are there a great many self-proclaimed social media experts who have no right to the title of expert and no clue as to the role social media should play in business? Good grief yes but you find that in just about every aspect of the business world. It’s up to us as professionals to educate business owners and execs whenever we can as to just what constitutes an expert and where social media fits within the marketing mix, rather than taking unqualified issue with the use of the title “expert”.

Like always Peter, you get it soooo right – and make me laugh out loud in the process. Thanks for being a (funny) voice of reason.

What about Social Media Training? Some old folks just don’t know the etiquette and facets that make social media campaigns successful. I think you are making a blanket statement that could be a little eccentric. Never the less I agree with the break taker outer statement for the most part.

I totally agree – SEO experts and Social Media “Gurus” are mostly charlatans. I drew a topical comic on that very subject that may resonate with this article:

http://pcweenies.com/2011/05/1.....ng-part-2/

In today’s globalized era, I would let go of the spelling/grammar snobbery (especially for products/services that are only loosely connected to the written word). I live “overseas,” and frequently see spelling mistakes in English. I am sympathetic, because I know that English is often not the writer’s first language. Americans have a bad reputation for believing everyone has to speak in perfect, unaccented English.

You’ve incorrectly used “where” instead of “when” twice in this article.

We’re making the same mistakes that we made during the dotcom era, where everyone thought that just adding the term .com to your corporate logo made you instantly credible.

It also translated into Paramount making billions in a time where other movie companies were struggling.

You’ve been inconsistent about the use of “your” and “thy” for no apparent reason.

Bind it as a sign upon your hands and upon thy gates.

You’ve used the plural pronoun “they” for a singular antecedent.

Ask a “social media expert” what a traffic planner does at an agency, then laugh as they quickly ask Google for help finding the answer.

May I quote you?
“Want to lose me as a customer, forever, guaranteed? Have a grammar error on any form of outward communication.”

Isn’t a blog outward communication? Aren’t the above grammar and style errors?

Would you have all your readers unsubscribe forever, guaranteed?

Amen Peter. I have found that working with “old school” business leaders, they have “heard about” social media and think this is yet another outsource requirement of their company. Crazy. I ask them if they outsource talking to their customers …

Great post. IMHO, social media is not a profession, it is a function. Simply a part that anyone in a position to market and manage a product should be able to play. A qualification akin to good communication or salesmanship.

First of all, let me prepare you for any grammatical and/or spelling errors, as I am Portuguese…

Your post is great in that it points out once again the fundamentals driving the successful implementation of Social Media – at least in a broad sense.

What I don’t understand is why after 10 years, we still have the need to call out the “experts” and the “gurus”. These self-proclaimed authorities have always flourished anywhere and everywhere where there is a budget and the ignorance to go, easily succumbing to the temptation of not having to research the promises offered at an incredible value – normally negotiable, the first piece of evidence that you are in for a bargain.

If you were to remove the “expert” and “guru” slant from your post, you’re left with the already more than discussed and dissected basics of social media. Like most great speakers and writers, you have become proficient in the art of stating the obvious. This is in no way a discredit to you as your work is a testament to your professionalism, and above all, your knack for achieving results.

So why the post? What annoys you most? Their existence or the fact that they somehow manage to sell their apparent expertise? We all know it’s short lived, so I’m left wondering what was the point of your article.

Amen + a gospel choir to that!

Social media is just another type of medium originally intended as a way to connect people socially. Now, that business has hopped on board is no reason to isolate social media from an integrated marketing plan.

Social media is also fast becoming one of the most cluttered forms of media and anyone in advertising or public relations knows that means the consumer may miss your message inadvertently or on purpose.

I never bought into the medium being the message or the “massage” as McLuhan’s famous typo title proclaimed. The medium is at the end of the day just a medium.

Peter, I couldn’t agree more :-)

“Social Media is just another facet of marketing and customer service” : I agree and, more generally, I think it’s all about communication and perception management.

It would appear that most of those commenting on this article know the importance of social media to a business. However, there are many, many business owners who know that social media could very well increase their bottom line but don’t have a clue where to start.

What on earth do you see “wrong” with hiring someone to help them get started? To explain what needs to be done and to help them with the more advanced nuances of a relationship-based social media plan, to set up accounts for them with appropriate graphics and content, to show them how to interact with their customers on social media in a way that keeps them coming back and even encourages them to share content?

Believe it or not, there are fine people out there who just don’t know where to begin.

Rather than have their teenager put up a Facebook Page and hope that does it, what’s wrong with hiring someone who knows how to make that page bring them business?

Social Media is not a magic bullet, but I would go so far as to say it’s vital to an integrated marketing plan. And if you need a little help, there is no harm getting it from someone who knows more than you do.

Great advice Peter. This is no different than any bubble. The real marketers will be left standing when all is said and done.

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Social media experts are bottom feeders who are using ignorance about marketing to promote their personal brand. Why is that 99% of these “experts” can tell us what to do but when you ask them what real results they provided beyond vanity metrics like “engagement and followers” they usually have a blank slate ? http://www.richsmanagementblog.com/

I teach PR in a university setting and am constantly saying that social media is a tool in the complete communications tool box. You wouldn’t grab a hammer and start building a house without a plan, would you? So why would anybody think social media is the be-all, end-all of all marketing, advertising and public relations? And why would anybody hire a “social media expert?” Would you hire a pr person who’s only skill was writing press releases? Didn’t think so.

That is why Peter is my mentor :-)

A few points:

- In every professional activity there are individuals who really don’t know what they are doing. Generalizations are bad.

- Everyday I see a lot of unopened newspapers in driveways. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use them for advertising.

- There are a lot of college grads and medium and small business owners around the world who can’t even send an e-mail. That’s a fact. I know many. Should they stay away from SM?

- You succeeded at creating controversy and generating comments. Good tactic.

I think that you are standing on the wrong soapbox. Nice and fun message but the many assumptions you make presuppose that the Social Media “Experts” or dedicated resources or whatever you want to call them, don’t understand Business and the need of business to survive and grow through revenues.

I think there are two (at least!) demands of expertise in Social Media. One is the understanding of the communication channels with their abilities and their limits. The second is the function of Communication and Relationship building through which you engage and remain engaged with Customers, Peers, Vendors and the Market you serve – in general.

Those two elements combined, provide the basis for Application. Application is everything because it highlights relevance and utility.

No one I know has the balls to call themselves an expert, but they will all say that they constantly seek to add to their expertise or knowledge base.

A useful definition of “Expert” is someone who spends 10,000 hours in a given field of study. I guarantee you that if you spend 10,000 hours at anything, you will discover nuances, patterns and ways to be more effective in that area. You will learn what wastes time and you will learn what is elegant.

So I agree that you don’t hire a self proclaimed “expert” or Rock star or any of the the other self-anointing fantasy titles. But find people who love the potential of Social Media to make businesses better or more successful or reduce loss of market share – and that is someone to hire.

Hi Peter, I was about to berate your initial ramblings, until I read your whole article. For the first few paragraphs I took great offence, as I profess to be a Social Media Expert. But you saved a tirade from me when I saw what you wrote regarding ‘writing’. I agree with you that there are not many original free thinking creatives on the planet – just a bunch of re-tweeting idiots.

Not a bad article, but I don’t think I would have quite gone to town in your whirling dervish tirade. Yes there are many mindless fools saying they are Social Media Experts but there are some of us who are real and do make our clients some serious cash.

Take it easy.

Duncan

Great article except for one point: ” Good writing is brevity, and brevity is marketing.”

Brevity is marketing but good writing isn’t brevity… unless you want to get rid of most of western literature. Tolstoi or Proust were hardly brief, and yet their writing is good.

But beyond that I, like you, believe that “social media experts” are just a fad, similar to “new media experts” or so on… Ultimately, it always comes back to the basics…

I hate the term “expert” in almost any form. Honest people will describe themselves, at best, as “aspiring experts.” The key is to be an engaged learner and teacher. Teach what you know, even if it is only a little more than the next person, and make cooperative learning and collective intelligence central to the process.

The best teacher, as always, is the one who shares what he knows, and admits what he doesn’t, don’t you think?

Great article, in total agreeement with you and a refreshing change from the run of the mill “10 strategies (read cheap tricks) to rank high on search engines. Actually this is the first article I have come across in a long time on SEO/Social Media marketing that I can relate to.

Peter, thanks you for restoring what it should be the simple common sense…

Good point, though I must say this also applies to other types of “experts”. These days people tend to take specialising to the extreme and forget that you usually need to have experience and knowledge in other areas to succeed. Some people seem to keep their minds in little cardboard boxes don’t they…

@Jaym
If you think Flash is the “best web development tool”, that might explain why you’re out of work.

Well, I agree with Rand on this one, but I think I get your point, I mean there are always plenty of self proclaimed SEO gurus and social media experts, but you didn’t even bother to separate the few real social media experts out there, and there are those that really know what they are doing and how to utilize social media to their full extent and potential.

PS. By the way, nice link bait :)

I’ve written a blog post in response to this article:
http://shmuelhoffmansblog.com/.....an-expert/

I think what got partially lost in the post, is that any single skill set should be an avoided hire. A truly dynamic individual will have a multifaceted background; it’s a natural result of intellectual curiosity. That’s not just when it comes to social media, but also any other field. For example the best web analytics folks I know also understand BI and mobile analytics. The best copywriters I know are also novelists or bloggers. The best digital creatives I know also have a passion for other types of art such as music.

Perhaps this post would be less controversial if we boiled it down to just the meat.

I have been schooled. I am rethinking what I call myself and how I brand my business. This is savvy advice and I like the comparison. Smart.

The title lured me in, and your “brevity” got me to stay…

LOVE this article – hilarious, and so on point. I’m preparing a talk for a social media event tomorrow and the 3rd slide says “I am NOT an EXPERT” (written before I read this, I swear!) because I tell people all the time that Social Media is just an extension of your MarCom plan – it is A platform from which to engage your customers and communicate your brand message. Which means you have to have something good for them to engage with, and actually put thought into what your brand message is!

I’ve worked with several clients who thought that putting up a Twitter account would somehow miraculously bring them clients – even though they’ve been providing the same subpar, over-priced, and out of touch service for years. At the end of the day – I am a marketing communications coach and consultant, and social media is on the tools in the tool belt. Tomorrow it may be a new tool, but for now, I’ll continue to use it as the “lure” to get clients in and educate them on what will really get them more profits – killer customer service and providing value to their clients.

Word.

But Mr. Shankman you describe yourself as a social media entrepreneur! How do you reconcile that with the sentiments expressed in this column?

This is a seductively deceptive piece that hinges on semantics. Plus, self-appointed social media experts are nothing more than consultants or, like you, entrepreneurs, trying to do the very thing you aspire to do: Take advantage of a moment in time and make a profit!

And no, folks did not think .com made them official. That’s revisionist-silly to the point of specious.

Of course you are doing what stellar social media consultants advise: Writing provocative content that gets a lot of hits and engages your audience and builds links! You my friend are the epitome of a social media expert!

I guess too many people already said ‘amen’ so I’ll just say ‘Thank you!’

Very ironic that one of your main tips (“It’s About Brevity”) is in such a long rant. Thanks for the rant, regardless, it’s a thought-provoking one. However, I don’t agree with your conclusion.

Have you ever been to a trade show? Ever meet those “car salesman” types there that try to “network their way to a sale” or “close at every step” or “try to achieve a series of yesses.” The cultural echo chamber around those people makes them feel like their doing it right, while you [and everyone else they try to sell to] just tries to shuffle as far away from these suits as possible. Obviously, this sort of “trade show expert” isn’t – and his participation actually hurts his company’s reputation.

The audience is much wider across time and space for each action/comment/interaction on social media channels than at a trade show.

Some people get how to best participate on social media from the get go. They lead companies/brands to do social media in an ethical, participatory, value-creating way. That wisdom is an expertise (“expert power” is wisdom). And that expertise is incredibly valuable. Knowledge of how to do things right the whole time, rather than through an expensive, embarrassing trial and error process along the way, is valuable. Social Media Experts exist — they’re simply great marketers as you’ve pointed out, who’ve chosen Social Media as the channel array for their skill set.

Nice post Peter. Made me laugh more than once which was no doubt the intent. I agree with most of your premise. While traditional marketing principles apply regardless of the channel, I think that traditional marketing practitioners and organizations need to get hands on to really understand social media as well as they understand print, outdoor, broadcast radio/TV, etc.

Its hard to leverage a complex channel like social media if you don’t really grasp how people use each social network relevant to your business. Reading a book or attending a workshop is not a replacement here. The key takeaway, for me at least, is to be aware that social media is a means to an end and not the end itself. That, and beware the “Social Media Expert!”

Now can you tell me how to replace the image in my head of a bunch of social media experts “throwing off our clothes and running naked in the rain…” ;-)

Hey Peter, I so agree with you. This whole social media bubble is getting out of whack, and it is kinda irritating, and it probably will burst. Yes, Social Media is just another (albeit new, important) facet and outlet of marketing/customer service that has to be INTEGRATED into your marketing mix and strategy. And its not the miracle pill. But if done right, should *help* (again, not a miracle pill) generate more revenue and create a nice brand resonance for our company out there.

It *is* a great unique outlet to show “stellar customer service” and great marketing that did not exist before.

The thing is, companies (small, medium and large) are so confused as to where to start, what social media channel to be active on, what to say, what not to say, how transparent to be, how often to post, who to follow, who to unfollow….

AND…they don’t realize how TIME CONSUMING this social media beast is, constantly needing attention and to be fed with content, comments, engagment, expanding followers, fans. It can definitely take up the better part of your day, without even realizing it!

So that’s where a social media consultant or worker does play an important part for or in a company. I would stay away from the term “expert” too. So brash, no one is there yet. Its just means someone who has experience in this field, and can teach and advice you on how to do social media in the best most effective way, to get the best results. Like any other marketing position in a company.

I hope this helps to soften your outlook a little on “I Will Never Hire a “Social Media Expert,” and Neither Should You” :-)

Best
Yasmin

PS: Hope I won’t get my head chopped off for this post… ;-)

Great points, despite what Rand says. He clearly didn’t read (or understand) your article. The half-assing of social media by amateurs is creating a bubble of stupidity.

It’s so funny how different the climate is on businessinsider.com, where the comments are basically raking Peter over the coals. Those of us who love and respect him, though, “get” it.

It’s the whole bright, shiny object thing. If you’re not doing it and you see that everyone else is doing it, you jump on the bandwagon even though you don’t know what the hell you’re doing.

Let’s get back to basic marketing, which is about building relationships with people who need/want what you have and then reaching/finding them in the ways that resonate most with them. For some, it may be social media; others it may be traditional advertising; and still others, it may be a handshake and a cup of coffee.

A quality product and exceptional customer service are the mainstays of every successful business, but without customers, it doesn’t matter. And, the reality is that to reach them, you may have to hire an “expert” who knows more about it than you do.

So, where are the customers? Well, according to a study by comScore and Group M Search, they’re online. More than half of those surveyed use a combination of search engines and social media to fuel their purchasing decisions, but just one percent use ONLY social media before buying.
http://bit.ly/jM2srJ.

What that tells me is that social media is an important tool, but it’s not the only one in the toolbox.

On another note, as I write this, I am watching the tweets come in from those involved in the rescue efforts following the devastating tornado in Joplin, MO.

I’m reminded that If it were not for social media, we would not be able to be as connected as we are to what’s happening there, or Japan, or our own communities.

And, I think that’s the most important point. Let’s not forget that doing business is about being connected to our customers.

Thanks, Robin! Yeah, those over at BI like to hear themselves talk and shout a lot. Primarily full of sound and fury… signifying… Well, you know the rest. :)

Anyhow – Thank you for posting. Much appreciated!

I agree and disagree with Peter. I want someone with social media expertise, but not a social media expert. Is that semantics? http://mlmcagency.blogspot.com.....r-foe.html

Peter,
Right on the money.
Just got this via forwarded email…apparently missed the tweet.

The great dividing point in the world occurs when someone pays for something.
Until that moment, everything is marketing.
After that moment, everything is customer service.
Don

Peter: I love your article and your creative writing. I agree with all you have to say regarding keeping up with the basics, building relationships, etc, but…..social media is an effective tool and should be built into any marketing plan and strategy. As for social media experts, I agree, all it takes is lots of time plus an SEO expert to get you to the top!
Marla Levie
President, Focus on Aging, Chicago
Not an expert but sure an addict and user!

Well done, sir! Too many organizations are focusing too much energy and money on joining the social media band wagon and not focusing enough on the fundamentals: clear objectives, a well defined target audience, and a compelling message. They’re also expecting social media to generate immediate ROI, when it just doesn’t work that way. Social media is another great tool to add to the toolbox. But, choose those tools carefully…

AMEN!!! Social Media Experts should train and guide…. Not sell!

There are many fakers out there who make the rest of us look bad. I sometimes help companies with social media, but I also advise them on everything you mentioned — including “know your customer,” etc; It’s about finding a balance between the old and the new, and understanding how to evolve without giving up what’s effective.

The last person who hired me called me a guru when he approached me. I told him that if he did that, I wouldn’t work for him.

PS I’m not a 22 year-old intern; I’m a professional writer in her 40s.

I will agree with the fact that the term “social media expert” is fairly bogus at this point. There is so much more involved in the game then just “social media”, and to be an expert there would have to be on a very large scale working with major corporations. Otherwise the need of social media exposure should be satisfied by employees who are doing a lot more with their work load than just managing FB relations, tweets, and social bookmarking..

The need is to maximize “web presence”, however accomplished, social media is just a small part.

Actually I have to disagree with you there.

Social media is one channel (among many) that has gotten us the contacts to build my husbands construction company. Had I not spent TWO years developing all of his new media marketing strategies, he would be out of business like so many others in that field. It’s CHEAP and it’s FAST. Those are the two I like when it comes to any marketing!

Facebook and Twitter help keep us connected to our clients and get us better rankings on search engines. Would I consider myself an expert? Well, I too will forgo the shoe puke (I really like my shoes).

Social Media marketing does require some expertise and a good understanding of seo, graphics, a little programming, etc. You can’t just sit in a class for 20 minutes and “get it”. It’s also not something you toss out there and let it ride. It needs to be manipulated often.

You have to GET the clients and contacts FIRST before you can do any relationship building.

Just a few weeks ago we announced we were running a spring clean up special and complete exterior make over packages. That prompted a client to go ahead and do it NOW instead of in two years. Though I will agree that credibility is earned, it has to start SOMEWHERE.

In fact, how many readers here would have NEVER gotten here without Facebook…I raise my hand. Good day, sir. Good day!

Hi Peter,

I’ve enjoyed reading your post and agree that “Social Media” is another tool in the marketing toolbox.
I just would like to add that businesses set up many “Social Media” sites and one question arises… Are they getting a Brand sound bite?
Brand is the best thing that happened to the commercial world; however not many companies define it.
So, please go ahead and use the tool however, define and align your brand voice and then broadcast it; thus gaining your targeted audience attention.

I am just a humble brand strategist and never call myself the “expert”. It’s all about you, real people who build Brand experience, and create the context about who we are and how we live. It’s all about YOU + ME = WE.

Thank you Peter for sharing your brand voice amongst the thunder.

Have an inspiring day and look forward to reading your next post. Hana and hello from sunny Sydney, Australia

Oh my goodness…I laughed, I let out a little yelp, a small gasp with a “Oh no he didn’t”….all in all….Could agree with you more. It is like people get online and throw their common sense out of the window. The way people behave online could earn them a restraining order and earn several enemies….they hopefully….would never act like that in person.

Let’s all revisit Marketing 101 and Sales 101…..put together a plan of connecting and giving and THEN get online. Everyone is going Mach 5 with their hair on fire…in a race where they have no idea what the real prize is or where the finish line is….oh wait….it’s not even a race. SMILE There is definitely a fine line between being an Expert and a Product Pusher.

The amount of “Social Media Experts” that are popping up reminds me of when Podiatrists were becoming Mortgage Professionals when the market was hot…..and we all know what happened there.

Want to lose ME as a customer forever, guaranteed? Make inappropriate statements like “All Social Media Experts should go die in a fire”. I find that so offensive that I have no interest any insight you have. If that is your idea of humor, I’m simply unconvinced that you have anything to offer that I can use in my business. I am NOT easily offended and never write responses but this really hit me wrong. Unbelieveable that
you make reference to “bad writing” and use terms like “vomit on my (or your) shoes” and “go die in a fire”. Bless you…I wish you the best, don’t like your approach.

Peter, I see you are listed in the social media business directory Invest in Social and are categorized as a consultant — http://www.investinsocial.com/.....-shankman/.

Invest in Social defines a consultant as “a person offering social media planning, creative or management services to clients, on contract or freelance terms.” Dictionary.com defines the term “consultant” as “a person who gives professional or expert advice.”

If you are a) listed in a social media business directory and are b) categorizing yourself as a consultant therein, then c) are you not implying that you are, in fact, a social media expert, or at least someone with enough social media expertise as to be considered worthy of being hired? It seems to me that your presence there nullifies your argument and, at worse, makes you out to be a hypocrite.

If you rail against the term “expert,” is there another that you prefer to use in its place?

Social Media Expert is a name that has been coined for those who are in the Social Media Managing field, similar to the term “Just Google it,” or “Facebook me” or “Follow me,” these are all expressions used in our current time.
Saying, “I’m a Social Media Expert” and holding your nose to the sky…well yes, then I would have to agree with you on that one Peter. But a Social Media MANAGER is someone who oversees their clients promotions, networking sites, newsletters, blogs, and engagement. (Not just ‘contests’ but also being their voice on different levels – blogs, group discussions, posts, etc.)
And, also uses MARKETING to help promote their clients’ business, sits down with them and talks about what type of business is being laid out before them. BEFORE starting to build a website, or Fan Page, or Twitter…

SO – in my opinion – a Social Media Expert is a phrase used by social media nerds, like all of us here, to determine what it is that one “does.”

A Social Media Manager – actually provides helpful services to businesses that otherwise would fall by the wayside without the knowledge of someone showing them the new ways of marketing and promoting their business.

You know what, Stephanie? I actually agree with you. A Social Media Manager is someone who works under the head of marketing, managing the social media campaigns. I like that – much, much better. Well said!

The best article I´ve ever read about this subject. Thanks to put down in words this opinion, I´m going to share this here in Brazil to all my contacts.

Wow Peter. You just blew my mind! Thanks so much

Peter, I think you nailed it when you posted on Rand’s blog. BTW, this truly needs to be settled over a beer.

Also, I could not resist blogging about this, and credit you for the inspiration behind the whole thing. Hope you take a peek:

Barry Diller: The Original Social Media “Expert”! (Rand Fishkin v. Peter Shankman) http://bit.ly/kJGgc3

Proud to say I’m not that 22-year-old. I’m 22. Love social media. But I would never suggest we do something just because it’s “cool.”

“Social media is not cool. MAKING MONEY IS COOL.”
(That’s my favorite)

I feel better just reading this.

What’s the difference between a “social media expert” and a “social media entrepreneur?” Since you bill yourself as the latter, I guess you won’t be hiring yourself. ;-)

Loved your rant, btw.

Harry:

I create companies that in part, use social media as a basis for generating revenue, similar to Help a Reporter Out. I’m taking that niche of marketing and using it to make money, as opposed to using social media to simply “be cool.”

I also invest in companies that have a particularly good knowledge of how marketing and social media mix. Check out http://shankman.com/investments-advisory-roles/ for more on that.

Cheers,

-Peter

One question: How do you vomit on the shoes of someone who is running around naked?

This is probably the best post I have read about Social marketing. I believe you are right, but the thing is that everyone is crazy with twitter, facebook etc. and they all say that if you have a site but you are not a “social media expert” you should hire one otherwise you are dead. It’s like if you do not have a fan page you are lost. Well, I do not have a fan page and I am still alive…

This might be the best article my eyes have ever read. I have nothing more to contribute to this conversation other than my overwhelming support of this post.

Peter,
You left out the part about market demand. Right or wrong many prospective clients are convinced they need a “social media expert,” and I make the case about how marketers can respond to what brands think they want, while giving them what they need.

http://info.laura-kinoshita.co.....-in-a-Fire

Fantastic post regardless. Love your passion, and despite my rebuttal, I do agree with you.

whenever a site says anything like a quick and easy way to make money this should raise suspicions

Thank you so much for putting into word what I’ve been thinking for months now. This social media marketing garbage is getting out of control. People need to come to their senses and stop over-hyping this movement. There is no doubt in my mind that, in 5 years from now, social media marketing will be an afterthought.

Social media “experts” are the equivalent of newspaper delivery boys from a bygone era: Young, cheerfuly illiterate, oblivious to how a newspaper is put together, and usually missing the porch.

Lol rant much Peter?

It’s tough love, but I agree with many of your points and many of your commenters’ points too. Social media is just an element in the mix of all of the strategies. It is not the end goal, it is a tactic to reach the end goal (sandwich!). And yes, good writing is so, so, so important! That is the first & continuing thing we teach employees here – to write well. Love that you harp on that too. :)

But I agree, that in the eyes of clueless customers, sometimes a knowledgable team becomes the team of “experts”. As a few of your commenters said, we don’t claim to be social media experts, but we know a heck of a lot more than some of our clients, so they consider us their experts. When we successfully drive sales (making money IS cool!), we’re happy to be their experts – in whatever.

Enjoyed th post!

Oh boy. Just sat through a three hour meeting with “our social media expert”
in which I was the only one who could draw the friggin’ map she was rattling
on about for the entire time. Abstractions and catch phrases aside, she’s worthless. I want to spray mace on her.

This was one of the most refreshing pieces I ever read! Thanks for the raw and point blank talk.

Jim

One of your best pieces.

Yep. Every damn marketing rep in every damn company should know how to analyze EdgeRanks, write the PHP scripts to analyze friends of people who comment on your Facebook page…that’s what they should be spending their time on instead of serving their clients or employers by developing solid marketing plans and strategies.

And everybody who drives a car should know how to rebuild their carbs, too.

An “expert” is someone who has “prolonged or intense experience through practice and education in a particular field.” I think every marketer and PR person should understand the fundamentals of social media and know how to incorporate it into their work. But is their room for “experts?” Damn right, there is, just like there’s room for SEO experts (or else Lee Odden would never get any work).

I just wouldn’t hire someone merely because they SAID they were.

Frankly, I’m sick of the anti-expert meme.

/shel

Bull. Of course we need social media experts.

Who of us has really run an exhibition using QR codes? Who here is using Xbox Kinect (a completely new form of communication) to explain a CSR programme? How are we using automated content analysis to offer journalists, bloggers and Facebook writers highly targeted content? Who here knows enough about the “Internet of Things” to gain competitive advantage for our organisations. How far can we mine the internet for useful intelligence? What are the consequences for practice of paywalls and other closed systems. How far are internet technologies taking us from social media?

What is available, when is it relevant and appropriate and how do we implement such capabilities both strategically and tactically requires endless study, analysis, practice and access to expertise.

Now show me the courses by the PR institutions, the graduate PR programmes or even training days in the consultancies that keep bringing the profession up to date with the technologies, their relevance to practice, applications, benefits and dangers.

We hear of transparency as being important but do we hear of the dangers of radical transparency as it becomes an internet driven end-game because of internet driven porosity.

We boggle at microchips embedded in running shoes and fail to think of the PR opportunities they present.

How can Burston Marsella not know of internet porosity? Ryan Giggs might be forgiven – if badly advised. It is even in the PR books endorsed by the CIPR.

And the arguments can continue.

The reality is that we need “Social Media Experts” and “Internet PR Experts”. There is a desperate shortage of them.

If you find one, please let me know.

So, say you’d played everything right. How would you handle a strategic social media attack such as the one launched by Media Matters/DropFox on Orbitz? Talk about a conundrum. None of the conventional logic applies as far as I can see.

https://www.facebook.com/Orbitz/posts/10150197236647728
http://twitter.com/#!/search/%40orbitz

I’m still figuring out the .com thing, personally.

Is bad writing killing America? Maybe…http://karensouthw.wordpress.c.....ess-again/

I loved this article and the spirited debate!

This is what happens when “Technology” people and companies start telling you how to communicate with your customers when they never did it themselves. Great customer service is face to face, hand written notes and stepping away from your computer to join the crowd. Social Media has it’s place, as you clearly stated, but it is not “The Place”.

@Kathy Manweiler

“Every time one of my former bosses received a resume with spelling mistakes or grammar errors, she would mark the resume up with a red pen and send it back to the applicant telling them not to apply for a job at our company again until they had more experience and a solid grasp of the English language. Harsh but effective.”

I once received a return copy of my cover letter with a circled typo in it and a nasty note. The mistake was obvious and no doubt made a poor impression of my writing ability and suitability for employment. What was not obvious to the smug manager who took the time to point out my failings was the limited access I had to a word processor to create the cover letter due to my personal circumstances that day. I was a single mother with a toddler, no personal computer, car, babysitter or family while living in a foreign country. I had only a half an hour’s time slot to access a public computer.

The “harsh” letter I received was very effective indeed. I bad mouthed that company for years, with eloquence.

Amen!

I recently spoke to two universities in the Dallas area to offer a storytelling class and to ask about hiring interns from their j-schools. Both university reps said that large firms such as Burson, Edelman, etc., IN NYC call them for interns who “are social media gurus”…the department heads said most of their students do not understand social media as it pertains to business in general and to pr/marketing/advertising specifically.

The university dept heads are all working to get students interested beyond texting friends and being on FB…most are on Linked In because it’s the “new resume” but don’t get the groups function…most don’t even understand Twitter. The upper level undergrads are taking social media classes and asking how to set up Twitter, Flikr and other accounts…and these are our gurus?

All I know about Social Media, I learned from friends and You Tube videos…and I know more than most…it’s all just another tool…

On a related note, clients and firms who want to farm out biz to me often ask me about my reporter contacts and who I know…even there, my important skills are tact and persistence – strengthened with a good story in hand…I just call until I get the right person, chatting people up on the phone so they will help me out.

In the end, what I have that attracts the big bucks is my ability to tell a story, the persistence to tell it to the right person, and my willingness to treat everyone with respect along the way…skills I’m finding are less and less prevalent.

Well said Peter. Social media today is like the Microsoft Office of 1990 – a tool that businesses will learn over time to use to make themselves market their business and support their customers better. It will become so commonplace and ubiquitous in a few years that no one would find value in putting “social media expert” on their resume. But until then, and as long as people pay for their services (or see perceived value in them), that “brand” will continue to exist…

What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 1:9

It’s arrogance that doesn’t allow people to see social media and all marketing for what it is at its core: communication. We get enamored with something that looks new and we rush to ‘conquer’ it. No one has truly conquered the art of communication in any form so the expectation that social media can have an ‘expert’ level is laughable.

Funniest thing is that social media ‘experts’ sit around on Twitter in a social media circle jerk with all the other experts. Wonder how they pay the bills?

Have to agree with Nettie here. The less articles on hype the better. Need to focus on education. That means actually helping practitioners–not playing the Scarlet Letter shaming people who are also just trying to find bread to put in their fridge or what have you.

If companies don’t do their due diligence, that’s their fault. In every new industry there are people who can’t executive on the promised deliverables. Companies need to focus more time and resources on this.

Jeremiah Oywang’s report on the Social Strategist was helpful. http://blakelandau.wordpress.c.....st-enough/

I see this blog got a lot of attention. Good for you.

A really great rant, Peter.

I’m 27 years old and work in the PR function of a large financial services company. A lot of my colleagues, including high-level executives call me the “social media expert” in the group and pick my brain on everything from what “Tweeter” is to what blogs we should be reaching out to and how. While it’s great job security, there’s an odd feeling of guilt for being the group gatekeeper of something that is really simple at it’s core

Thanks for the good work.

J

Absolutely fabulous article! The false perception of social media experts extends beyond the US. I’ve recently moved from the US to Europe, where I continue to work in the marketing field, and I cringe every time I hear someone claiming to be a social media expert. It amazes me at how many companies consider themselves “social media experts”, where they’re only on Facebook and Twitter, and tweet/update their status with irrelevant content 10+ times a day. Just because you’re on Facebook and Twitter, doesn’t make you “cool”! Get your $hit together and figure out your audience. It’s only a matter of time before certain elements of the social media phenomenon will bust, just like the dotcom boom.

With all due respect I think social networking is very important to our business considering it is the way we are communicating with each other these days. I also feel very strongly about the fact that nothing is better for our business than the old school basics of hard work and integrity! Thanks for the interesting read, it was thought provoking.

Hi!

Great post. I actually laughed out loud. When I first started using social media for my business I remember I downloaded a management tool, sat down, and realized I was connected to 3 people and one was my dad. I thought “right, this isn’t really a marketing plan.” I went on to build a platform that helped me with this, but that’s another story for another day. I am SO looking forward to interviewing you next week for “5 Minutes With…” on WeAreSocialPeople.com. You’re awesome.

-Tammy

Funny, I wrote a piece on Social Networking for Small Businesses and could not have said it better myself. In fact l love a combination of humor and fact, it drives the stake right into the heart of the matter. Bravo.

http://technorati.com/business.....rking-for/

Great article! Great conversation! Bravo! And I wholeheartedly agree with the comments about the lack of writing and communication skills too. I spend a great deal of time editing and rewriting information that comes to me… and I’m a visual artist. It’s not only the lack of writing skills, it is also the problem of not knowing WHAT to say.

Don’t hire a social media consultant, become one. For your own company. We are nothing if not social animals. Social media is brilliant and telling and messy. But having a coach teach you how to be social is preposterous. The best lessons are learned in situ.

I can’t disagree more. If all this social media stuff is common sense, I can’t even tell you how many MAJOR companies have apparently waste every penny of their marketing payroll because there social media management is not only lack luster but down right harmful to their overall media plan. Yes it SHOULD be common sense that you should not create a corporate twitter account or facebook page if you aren’t going to use it, but obviously that has gone over many marketing folks heads. And if they can’t figure out that painfully obvious fact then how can they possibly be taking advantage of the other social media elements that can take companies through the roof when so many are dying in our hurting economy.
I am by no means a social media expert, but even I have seen company after company prove that social media management for a company is about as much like taking the bread out of the refrigerator as as advanced algebra is like breathing! It does NOT come naturally to most people.

Marvellous.

Many industries do need a social media presence now, but it’s just the same as needing a phone line, a website and a mailing address. Marketers need to use-and UNDERSTAND-social media, but they need to understand how it fits into the overall marketing plan.

Social media is no magic bullet, it’s another arrow in the communications quiver that needs to be used properly to be effective.

Late to this party, and it’s a doozy. Amen to what Peter said. May he never want to vomit on my shoes.

I have to disagree. I think there’s a lot more to social media than a broadcast channel for marketeers. I do concede that a dedicated expert is rarely appropriate for all but the largest brands but as a device for marketing it is unparalleled.

The mane difference between social media and other facetes of marketing is the ease with which you can listen. That’s what makes the difference. The number of companies who are adaptively marketing and responding to issues and criticism is rising quickly due – entirely – to having access to a level of data in a different order to any they have had before.

I know these comments are getting a little stagnent now but I posted a response on my blog, here: http://chrisscott.org/social-m.....dia-expert.

Peter – fantastic piece. Same rules, new tools.

Social media is a pointless and semi-harmful trend that the world will eventually laugh at like leisure suits and 80′s child actors. Listening to manipulative attention whoring douchebags is unwise regardless of how whizzy their delivery mechanism is. Engaging in social media is about as intelligent as publishing your phone number on a get-rich-quick blog and then sitting by your phone waiting for people to call. It’s morbidly stupid. Half of society is entranced with the fact that they have a new tool to get in touch with other people but they have yet to realize that the reason they are not currently in touch with those people is that they are being avoided. But through social media they all now have a forum in which to annoy each other. That will last for a few years till they all simultaneously reach the epiphany of how annoying they are and kill themselves. Oh, and in the meantime, they will have been advertised at by companies hiring “social media experts” to embed themselves and their messages into the various conversations. But as these people will all be dead, the messages will die too and the only thing that will remain is a handful of unemployed social media experts looking for validation that will never come and so they will also kill themselves. I guess what I’m trying to say, people, is grin and bear with it because soon enough all of these useless people and their unimaginably minimal impact on society will pass and they will be gone and the rest of us will look at each other and say: “So, what was that all about?” Then we will go back to whatever we were doing and within a month it will all be forgotten. So be it.

What an excellent commentary… A reminder of how to stay focused on the basic proven methods (and purpose) of marketing along with being aware of the limitations of the newest toys. Impactful writing – thank you!

In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”
— Eric Hoffer

I would rather strive to be an expert learner. :)

Peter, you wrote this like a Social Media Expert. You mentioned four things you need to know to market on social media: transparency, relevance, brevity, and knowing your customer. Many of us make that same mistake of thinking what we know about our field is so obvious, why should we have to explain it… it’s self-evident. But guess what, it isn’t like opening the refrigerator. Sometimes it’s like introducing a refrigerator to someone who’s never seen an electric appliance.

Sure, anyone can SAY they’re a social media ‘guru’. I’m the Queen of England. Then again, I think hiring someone with some background in your industry AND demonstrable social media expertise is the way to go.

It’s refreshing to hear you knock the hot air out of all these endless “paradigm shift” speeches and tweets. I think a lot of us feel at this point that talking about “social media” in quixotic terms is about as exciting as watching paint dry.

So I guess I shouldn’t mention that I think there are soc/med uses beyond marketing…in the realm of emergency management, national protests, art, and music, and a shyteload the 22-year-olds haven’t made up yet.

Excellent rant, by the way. I’d stay away from matches and crowds this weekend, if i were you.

I found this article through social media (a friend posted it on Facebook, and I caught it in my news feed).

If you think of social media in its simplest form (people using Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, etc.), I would agree with you, but that perspective is shortsighted. True, it does not take a great deal of intelligence to operate a Facebook or Twitter account, and yes the qualities you listed in the second half of your article are generally important for most business to succeed. But I consider even this comment box (which is loaded with hundreds of entries) a form of social media. What’s written in these forums is less important than what it represents, which is an interactive community on an international scale.

You say that bad writing is killing America. Writing is not necessarily getting worse, you just see a lot more of it. This website alone consists of dozens of pages of code that somebody wrote so we could toss around speculative nonsense.

Social Media doesn’t make great business, great business make great social media. Every successful (legitimate) business has a website and a social media account (or several).

Does everyone need a social media expert? If you can afford one, yes. If you can handle it yourself, then no. Like every profession, there are good social media experts and there are bad ones. Try to find a good one.

I was just amused at your post’s lack of brevity after touting that quality.

THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANKYOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!

Your Article is on point. So many jerks are running around claiming to be “Social Media Experts” when that is the same as claiming to be an “going to the toilet expert”. Just as social media has become one inevitable aspect of marketing, going to the toilet is just one inevitable part of life. So yes, social media is vital nowadays, but if that’s all you can do professionally you’re worth jeck! If you add some marketing skills to your social media knowledge (and maybe a little more), then we can start talking…

Oooerr, I may have stepped into a hornets nest here judging by all the comments (vacuous and otherwise) but if ever I read an article that shouted ‘social media guru’ this has to be it.

Social Media never has been about the technology, although the media and the hype seem to think that this is all it is. The clue is in the word ‘social’. It’s always been about people – who they are, what they do and why they do it. The technology is simply a mechanism with which you can start a conversation, now that might be a conversation with a lot of people, but it’s still a conversation and all the rules around good conversations apply.

Firstly, you need to listen to what’s being said without thinking about your reply instead (good listening skills), then you need to have an opinion or comment worthy of being included in the conversation at hand (knowledge and expertise) and finally, you need to have a good understanding of your own and other people’s motivations for taking part in the conversation in the first place.

Of course there are many other elements which I have either ignored or glossed over – but I liken those who ‘get it’ to natural networkers, who use the same skills and interests in a room full of people as they do in a LinkedIn group or Twitter conversation. Those that aren’t natural networkers struggle in the online environment of social networks and seem to just make lots of ‘noise’ instead.

When you are comfortable with true networking skills online and if you genuinely love to hear what other people think, then (and only then) you can call yourself a social media expert.

In 2001, if you didn’t have any usable job skills, you called yourself a webmaster.

In 2011, it’s social media expert.

@Charleen – hilarious comment. It is sad but true though- social media experts provide as much value as my pinky toe.

Liz G I couldn’t agree with you more if you can’t fulfill the needs of your clients then you are wasting your time.

Peter,

EVERY wannabe “instant coffee”, something-for-nothing, short-cut taking, fundamentals-ignoring, company executive should be forced to memorize this, have it burned into their forehead, and be forced to face Madison Avenue 3x a day and repeat this while kneeling on broken glass.

I have been in sales and marketing since the late 1960′s; and am more “leading edge” with technology than most and I LIVE in Silicon Valley. I am continually amazed at how many so-called intelligent educated executives repeatedly fall for all the techno-alchemy.

I guess some just never get over their romantic belief that there must be techno-magicians that can spin straw into gold. In earlier times they would be the ones running to the end of the rainbow, kissing frogs, and trying to catch fairies. Truly, the more things change; the more they are the same.

Keep up your good work!

Carl Street

Social media can be useful and productive for online networking, Linkedin being a good example (and Facebook has that potential if it’s properly developed and maintained), but there are a heck of a lot of people spinning their wheels and wasting their time with social media marketing; and, I’m making an educated guess that the ROI on SMM is small to non-existent in the vast majority of cases. I haven’t had any personal experience with so-called experts or gurus, but I’m on leaning toward the skeptical side.

I agree and disagree with the original post. I agree that social media marketing should not be the sole driver of a website or product and pursued in isolation. Rather it should be part of the marketing and SEO mix. If somebody wants to class themselves as a social media marketing guru that’s fine with me, just so long as they don’t portray it as the new kid on the block and that everything taught in the past is history and should be ignored. On the other hand, it appears that social networking is having a major influence on Google rankings post Panda. Just listen to the 1 minute video from Matt Cutts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jYJV9zHy04
I’ve been around the internet and doing SEO since the 90s. Personally, I hate social media but in an endeavour to keep my Google ranking I’m doing all I can to bring myself up to speed with it – without having to hire a guru. And let’s not forget the other new kid on the block who is related to social media and developing at a massive rate – mobile marketing. It may be another shiny thing but we ignore both at our peril…………

Oh, I also have about 20 years experience in both marketing (in many areas and levels) and in resort and other development and operations. Been there, done that (at least to a fairly extensive level), got the tshirt.

So, I agree with Peter Shankman, you need people who’ve rolled their sleeves up and worked to engage with people (customers, partners, stakeholders) and are not just playing with the latest shiny tool.

However, yes, people pay me, and yes they pay me to help them with social media. Guilty.

peter, thanks you for restoring what it should be the simple common sense…

For me, twitter is all about a one-on-one connection with your customers. Hiring someone to do your twitter post for you kinda defeats the purpose. Many, if not most, of the messages directed towards your account will require some know-how in your area of expertise, and followers will want to see messages that fit with who they think they are following. either way, someone else managing your twitter wouldn’t be able to provide that.

I just got here from twitter, and all i can say is, “you spoke my mind”, and someting more : may i translate your article on my french website?

I think we’re in for this discussion about every 10 years. If we turn the clock back, anyone who had access to web development tools could jump into the fray. It took a while before companies and marketers started saying that there’s more to marketing than software or a nifty new interactive channel. Marketing is still marketing; understanding who your customers are, developing insights about their perceptions and developing effective strategies that reach and help activate them to do something that ultimately leads to profit. On the good side, it’s relatively easy to differentiate a strategic approach from another firm that sells clicks and tweets and eyeball counts, but there’s so much noise out there that I’m sure it’s confusing and intimidating for clients.

There IS a social component to social marketing, but simply means that there’s more transparency in measuring how communities and brands interact. You still need to know a thing or two about how to research, plan, execute, measure and optimize to make it a worthwhile investment for any client.

Well said.

By this standard, then, having someone stand on the street and offer a ten percent discount is useless, too. In fact, in many sectors, especially service sectors, people go online to search for their doctor, lawyer, etc. And if you haven’t done your vertical search marketing, you’re not getting called. And guess what, it doesn’t matter if you’re the best doctor in Manhattan, you’re going out of business. Why? Because no one knows your there. In today’s world, build it and they will come no longer works, not just for the web, but also for mortar and pestle businesses sometimes now, too. And you’re also presupposing that all these experts in their field even know the first thing about computers. They may be all the way to the extreme of not knowing how to check their email. So it would be specious reasoning to know that these, say, ancient politicians, are aware they need to have a social presence, and even have the TIME to do these things. Should the person’s sole job be social media marketing? Probably not. Maybe they could help with the web or admin work. But it can be a death knoll to certain businesses to avoid this, and while maybe in 20 years it won’t be a job description, it’s putting your head in the sand to ignore it now.