October 12, 2009 – 11:24 am
Those of you who follow my twitter, etc know that I’m always making fun of “social media experts.” Actually, that’s not really true….I make fun of the companies that hire them blindly.
So, I wanted to chat with a social media expert who actually knows what the hell he’s talking about and get his take on a few things. Naturally, I turned to the one guy in the industry that is actually obsessed with his clients success, Jason Falls, who owns and operates the consultancy Social Media Explorer….
Here’s how it went down:
Andy: I disagree with the term “media” in social media. To me, it’s communications. Explain.
Jason: It’s all a matter of semantics. Any communications takes place over a medium, so both are accurate. I think it’s helpful to think of social media as an adjective, not a noun. There’s social media communications, social media strategies, social media marketing, social media programs and so on. But social media only describes what follows, indicating it uses connections between people on- or off-line.
Andy: Let’s say I’m interested in implementing a “social communications” (can’t resist) strategy….should I try it on my own first? If so…what resources do you recommend?
If you’re knowledgeable of how the social web works, that each community has its own rules and norms you need to abide by and so on, plus you can think of social media programs online as strategic executions to help you reach a goal or accomplish objectives, I don’t see any reason why you can’t dive in yourself. Most people who aren’t experienced in the social web (and many who are) have a hard time thinking about social media in such specific, goal and objective-oriented approaches, though. Plus, if you’re a business owner you have a business to run. Social media programs and strategies are just a small part of your overall effort. Building relationships with people (social media activity) takes time and attention. If you have that to invest, go for it. Most business owners don’t and thus need folks like me to help guide or counsel them.
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Telling you where to start is really largely dependent upon what you want to do. Listening is the default first answer before you ever participate in social media — you have to know what people are saying before you dive into a conversation with them. But it might be smarter to step back even before then and determine what your goal or goals for participating in social media will be. That will dictate where and how you start.
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Andy: How in the hell do I know if the “social media” consultant that is pitching me is really good or a real flake?
I would ask them for two things, knowing they may only be able to provide one. The first would be to show me examples of social media programs they’ve developed that have a strategic purpose, measurable goals and measured outcomes. If they don’t have that (meaning they have little qualified experience), ask them to explain how they would attack developing such a program.
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While the lack of experience is a concern, if they can illustrate an understanding that goals and objectives are only realized through strategic thinking and purposed tactical actions, you have probably stumbled upon a future stud. I don’t want to discount the chance of finding those because there simply aren’t a lot of people out there right now who can successfully answer the first challenge.
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Andy: What do you suggest that clients use to measure effectiveness? Is there a direct tie-in to the bottom line?
Measuring always goes back to your goal or goals. If you want to sell more stuff, you develop programs that drive people to sell more stuff. Dell Outlet wanted to get rid of overstock and other returned merchandise. They started a Twitter account specifically purposed to let people know when they had dirt-cheap rates on good products on the fly. They’ve sold $3 million worth of merchandise there now. But social media marketing is much better at some softer goals that drive brand growth and marketshare but don’t have a solid black line that can connect to profits. Building relationships with people strengthens your customer service areas, builds a community of enthusiasts ready to share your brand or brand’s news with others, etc. Can Harley Davidson tell you how much merchandise or motorcycles they’ve sold as a direct result of the Harley Owners Group (HOGs)? Not much more precisely than you can measure market impact because you have a Facebook fan base. (HOG owners might buy merchandise from the website. They might buy it in a store in Montana with cash and isn’t traced.) Has it anchored the brand’s growth and market domination over the last 10-15 years, damn right it has!
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Andy Swan: Do you like bourbon? If so, what is your favorite bourbon? If not….you’re fucking fired.
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I do like bourbon and drank it long before I ever started working with bourbon brands. My entry to the category was Elijah Craig 12 year, which is my dad’s bourbon. My favorite is Elijah Craig 18 year. But I have been and always will be a Maker’s Mark drinker.
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Andy: A very safe answer, indeed. OK….well my conclusion from this interview is that you get the companies that actually want to achieve something in social media.…I get the ones that want to tel their CEO that they’re on twitter and facebook ($4500 special today only!!!).
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Thanks Jason.
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Find out more about what Jason can do for your company, or just follow his quality insight until you can’t stand it anymore and must follow him…
here.
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Win.