Why I Hate Social Media Consultants
By Troy on Nov 29, 2009 in Featured, Social Media
Read my blog long enough, and you are about to find me ranting and raving over the so called “Social Media Consultants” or “Social Media Gurus.” And it is odd for me to take such a hard stance since I am entrenched with many of these “consultants” and consider most of them friends (or is it Friends) and interact with them at meetups, tweetups, and other gatherings.
So why the hostility? Simple.
Social Media is not an add-on.
The tools that have come to be known as “social media” are exactly that, tools. They are akin to what Photoshop is to graphic design. They are a tool that makes some things simpler, while traditional methods still work and should be embraced.
Too often these little “social media consultants” pop up when they are fired, laid off, or decide they want to “try something new.” They think, “Hey, I know Facebook, I’m on Twitter, I think I’ll start a business setting up other businesses on social networks. I’ll make a killing!”
And, like unreputable car repair places, they oftentimes do.
But at what cost? Cost is plenty to the would-be customer. Word of advice, if you are looking for someone to help with your social media efforts and the first thing your “consultant” says is “get a Twitter and Facebook account and become engaged in your community!” – run away. Fast.
Social media is something that needs to be integrated into your business fully, not added on after the fact. If you have a Twitter account but aren’t going to use it, why set it up. Smart business consultants who have been in the space long before the social media fad know that you have to present an overall cohesive brand to your target audience, not just shout at them through Twitter.
A social media strategy is so much more than setting up Twitter, Facebook and organizing a Tweetup in your local community. C’mon social media “consultants” – don’t you get it?
Most “consultants” don’t even have a plan to measure ROI. They say “results can vary and there are no guarantees, but pay me money and I will promote your Facebook fan page and say how much I love your cheap product.” Now that’s a great strategy. But people DO pay it. It’s unbelievable. But the companies that will be here in 4-5 years are those that actually know the business of branding, and know how to market a company far beyond so-called social media avenues.
Where I work, we offer a complete package of web design, with SEO and incorporating social media elements where needed. It’s a process of meeting with clients, finding out their needs, and then using what their needs and goals are to create an overall experience for them and the end user that visits their online presence. If you try to simply throw a Facebook profile on something and call that social media consulting, that is what is called an “epic fail.”
So to my friends in the Des Moines community who continue to call themselves “social media consultants” – I challenge you to examine why you are in the “space” and if you really are qualified to help a business succeed through these channels. I am not doubting that the inexperienced business owner is ripe for the picking for you, but sooner or later the bubble is going to burst, and traditional branding experts are going to survive, not the “social media experts.”
What do you think? Am I way off base? Right on? Somewhere in-between? If you are a “social media consultant” what it is you actually DO, and how do you measure ROI and success on a creative?
Of course, it should be said I don’t “hate” the people, mainly the title. Many good friends continue to embark on their status as a social media consultant, and while I personally think their practices and beliefs are severely misguided, they are still friends. Or used to be before this blog post. -TR
Hey Troy
You expressed your disdain for Social Media Consultants before (http://www.troyrutter.com/2009/09/11/everybody-is-a-social-media-expert.html) and I responded to that post but I don’t see any responses.
I made a post on my own blog that explains in more detail my take: http://www.rpoconsulting.com/2009/09/i-am-a-social-media-expert/
In a nut shell, I feel that many folks who express the view that businesses need to use a branding agency/expert OR ELSE!! are killing the DIY spirit of new media. Like most B2B services, a happy continuum exists (sorta like the difference between a carry out pizza place and a full-on Italian Restaurant): from consultants who can provide a little social media help/guidance all the way up to an agency who can “offer a complete package of web design, with SEO and incorporating social media elements where needed”.
I guess I would answer your challenge that I “examine why you are in the “space” and if you really are qualified to help a business succeed through these channels” by challenging you to answer my original question from your last post on this subject: “Do I deserve a spot on your approved consultant list?”
Hi Ben,
Funny you should ask! Im planning a post about branding/marketing/social media people I trust in an upcoming blog post!
I see what you are saying, and in effect I think I’m saying almost the same thing. I’m not necessarily saying social media skills should be elevated to those of lawyers, etc. I think I am saying the reverse, that setting up a Twitter, Facebook, etc presence is not such a specialized skill it should be highly regarded in and of itself.
Your post about snake oil salesman is dead on – and I hesitated to use it in my psot, but it is a good analogy as well.
Another thing that gets me is the so -called “social media consultants” going here, there everywhere giving speeches on things like “What social media can do for you!” It can grow hair! I tcan bring visitors! Put up a fan page and connect with your target market! They will come rolling in!
Baloney.
These people need to spend less time making speeches to wannabe college students and clueless entrepreneurs and more time with some introspection on what exactly they are doing.
What’s worse are those who sell social media solutions to businesses who won’t use it. I once had a web site client who didn’t even have a computer, much less the Internet. You can imagine how that went. If a business is not going to use Facebook, Twitter, etc themselves to reach out “themselves” – aka DIY, then they have no business being in the space. A social media consultant or agency simply cannot take over their Tweets and Facebook page and hope to do the company justice.
Besides, they are too busy making speeches.
Interesting article, Mike!
Social media feels like the Wild West right now and I sort of like it that way. But along with all the great tools that I’m finding to help promote my blog, I have to wade through mountains of snake oil. But I sort of agree with Ben with the DIY aspect of doing social media being ultimately a good thing.
I did have a chuckle because some of the phrases that one hears about social media marketing is starting to sound almost cliched to me. Like “using social media to create conversations with your customers”. It still feels like the big corporations that market to me (“Mommy Blogger” by their estimation) aren’t really engaged in conversation. They’re just trying to sell me more stuff. The redefinition of that relationship seems like a larger issue than even capabilities for accurately measuring stuff like ROI. Is it being dealt with by agencies? I’m just curious!
What pops up in my mind is that social media consultants should help clients redefine their entire idea of how their brand is created and communicated. I think because of outlets like Twitter and Facebook, when people other than the brand are talking about the brand, the entire message of that brand becomes decentralized. And what happens then?
Anyway that’s my take from the blogosphere. I have no marketing experience. I do it myself because I have no budget and because I enjoy it. Keep that in mind if my take is totally off base! But that’s how I see it lately.
Hey Troy,
I agree and disagree with you on this post. More than anything I have a couple questions related to this post. Are you talking about a specific person and or agency? It seems very personal. I’m just curious.
Another point I wanted to ask about, not to create a fight, but to create dialog. In this post you mentioned that Captain Jack offered Social Media. How do they monitor ROI? Other than that, why is a web development and communication such as Captain Jack offering Social Media? Who is your point man or women on the subject and topics of Social Media? Do any of the employees there have the time to development these campaigns, plans and educate the clients? Has Captain Jack just recently added Social Media as one of the services it offers?
I think we would both agree that with Social Media, it’s silly to say anyone is an “expert”. The technologies change so much, so often, you really have to stay on top of things. I can understand your thoughts there.
I would consider myself someone who has a great understanding of Social Media from a business, brand and personal sense. I’ve read countless books on the subject, read article after article and worked on several Social Media plans and campaigns for organizations and businesses in Iowa. I have also spoke several times at DMACC in Ankeny. You said in your article that speaking at a college has no value. I don’t see that. I feel that students need to understand that there are reactions to the actions of what they say and do online. The job market is hard right now. They don’t want to create a bad brand around themselves with no way to repair it. They understand Facebook is a place where friends go to talk, hang out, post photos, etc. but some, not all, don’t understand the lasting impact of it. Why not educate them? Why not give back and try to lead by example?
I would never talk with a business I didn’t think would utilize Social Media if it was not worth their time and if I felt they would not continue with it. I know I don’t know everything, but I know a lot. I believe in Social Media and that it is a way of doing business, present and future. The technologies, ideas and concepts will change, but the overall message will not. It’s about the relationship.
I look forward to reading your blog on who you know and trust of Social Media Consultants. I hope to see my name on that list. If not, I would love to know what I can do to gain your approval to be on such a list.
Great blog post, it got my wheels turning and made me want to leave a comment. Happy Tuesday.
Dallas J. Moore
Great thoughts, Dallas –
I intend to answer fully, give me a little time.
I should point out again, that my disdain is more for the self-proclaimed “title” the so called “expert/guru” gives themselves than anything.
Second, the major frustration is the fact anybody who can set up a Twitter account thinks they are a “social media expert” the same way anybody who owns Microsoft Frontpage thinks they are a web designer/developer.
Third, is the matter of DOING instead of theorizing. If I were a business and hired a “so-called consultant” I would want them working for me, not giving speeches here, there and everywhere.
And finally, a “marketing” consultant of any kind works for the company, and should put all of their efforts into furthering their clients brand, not themselves. I have seen some press releases where the “social media consultant” agency profile in a press release is almost as long as the press release itself.
I would say my main complaint lies within #2, and has been a pet peeve of mine as a web designer for many years. I have heard too many people get laid off from completely unrelated jobs such as health care, retail sales, etc. and suddenly say “I think I’ll be a web designer.” just like that. On a dime. The same is happening with social media “consultants/gurus” and it sickens me.
More later, thanks for the conversation.
Troy,
Thanks for the reply. I understand I had a lot of questions. I can wait for more info.
The last piece of your response fits me to a tee. I was in sales, selling Biodiesel for a very large company. I got laid off and about 8 months before that discovered Social Media or more what people now are calling Social Media. It became a huge passion and love for me. I got laid off and decided I wanted to try and mix my love, passion, background and understanding of business, marketing and Social Media to venture out on my own.
I’m 25 and not in the mood or point in my life where I’m ready to roll over and die for a dead end job. I don’t have a “family”, but I do have a wife who wants to be in school full time next Fall and work part time. The only way we are going to be able to make that work is if I write my own rules.
Social Media has easily saved my soul and given me hope that there is something better out there for jobs and careers. I got laid off and was looking for a change and challenge. I have it. I’m happy about it. I never had the thought, “Oh, I got laid off. Well I’ll become a Social Media Consultant”. I was consulting on the side of my full time job since I was 19. Working with bands, artists with marketing, promotion, management and booking. I utilized the internet then to help build their brands and even more as the websites and technologies became available. I’m not in the business to screw people out of money or make myself look big and better. I’m in business to help people, to build relationships, to watch something I help plant grow and to make enough money to get by in life. I don’t care if I ever retire. I have passion and drive. That has to count for something.
I do see where you are coming from and can respect it. I hope you can see where I’m coming from and that there is an understanding between someone who thinks they understand Social Media and someone who really does. I think there is a very fine line. Setting up a Facebook and Twitter account is the least of my worries when helping a potential client with Social Media.
Dallas J. Moore
Admittedly, my entire post, and frustration at that, is an entirely exaggerated and generalized view of “social media consultants.” I obviously do not hate you, Dallas, in fact I don’t really “hate” anybody here in the DM area, as I have yet to see anybody ripping people off yet in our fine city.
Here is a real situation I HAVE seen. We had a SEO client. Now keep in mind the company I work for excels in SEO. We even publish our SEO rankings on our front page to SHOW it. Well, it wasn’t good enough for one client, so they responded to a SEO ad they got in a spam email (go figure) to the tune of $5,000 a month they were paying this company. This other company’s big SEO suggestion? Put in the Google Analytics code and submit to google sitemaps (which we already had done)
And I bet they weren’t the only ones paying for the “service.”
There’s a lot of scammers out there, and I would rather recommend an established marketing/branding company that has incorporated social media into their strategies, than hire just a “social media consultant.” This flies in the face of everything we are taught (ie: go to a general practioner instead of a specialist) but a social media strategy is so much more than “just” online social media…
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