If I was "Tessie" in Annie, the broadway musical, right now my line would be, "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness." Yep, hope you read that with feeling. Because aside from expressing any vulgarities in this blog post, that's the most passionate way I can communicate that there are a host of social media "blow hards" out there, and I hope you're not one of them.
What's a social media blow hard? You get the tools. You're an expert on everything and anything Facebook, Twitter (and all related tools), FriendFeed, yada yada. But, what you don't get is that without a background in marketing and/or public relations, there's no sustainable program for you, your client or your company. It's all about the tool.
And, it's really not all about the tool I'm going to say that again. It's not about the tool. It's what you do with it, and why. And, in some cases, hopefully more than I can count on my fingers and toes, a good number of you are working with clients or within your company to find ways to innovate beyond the limits of the current social media tools.
SO, there you have it, I said it. Don't be a social media blow hard. Though, I think it's best if I spell it out for you in more ways than one. Here's some tips to avoid being the blow hard in your agency or company. And, you can say I said so...
1) You're the tree, now branch out - You've had a few, five or fifteen years in marketing and PR and don't know what to do next. All of your new hires come with chips inserted into their brains and just get this social media stuff. You think you're obsolete, but your so absolutely unique because so few of you actually get the big picture and can apply that knowledge to executing with social media tools. You just need to branch out. Take a risk. Take what you've learned over the years in marketing and PR and apply it to social media to create sustainable word of mouth campaigns.
2) Get out more often - I know you're bedtime has become earlier as you've aged, but get over it, and get out, go to a select number of social media events, and listen and learn from those who have new ideas and books to share. Don't be afraid to admit (to yourself) that you don't know what the heck that new social media tool is, and take the time to put it all together as it may apply to driving revenue for your clients and increasing the number of personal relationships and brand awareness for your clients (or your company).
3) Get your hands dirty - Don't pass off any social media development to junior staff. Do it with them, and do it yourself. Don't get me wrong. I don't think you should marry yourself to the tactics of the medium, but don't divorce yourself from being that close to it either. You need to be as much in the weeds as everyone else in your organization, and hope that in 6-12 months you put yourself out of a job because you're onto the next great marketing discovery.
4) Oooh, you're strategic - Do the right thing and follow the right people and READ Forrester's book Groundswell and Adam Metz's book There is No Secret Sauce, among many others (which I'm not given' up on this blog post). You have to learn from the best to stay competitive and understand the breadth of what you can do with social media and how best to do it.
And, lastly, if you're a social media blow hard, admit it. There are those of you that excel at focusing on the technology and developing it. If that's what you do, God bless, we need you too. Just don't try to oversell yourself on strategizing and executing on everything and their mother. Sell yourself as part of a larger team, give your clients options and help them map out a plan. Play to your strengths and let others play with you, and focus on building the brand awareness and revenue of your clients or your company!
