Can we put down the pitchforks?
For most of the past year, there’s been a barrage of blog posts bemoaning the social media gold rush, and the number of self-proclaimed experts that seem to propagate like pink eye in a kindergarten class.
In fact, there was much hand-wringing a couple weeks ago when Mashable breathlessly announced that there were 15,000+ people on Twitter that professed to be some sort of social media consultant in their bio.
“They don’t know what they are doing. They are just selling snake oil!” is the typical complaint. To which I say, so what?
I believe I can help companies and agencies with social media, and it’s of course gratifying that other people seem to think I know what I’m doing enough to hire me, book me to speak and so forth.
But, who am I, who are you, or who is anybody to paint someone else with the “snake oil salesman” brush? Just because someone takes a more tactical approach to social media, just because they don’t measure ROI the way you do, just because they focus on small business and you don’t, does not mean they are charlatans.
Suckiness Doesn’t Equal Robbery
Even if they aren’t particularly good at social media, it doesn’t give you the right to call them a phony or an opportunist. I’ve hired plenty of crappy accountants, lawyers, landscapers, roofers, etc. but I certainly don’t consider them to be snake oil salesmen, just less good at their profession than I would have preferred.
Let’s remember that the commercial Web is really only 15 years old. Best practices on components as old school as Web sites, email and SEO aren’t fully established, much less social media.
And that’s the issue I have with this debate. Do I think companies should have a comprehensive social media strategy that’s multi-faceted and thoughtful? Of course. But, not every company is ready for that. So if there are consultants out there that want to help companies do just one part of social media – like set up and manage a Twitter account – is that snake oil or is that an appropriately striated marketplace?
And this notion that you can’t be good at social media unless you’ve been doing it for years is utter crap. Talent and ability does not have a born on or expiration date, and to bray that your wisdom automatically sets you apart sounds like French nobility when the guillotine is being sharpened. `
Different Isn’t Inherently Wrong
Will some companies have poor experiences with social media consultants that are inexperienced or purely tactical in their thinking? Of course. The same way people have poor experiences with Web designers, chiropractors, and chimney sweeps. But that doesn’t mean the client got robbed, it just means they’ll come to better understand the difference between okay and excellent. McDonald’s doesn’t make the best burger. SuperCuts doesn’t provide the best coiffe.
When I owned a Web design and online marketing agency, the vast majority of our work came from companies that had a less than ideal relationship with a prior vendor. The result wasn’t that they abandoned the medium, the result was that they made a more thoughtful choice of partner the next time.
And that’s what will happen here. People that aren’t very good at social media consulting won’t be successful, and that will generate more (not less) business for those who are effective providers of social media ideas and counsel.
Cream always rises. Until it does, my advice is to play your own game and quit worrying about the presumed inadequacies of others trying to make a living in social media. There’s plenty of cookies in the jar.
Remember that in social media, everyone’s a teacher and everyone’s a student.
(photo by Robert Couse-Baker)
I think to a lot of the laypeople don’t understand how much goes into a social media strategy. The hours of planning out blog posts and seeding various networks with messages etc.
I am sure there are some people taking advantage of a “Social Media Rush” by proclaiming themselves as experts but they will be left to the wayside when they don’t show results.
.-= Greg Taylor´s last blog ..Three Reasons To Use A Tripod =-.
Thanks Greg. I agree a shakeout is in order eventually. Thanks for the comment.
Can we get an amen!
Hey Jay – Great blog and I couldn’t agree more.
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RT @jaybaer: Attacking the social media lynch mob. [link to post]
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RT @jaybaer Attacking the social media lynch mob. [link to post]
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Fantastic perspective on the abundance of social media gurus! Attacking the social media lynch mob. [link to post] (RT @jaybaer)
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Thanks, good piece. RT @EdithO: RT @jaybaer: Attacking the social media lynch mob. [link to post] http://myloc.me/30nrY
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It’s usually those who’ve been in business the least amount of time who cry snake oil salesman the most. Those who’ve been around for a while or even just good at what we do, know our reputation speaks for itself. The onus is on the one doing the hiring. Do your research people!
.-= Traci Browne´s last blog ..Because I said so just isn’t going to cut it. =-.
I agree that there seems to be some relationship between sensitivity to this issue, and time in business for yourself. Good observation. Thanks for the comment.
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Insightful + classic line: experts propagate like pink eye in kindergarten @jaybaer Attacking the socmed lynch mob [link to post]
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“hours of planning out blog posts”
Oh please. It’s not rocket surgery. It’s a blog post.
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RT @chrisbrogan: RT @jaybaer Attacking the social media lynch mob. [link to post]
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Interesting perspective cuz I’m usually at the front of the line making fun of ‘consultants’. But for sure there are a disproportionate number of self-proclaimed experts in the social front when compared with other professions that require at least some semblance of education, etc.
The education part is key, and I know a lot of folks are clamoring for some sort of social media certification program everyone can agree to. We’ll see if it gets off the ground. It would help.
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RT @jaybaer Attacking the Social Media Lynch Mob | | Social Media Consulting – Convince & Convert [link to post]
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Go Jay. RT @chrisbrogan: RT @jaybaer Attacking the social media lynch mob. [link to post]
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Attacking the Social Media Lynch Mob [link to post]
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I’m not a fan of the lynch mob either, but no.
Suckiness IS robbery when it’s both lazy and purposeful. Companies are getting taken for thousands of dollars (in some case much more) by people PRETENDING to know what they are talking about and delivering absolutely nothing tangible in return.
The difference between someone who doesn’t realize they’re in over their heads and someone who knows but doesn’t care is huge. Huge. There ARE snake oil salesmen in the SM space, and they outnumber us.
Consider that I routinely get DMs and emails from people who have LIED to land social media director jobs and now find themselves incapable of performing the most simple tasks. Rather than to admit to their bosses that they don’t know what they’re doing, they turn to me (and I am sure others) for the cheat sheet. For the bailout. Thanks, but no thanks.
That, Jay, is unacceptable. That kind of “say anything to get the job or the client” mentality is what’s turning this space into a free-for-all of BS. Purposeful BS. Unethical BS.
Since you bring up ROI, what is also unacceptable are people claiming to have invented the ultimate social media ROI calculator – a product they can sell – to unsuspecting clients. The ROI question is not open to debate. ROI isn’t subjective. There aren’t 50 different truths when it comes to a basic media-agnostic business metric every business school student learns in about 5 minutes.
If my kids can grasp the concept in less than 5 minutes, why is it that the majority of “social media consultants” haven’t bothered to crack Google to refresh their memory? Why does everyone have to reinvent something that doesn’t need to be reinvented?
More to the point, why is everyone trying to be the Seth Godin of Social Media? It’s completely ridiculous. Give the naysayers more credit: What they’re reacting to is simple – Their collective BS meter doesn’t have to be super sensitive to smell the giant pile of crap being laid at their feet in this space by people who pretend to be social media experts.
I completely agree with you when it comes to the negativity surrounding Social Media and expertise within it. Naysayers aren’t my favorite people either, but they have a point: The army of hacks populating – no polluting – the space with their brand of opportunistic, predatory BS isn’t helping legitimize it. And they ARE ripping companies off. Small ones and very large ones. Not accidentally, mind you. By choice.
Fact: Someone who doesn’t understand ROI shouldn’t be teaching it.
Fact: Someone who doesn’t understand how to integrate social media into an enterprise space company shouldn’t be offering that service.
If you’re a newbie social media consultant (ignore the absurdity of the concept of you can), then focus on small clients or entry level Social Media services. There’s no shame in that. If you’re good at getting companies started in the Space, that’s terrific. Stick to that for a while. DON’T start selling services based on “expertise” you don’t have.
In this space (as in many others), smart, clever and innovative can trump experience. I agree with that point also. But it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out how to do this – and many of the hacks trying to carve themselves a piece of the golden goose are in this for a quick payday and a boost to the old “personal brand,” with unsuspecting companies left holding the bag. Not cool.
In the end, I am not worried about “competition” from hack jobs, but a) this isn’t the kind of environment I want to be operating in, and b) the fact that companies are more likely to get ripped off than served properly by a competent SM consultant doesn’t exactly make me or my peers jump up with joy. We have a big problem on our hands. Brushing it aside isn’t really helping anyone.
More than anything, I’m not really disagreeing with the content of your post – it’s the headers that I mostly disagree with.
My two cents.
.-= olivier blanchard´s last blog ..Bringing operational wisdom to Enterprise 2.0. Maybe. =-.
I think we largely agree, and I really appreciate the time you put into your comment.
Clearly, if someone is lying about their abilities, and purposefully misleading people with an intent to harm, that is not just bad business, it’s illegal. It’s fraud.
But, I’d say I’m exposed to as many social media types as most people, and I believe the vast majority are not purposefully lazy or purposefully misleading. They are businesspeople that are feeling their way in a nascent industry, and are mostly guilty of learning on the job.
I had a guy just last week that I hired because he said he could install a new oven. Uhh, no he could not. So, that was a disappointment, and a problem for me. But, I don’t feel the guy is a crook. I feel he was being overly optimistic about his skill set, and figured he could sort it out in real-time, on my dime.
Maybe I’ve been a consultant way too long, but I just see that as the way it works oftentimes. How do you ever become “qualified” to do enterprise social media consulting if every single person refuses to let them try if they haven’t done it previously?
What we end up with then is the ultimate chicken and the egg situation. If you’ve done it before, you can do it again. If you haven’t done it before, you’re not allowed to learn it.
The one area where I do think you’ve got a right to be pissed off is with regard to ROI because there you’re talking about math, which is pretty tough to refute. ROI is Return on Investment. You figure out the return. You figure out the investment. You divide. End of debate.
But overall, I’m just not as troubled by the b.s. as most people. Maybe because I’ve lived through all of this so many times in the past, in other digital marketing epochs. I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt. And the more everyone else stinks, the sweeter I smell (I hope).
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Well said! RT @jaybaer: Attacking the social media lynch mob. [link to post]
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Attacking the social media lynch mob. [link to post] – RT @chrisbrogan: RT @jaybaer
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RT @EssenteeWeb Attacking the Social Media Lynch Mob [link to post] Nice.
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RT @jaybaer Attacking the social media lynch mob [link to post] Never tick off a guy whose feed count almost = a zip code. Just sayin’
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The cream always rises… RT @chrisbrogan: RT @jaybaer Attacking the social media lynch mob. [link to post] #hcsm
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I agree with Olivier’s comments here… RT@jaybaer Attacking the social media lynch mob. [link to post]
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Attacking the Social Media Lynch Mob [link to post] Nice.
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RT @chrisbrogan @jaybaer Attacking the Social Media Lynch Mob | Suckiness Doesn’t Equal Robbery [link to post]
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RT @maczter: Attacking the social media lynch mob. [link to post] /via @jaybaer
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Love it @jaybaer “in social media, everyone’s a teacher and everyone’s a student” [link to post]
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Love your comparison to plumbers, roofers, etc. because it really is all the same. There are people who do social media well and there are those that don’t. Those that do their job well – according to their clients / employers and not some outside source – will rise to the top. Those that don’t, will eventually fail and move on. It’s kind of like 15 years ago when everyone seemed to want to be a “web designer”, the successful ones survived and the others moved on to a different job.
.-= Sue Anne Reed´s last blog ..Sue_Anne: @SaraBAllen I’m not willing to pay a similar price for content that I’m probably only going to read once. =-.
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RT @manishc: In defense of the “Snake Oil” SEO ( [link to post] )
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Great article and advice, I think a lot of that snake oil comes from the people who selling things companies don’t need and pushing strategies on the people they are totally wrong for. Really these people sound like snake oil salesman. I’ve recently meet some people like that, offering their advice, which was totally wrong for what the person needed.
But the truth is, it’s like you say, the cream rises. They suck, and their are lots of sucky companies out there. If you’re better, prove it and people will come to you.
When I saw all the companies making money that I thought sucked, it gave me the motivation to start working, because I knew I could do it better. And that’s how great companies are born.
If you can do it better, than go beat them!
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Attacking the social media lynch mob. [link to post] (via @jaybaer)
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Jay, another excellent post that captures the chaotic state that defines much of the nascent social media “industry.”
Although I have no doubt that there are many self-proclaimed social media experts that don’t deserve the appellation, I think it’s incumbent upon the companies that hire them to perform a minimal amount of due diligence before engaging a poseur. How hard is it to type “how to select a social media consultant” into Google?
That said, I believe that many of the social media consultants are simply applying their skills and backgrounds in branding, marketing and communications to a new medium – and appropriately so. The fundamentals of understanding the company, identifying its customers, creating a compelling message, generating memorable content and picking the appropriate channels are aren’t any different whether you identify yourself as a marketing consultant or social media guru. As long as you can deliver the goods.
It’s unlikely that there’a any consultant who excels at every aspect of social media. Some will excel at strategy, while others shine with integration, implementation, content creation or tracking and measurement. Some will demonstrate expertise with small businesses while others will parlay their corporate backgrounds into enterprise engagements. And all are welcome to pursue their passion and their livelihood without being labeled snake-oil salesmen.
As with a roofing contractor or a website developer, the same rule applies to every business considering hiring a social media guide: caveat emptor.
.-= John Heaney´s last blog ..Social Media Blowback =-.
Hi John. Thanks for the superlative comment. You hit on a critical point, which is that there really is no such thing as “social media” at this point. It’s tentacles are too many, and its reach too broad to be able to credibly claim you have a handle on the entire scope and scale. I do nothing but study social media every day, and there’s pieces of it I just don’t understand as well as other components. Same is true for everyone. I think we are close to seeing a much-needed new granularity, where people talk about their expertise in content creation, influence outreach, social CRM, Facebook management, or other, specific elements – not “social media.” That will help separate the wheat from the men, and will give prospective clients an easier road for pre-determining expertise.
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Great post RT @lebrun RT @AmberCadabra Go, @jaybaer, go. [link to post]
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In defense of the “Snake Oil” SEO ( [link to post] )
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Attacking the social media lynch mob. [link to post] /via @jaybaer
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RT @jaybaer Attacking the Social Media Lynch Mob [link to post]
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RT @CatherinVentura: RT @jaybaer Attacking the Social Media Lynch Mob [link to post]
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Great post by one of my favs, @jaybaer RT @amanda_pants: Attacking the social media lynch mob. [link to post] (via @jaybaer)
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The guy has a point…[link to post]
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From @jaybaer: Attacking the social media lynch mob [link to post]
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Nice read RT @CubanaLAF: From @jaybaer: Attacking the social media lynch mob [link to post]
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Can we put down the pitchforks? Oh yes! RT @CubanaLAF: From @jaybaer: Attacking the social media lynch mob [link to post]
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RT @dmullen: Attacking the social media lynch mob, from @jaybaer. [link to post]
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RT @vargasl: Can we put down the pitchforks? Oh yes! RT @CubanaLAF: From @jaybaer: Attacking the social media lynch mob [link to post]
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Attacking the social media lynch mob, from @jaybaer. [link to post]
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Word. to. your. mother.
Thanks for a lovely, rational response to the panicky, elitist, alarmist, and just plain silly tone that’s permeated the bubble of late.
Ahhhh… a nice breath of fresh air. Does the body good.
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CubanaLAF: From @jaybaer: Attacking the social media lynch mob [link to post] http://ow.ly/16n60J
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Jay,
Excellent post, very well said. Incompetence is distinct from fraud, and both exist to too high a degree in every industry. It is up to the consumer, whether a business or individual, to perform the due diligence before they hire someone.
-Ted Cook
.-= Ted Cook´s last blog ..Transforming Performance Reviews =-.
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RT @lancegodard: Reading @jaybaer’s “Attacking the Social Media Lynch Mob” [link to post]. Useful perspective for the ongoing debate.
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Didn’t catch this post until now. Attacking the SM lynch mob [link to post]. Kudos to @jaybaer for having the balls to write it.
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Reading @jaybaer’s “Attacking the Social Media Lynch Mob” [link to post]. Useful perspective for the ongoing debate
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