Social Media Experts

                                     Who are they?

               Do they really exist?

There have been many now that proclaim to be  the so called "Social Media Expert" status.  These people attempt to define their status with amount of followers, training they have conducted, who they know etc.  If it is an Agency, they claim to have worked with name brand clients with "look how many followers" we got them, ran a social media contest that was "Lead Generation" activity, developed Facebook landing page etc.

As Social Media acceptance grows and all businesses realize they need a social media strategy, more so called Social Media Experts, Social Media Gurus and Marketing Agencies that provide social media solutions will be posing as Experts and soliciting their social media solutions.  Be Ware!

 I always pose the example of the Domino's Pizza Facebook account: if given this account to establish it would not be difficult to get over 100,00 followers or even 500k.  For the record, the Domino's Pizza Facebook account has over 1 million followers.

Malcom Gladwell's book Outliers, he introduced research from Dr. K. Anders Ericsson that suggested being great at something takes 10,000 hours of practice.  The study is subjective because depending on the activity pursuit, learning curves and mastery level may take less hours and some individuals master activities faster than others.  So, who has over 10,000 hours practicing social media?  5000?  2500?

Here are 10 questions to ask your social media expert or agency.

Facebook gives MySpace a bandaid

In another  hyped up press conference yesterday (11/18/10), Facebook announced they will be partnering with MySpace allowing users to log into the site with their Facebook login and share content more easily between the two properties.  The partnership called, Mashup with Facebook, further reveals MySpace's strategy to reposition itself as more of a music and entertainment hub than a Social Platform which is Facebook's strategic direction.

The new feature leverages Facebook Connect and builds on an initiative that MySpace unveiled in August called Sync with Facebook that let its users sync status updates with their Facebook profile and share content more easily with Facebook friends. The latest alliance is intended to match users' Facebook profile data and interests with music, movie, TV and celebrity-related content on MySpace. MySpace will let users port their Facebook "Interests and Likes" information into MySpace to create customized content streams on the site. *MediaPost 11/2010 article.

MySpace CEO Mike Jones said the new integration with Facebook rolling out globally today illustrated the company's strategy to be the Web's "leading social entertainment destination."   Facebook  easily surpassed MySpace over two years with current estimates on users at over 500 million with MySpace bleeding users with a highly speculative report of 130 million users.

Is this a case of a brilliant PR move by Facebook allowing for MySpace to have dignity in their eventual death and/or knowing that the MySpace platform will eventually be reduced to what it started out to be, a social platform for bands/artist to market themselves which will be a viable platform for advertising.  Once MySpace becomes stabilized within their strategy of being the Web's "leading social entertainment destination"I believe Facebook will purchase MySpace because why invent the social platform wheel. 

MySpace, owed by News Corp., COO Chase Carey said earlier this month in a conference call with analysts that MySpace's "current losses are not acceptable or sustainable," raising speculation that the media giant could shutter the site. News Corp. acquired MySpace in 2005 for $580 million.  This statement could have very well been strategic positioning to raise awareness for the MySpace possible investors looking to purchase this out-of-control drunk collage kid of social platform that thought it could take over the World.  I believe MySpace, or at least News Corp., has sobered up enough to realize that it is time to make immediate changes in their life and this is one of them.

As a Brand and Marketing Strategist, I rarely hear myself suggest to client to create a MySpace account.  Again, we will have to see how this new Mashup partnership works out and if MySpace is just going to be a joke we tell of Social Platforms past.

QUESTION: Who is your first Point of Contact

Please enter your answer below in the comment section.

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The Top 10 Brands by Likers on Facebook

With 500 million members and counting, Facebook is the most dominant Social Media platform for Business.  With the ability to openly communicate with consumers, Brands are developing interactions like never before seen.  Even though these Brands have large number of participants does not guarantee social media strategy success.  If you do not engage in open conversation and provide engaging interactivity, like a boring TV show, they will tune you out.
 
1. Starbucks – 16 million
2. Coca-Cola – 15 million
3. Oreo – 12 million
4. Skittles – 11.5 million
5. Red Bull – 10.2 million
6. Victoria’s Secret – 8.4 million
7. Disney – 8.3 million
8. Converse All Star – 7.3 million
9. iTunes – 7 million
10. Windows Live Messenger – 6.8 million

The Speed of Business

What has increased the speed of business, the Internet? of course, Social Networks? of course, Global Competition? of course, the Economy? of course, and the list goes on but these are a few key factors that have attributed to the current speed business is moving.

"In this age, the race really is to the swift. You cannot afford to be an hour late or a dollar short," Laura DiDio, principal analyst at ITIC, tells Goldman.

 Will businesses that move slow and steady be left behind by the current business speed?  The opportunity to capitalize an opportunities will go to the one that can not only move quick, but move quickly with precision (or as close to it as possible).  Businesses that have multiple layers of political or bureaucratic approval processes will struggle to act on vast moving surges of businesses opportunities.

Event Tip: First Impressions at an Event

Event Tip:
At your event main reception or check in area, insure that the staff working are thoroughly informed about your event, organization and other pertinent information.  As your first point of contact, first impressions make a lasting impression about your company or organization and event.  

Don't leave your customers alone in Social Media

If you have not admitted yet or will never, it does not matter at this point, Social Media is mainstream and here to stay!  When asked "why social media" you can mention these stats:

• Time spent on social networking sites increased 277% in 2009.
• Web users are 51% more likely to buy from your brand if they follow you on Facebook
• And are 60% more likely to recommend your brand
• Twitter served 10 billion Tweets
• Web users spends 6 hours a month with social media (and growing)
• “If you dislike change, you’re going to dislike irrelevance even more” ( Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki)
• 18% of all new content found online, is found through social media
• 70% of Internet users reported “trusting” consumer opinions posted in social media
• 86% of companies in the largest 100 of the Fortune 500 use social media
• Google cares about your social network

*stats from Social Media Explorer

So, why would you leave your customers alone to talk with your competitors when you should be the one they are talking with, purchasing your goods or services and willing to share with others.  The key to Social Media is to develop an interactive strategy that evokes conversations. You must now think of yourself as a publishing and production company utilizing content and images to convey and converse your brand story.

                                                  "Oh, I just have to post a pic or two"  

         "Whats the big deal, anybody can do that!"  

                           "We get it, just look at the number of our followers"

These are regular comments I receive regarding social media.  Sure, give me the Domino's pizza account, who could not get 100k fans.  But to keep them engaged, willing to share and make purchases is the ultimate test of social media strategy.