I was recently talking to a headhunter who ONLY does Social Media recruiting. It was an interesting conversation to say the least. He was looking for several 20 somethings to fill positions for Social Media managers. As I tried to provide him with some names we ended up chatting about the State of the Social Media market right now and that led to a conversation about Social Media consultants.

Social Media recruiting

His problem, as he explained, was multi-fold. The Gen Y's know how to use Social Media, but tended to lack the depth and breadth of practical business experience, and in the case of B-to-B, the deeper technical/industry experience that the companies really needed to properly 'engage' with customers in the social world. I agreed, and used the example of seeing a Twitter posting about a pretty deep technical product that was "new' to the person writing about the topic but pretty much well known within the vertical market they where targeting. Here's the example I used: "If the BtoB was automotive industry and the Tweet said "Yea, it's pretty amazing, you push this here peddle and it goes faster" You would say "Er, well, ya, that's called a a gas peddle!" It's sounded good but the reality was it's pretty common knowledge. 

The issue, we both agreed, was that the "good' consultants are people that most companies can't afford in-house and THOSE consultants realize that the social space is changing at such a rampant rate that locking themselves into one vertical industry silo would limit them in what they 'saw': e.g. How other verticals might be using a new function or technology that could cross over to a different vertical: B-to-B > B-to-C.

Snake Oil

I'm seeing more and more 'Social Media Experts' come out of the woodwork offering 2 blogs, 1 Facebook posting/week and 8 tweets/m for $300 ~ $400/month or some other low number. Some of these are pretty BIG well known respected brands. Folks, that's no more than a TV, radio or magazine placement and there's no engagement (of relevance) to answer questions, etc. Social Media is NOT an advertising blast. The old adage "You get what you pay for" holds true.

As Social Media Director of the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, I've had several of this 'specialists' contact me. One told me "We have some things you can do to improve Twitter" "Ok, shoot, I'm always ready to learn, everything's happening so fast there could be something I missed. What's you're value prop?" I said."Well, you could use a hashtag" he said. "Hmm, We already use a hashtag. During the event it's posting about ever 20 minutes to half hour in our pre-prgrammed tweets to common questions. We're posting out about every 10 min, 12-15 hours/day for all 10 days of events & we "backfill" to answer questions, post live shots or engage directly in real time." That pretty much ended the conversation. He hadn't even looked at our twitter feed.

Where do Social Media marketers come from?

The people who are filling the new evolving industry void are coming from many different facets of business.  Most all are self-taught and live in the "space" Here's a few who work within specific vertical markets within the industrial sector:

Achinta Mitra - founded Tiecas, Inc. in 1987 because he saw a real need for effective B2B marketing communications exclusively for industrial companies. His engineering background gives him a unique understanding of what manufacturing marketers need. Achinta does a lot of work with manufacturing companies. According to Achinta:

"Many agencies either shy away from technical marketing because of smaller budgets or tend to force-fit consumer marketing tactics that are not as effective with an audience of engineering, technical and industrial professionals. Individuals with a graphic design background tend to run most marketing and advertising agencies. I, on the other hand, have learned the trade by applying sound business management principles to my engineering education and combined it with creative thinking to help my industrial clients boost their sales. That’s the reason I call myself a marketing engineer."

Kerry O'Malley - founded Marketects 12 years ago to bridge the gap between traditional agencies and industrial marketers. Kerry's root's are in the events side of the B-to-B industrial market. Kerry has a pretty deep understanding of the Oil and Gas industry. According to Kerry:

I don't have a list of degrees or wall full of awards; but I have a client base that trusts me to manage their projects flawlessly; appreciates my creativity and willingness to work with impossible budgets and deadlines; and who have seen their businesses positively impacted by my work. I am most recently immersing myself in the world of social media marketing and helping my industrial clients understand how it translates to their businesses and how they can best capitalize on its opportunities.

Evolution

I'm seeing this market segment expand. I'm starting to see manufacturer's agents start to play a role in social media management for their principles and I suspect that that's a more natural place for the industry expertise to flow rather than to a traditional ad agency. The "agents" are already deep into how the company "works" and if they 'get' social media they can be an invaluable resource. If you're on Twitter you'll want to give Corrine Nasso a follow and see the great job she does for @KurtWorkholding

What to look for in a Social Media Consultant

1. Social Media Generalists - All too often you'll find someone who has 40,000+ twitter followers and their LinkedIn profile doesn't even list a Twitter link. Other times you will find companies who have a tremendous number of LIKE's on Facebook but don't even use Twitter. And sometimes, you'll find companies that have a good understanding of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn but don't know much about YouTube. Most times you will find 'experts' who want to spend a lot of time talking about Google and SEO. Look for someone who understands how each of the primary social media platforms may or may not be appropriate for your company and how they can work together. Remember, The YOUR COMPANY is the important part. Just because your competitor is using a specific social media platform that doesn't mean it right for you. 
2. Business Experience - Practical experience & business acumen is learned. A consultant may not know everything about your company but if they can use examples of how similar tactics have been used in other industries that's usually a good indicator that they're already thinking about how to apply some aspects of those tactics to your company.  Social Media is going to be a part of your entire sales and marketing ecosystem. Look for someone who has a good understanding of how your business does business.
3. Selling vs. Marketing - Remember, Social Media oft times bears more resemblance to 'sales' than to 'marketing'. You're there to talk to people not talk at people.  Social Media is a tool. If your employee don't utilize it or understand it you won't have the ROI you could have. Make sure that the consultant you choose understands how your product or service is sold not just found in Google searches. If the Social Media consultant only talks about getting your message out but does't talk about how you respond to questions or comments you may want to move on and talk to someone else.
4. "I don't know" - It's changing. You've been "sold to" before. If someone presents themselves as an "authority" with concrete solutions that could be a problem.  The Social Media landscape is ever changing at this point in time. Anyone who doesn't tell you that they don't know something or "they're watching for changes happening right now" probably isn't the person you're looking for to help your company.
5. "Do YOU use it?" - Ask the person in front of you how they use Social Media for their business. If their response if "Oh, I don't but we have experts at our company that do" Tell them that you want to talk to the "expert" and make sure that your primary point of contact in IS the expert in the future. If the person "selling" you fishing boats has never been on one and you're buying a fleet of boats from them... well, you get the idea.  I recently sat in on a webinar for a rather large company promoting their Social Media program because one of our clients was approached by a salesperson who told them "I don;t use Social Media" immediately followed by "Oh, we know all about Google's search algorithm, they gave it to us" Run Away. Anyone who thinks they know Google's search algorithm would also tell you that they have the recipe for Coca-Cola. 

What's it cost?

Mack Collier recently wrote an article How much does Social Media cost companies in 2011? It's worth checking out to see what consultants charge for Social Media work.  You'll find that the comments are pretty informative as many consultants are really not sure what to charge either. You'll also glean some insights as to how the consulting market for social media is evolving. It's worth the read.

Retained Outsourcing and Fees

As a Social Media agency we do DO outsourced social media, However, we only do it for clients whom we are pretty intimately involved with over a period of time. Typically we charge a project fee based upon an analysis of where the client is currently "at", where their competitors are "at" and then structure a rather complete strategic outline and tactical implementation around that. Before any discussion of outsourcing is talked about we're pretty far into a project.

As with all battle plans, the minute we start the engagement we're adapting to the evolving situation. In those cases where we are outsourced, we're deeply familiar with the company, it's process, it's people, it's product or service, it's goals, etc. We know who does what and who's in charge of every aspect of their business. Typically the retained outsourcing for us is in the SMB market where hiring someone to do it doesn't make sense at $80/yr salary. That's our niche. Other consultants have their own so look for someone whom you can work with in the short term and possibly the longer term to keep you "in the loop" on platform changes and enhancements that you may have missed even after the initial project is complete.

Final Thoughts

Remember, YOU are the head of the Joint Chief's of Staff at your company. Social Media is an ecosystem not a single platform.  Each platform has unique capabilities just like the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. Get a good understanding of how each of them work together before selecting any consultant.

You may also want to check out: What is a Social Media expert? and Mack Colliers viral article "How much does Social Media cost companies in 2011?"

Comments and questions are always welcome and appreciated.

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Snake Oil image from Think Network II