Daniel Prager Social Media Consultant

I’m Danny and I’m A Social Media Consultant (Apologies)

I’m Danny and I’m a social media consultant. Whenever I say these words, online or off, I am faced with skepticism, snickers, and that face that most people make when they try Keystone Light for the first time:

Social media snake oil salesmen, promising huge returns from social media buzz without anything to back it up have given all of us who believe in the power of new, dynamic, and social media bad name.

In last night’s blog chat discussion, led by Beth Harte, an extremely smart business woman who runs the Marketing Profs site, decided to take on the concept of a social media consultant directly. Although I’m not sure exactly what the question had to do with blogging, the chat raised the question:

What is a social media consultant, how should we judge them and how do we decide if they are actually effective?

Plenty of folks echoed Danny Brown’s sentiment that the only way to judge a social media consultant is by tangible results. Others argued that if they don’t increase sales they are not effective. Some even went so far to say that if your title is “social media consultant” you need to train yourself into a new job.

Now, as someone with “Social Media Consultant” on my business card, it was a fascinating discussion to watch from the outside. Generally the #blogchat discussion was spot on, but it missed one crucial point:

A good social media consultant needs to help institute a social business culture.

In order to utilize social media marketing, branding, and public relations effectively you need a social business philosophy. Everyone within the organization or business needs to buy into and understand the power of social tools.

You create this social business culture through an infectious passion for social media campaigns and measurements. Don’t get me wrong, measurable results are important, but they stem from a social business culture that is created by social media consultants, or any employee passionate about social media for that matter, who leads by example.

So beyond asking for tangible results, look for a social media consultant with passion and leadership qualities.

Can you succeed in social media on passion and enthusiasm alone? Would love your thoughts!

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This entry was posted by pragerd on January 12, 2010 at 4:15 am, and is filled under MyThoughts, Posts. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

Tim Jahn

I can see where you're coming from, Danny. It's a tough call with the title. You could use the title "Social Media Consultant" but then risk turning off those who are stung by that title. You could use the title "Communications Consultant" or something similar, but then risk those who are looking for the phrase "social media".

I think the best approach is to do the best work possible and become known for it. Then people will come to you by referral and your title won't matter as much in attracting work.
Danny Prager

Agreed. Nothing speaks to potential clients like results, regardless of title.
owengreaves

Hi,

I can apreciate your perspective on the topic but I'm compelled to respond on your statement of " A Good social media consultant needs to help institute a social business culture". While in part I agree with you, you are putting the cart before the horse with that statement too.

In order to be able to accomplish your desired feat, you have to have credibility, experience and truly understand business before you will ever get the opportunity to create that environment.

Anyone can have an infectious passion but still not know what to do. The business owner doesn't know either, which means less qualified individuals get the job.

Danny Brown is right, you must be able to bring results or proven case studies to the table. By doing so you build credibility and the prospective client will have more peace about the term Social Media Consultant. I'm over simplifying but that's only one thing you should do in order to have the opportunity you speak of.

To answer your question, No! Here is my Blog Post on the #Blogchat you are writing about here:

http://blog.owengreaves.com/the-push-pull-of-social-media

There is room for all of us if we truely want to learn and bring about credibility to what it means to be a Social Media Consultant.
Danny Prager

Hey Owen,

Thanks for the insightful comment. I absolutely agree that you need to bring case studies, proof of results, and experience and business knowledge to the table when meeting with new potential clients.

However, working with clients is a partnership, especially when it comes to social media. You can outsource social media to a point, but when it comes to building true and effective relationships the client is going to have to be involved.

How do you get the client involved in the campaign? Passion and results. While passion can be a cover-up for a lack of business experience, it is also the foundation of any good social media campaign.

Thanks for your comments and sharing your blog post on Journal chat.
Jackie Adkins

I'd agree with Ryan that passion and leadership are important aspects for a social media consultant to have, but not enough to get you very far. These business who are a little skeptical of social media may be swayed slightly by the passion that you can inspire, but what's ultimately going to sell them on the idea are the results you can provide.

I also think a title more on the lines of "Marketing (or PR or Comm) Consultant" may create the perception of more value for potential clients. That way, you're not specializing in the tools, you specialize in the overall strategy and figuring out where those tools fit. That's not to say you can still tout social media as one of your specialties. Just a thought though.

Glad to see you have things up and running!
Danny Prager

Hey Jackie,

Great to see you on here!

Biggest takeaway from you and Ryan is that your title should reflect your specialization in general strategy rather than a specific tool.

But what if your biggest asset is creating, implementing and measuring a social business culture? Is that really just pure marketing, PR or communications? Thanks so much for taking the time to comment.
Jackie Adkins

Heh, didn't read all of Ryan's comment and see that he said almost the same thing (whoops!) Since "social" seems to be the biggest point of emphasis (as opposed to media), so maybe something like Social Business Consultant or Social Strategist Consultant. Either way, I don't think the title is TOO important, as many businesses looking for someone to do what you do hear Social Media Consultant and instantly are interested.
ryanstephens

There's countless kids that try to walk on collegiate teams all over the country that have all the passion and enthusiasm in the world, but if they can't execute a level indicative of a collegiate athlete they don't possess enough value to warrant a roster spot.

Do I think passion and leadership qualities are important skills in an employee toolbox? Yes, but I think a lot of people use passion as a crutch to avoid important objectives, discussions, and like that need to take place.

As for "social media consultant," I haven't had enough discussions to make a fair assessment. My initial reaction is that title seems like it could box someone in if they weren't careful. I think of social media as the tools we use to communicate, collaborate, etc. and thus I lean towards the notion that being a "social business consultant" is naming your title after tools that are constantly changing. I think "Social Business Strategist" or something like that would entail the knowledge of social media tools, the tangible results, and the social business architecture one would certainly attempt to employ.

And perhaps it's just because when I think of half the social business consultants I encounter I genuinely want to gag -- and perception is important. At the end of the day though, who cares what your title is as long as the work gets done and your company is profitable?

I think you bring up some valid points here, and I'm anxious to see them fleshed out further via the comments.
Danny Prager

Hey Ryan!

Thanks so much for the comment. I really appreciate it.

I like the sound of social business strategist, as the title focuses more on results than tools.

Most of the social business consultants I meet and read about also genuinely make me want to gag, on the other hand, some of the smartest business minds today could be considered social business strategists.

How do you make the right name for yourself in an unregulated industry with a funky reputation? That's what I'm grappling with.

Thanks again for the comments.
ryanstephens

I think that's something a lot of people are grappling with, myself included. For example, for some reason Kathleen won't just let me put "Certified Balla" on my business card, yet I think clients would appreciate the all encompassing range of skills that title affords.

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