(or a Chupacabra, your choice)

How to spot a REALSocial Media Guru

Courtesy of SocialMediopolis.com

A legendary beast that roams the Southwest and Mexico. Supposedly a descendant of wolves, or wild pigs, or feral dogs, they are wily, opportunistic canines who scavenge for any food they can get.

Hence, the comparison to many modern ‘social media gurus’.

OK, what the heck is a Chupacabra?

Unheard of company or product, few fans, no interactivity, outdated with no clear goal or objective.

Here’s an example of a self-proclaimed guru:

They tweet, alright, but break every socially acceptable rule on Twitter and cause more negative reactions than positive.

Oh, but wait, there’s more…

They’ll throw in a MySpace page, A Google+ Profile and post your personal profile on CraigsList for free.

And if you buy right now…

Pope hats"Because of this terrible economy, I'm having to shut down my business. I have OVER 1300

Pope hats (replicas) that I REALLY need to get rid of. The pope hats came from China

and are a little too small for most adult heads and are also irritating to the skin, so you would need to have long hair or wear a

smaller hat underneath (just like the REAL POPE). Dogs do not like to wear these pope hats, but maybe a large cat or maybe a nice

dog would wear one."

But their personal website is down for maintenance.

Uh-oh.

They have 9 followers on Twitter, but follow 37,000 others

A Google search shows more than one current outstanding arrest warrant

Their social network profiles all have different photos…

But the main tell-tale sign is:

They’ve been in business precisely since they lost their last full-time job.

Tell-tale signs

They proudly list an ESL degree (English as a Second Language) on their resume, and it is from Nigeria.

They misspell every other word.Like Yoda they speak, yes. They want a retainer upfront and will hand-write

a receipt on the spot.They drive a twelve year old Buick worth $1,500

with 24” wheels and a $5,000 sound system. Their laptop is being repaired and would you

mind lending them one?

More tell-tale signs

1. They are referred to you by someone you already know and trust.

2. They meet in person or by conference call and LISTEN, taking careful notes.

3. They respond with a carefully crafted POV (Point of View) prior to engaging, and ask for an RFP (Request For Proposal) before engaging.

4. They ask for a retainer based on agreement of the RFP.

5. They provide qualified and verifiable references.

So how do you spot a REAL social media guru?

First, an overall strategy that aligns your company and resources with your social media goal.

A plan of action (strategic execution) that details what is required: what the budget needs to be, what personnel are necessary, and what the timeframe will take.

A detailed timeline of tasks/assignments, responsibilities, and measurement metrics.

An accurate and ongoing accounting of time/expenses.

And lastly, RESULTS, based on the priority metrics you agreed to.

So what are the deliverables of a REAL social media guru?

It all depends!1. Customer acquisition2. Direct sales3. Branding, as measured by loyalty, engagement, intent to

purchase, etc.4. Involvement/time spent on site5. Engagement; specific actions taken 6. Page views and CTR (clickthrough rate)7. Conversions to a specific action or sale8. Pass-along or referrals to other users9. Social/network distribution (Tweets, postings, links, etc.)

The critical issue is to KNOW WHAT YOUR OBJECTIVES ARE

What metrics should you expect?

Don’t trust ‘degrees’: There are no universally recognized credentials. Most can be bought online cheap.

Do background diligence: A Google search will only show what they want you to see, not what is reality.

Omnipotence: No one can be an expert across the board – the board is changing too rapidly every day.

Super Connected: Having tons of ‘connections’ in dozens of networks still won’t pay for a Starbucks coffee.

Your competition: if they worked for your competition before, they may well do so again. And take your data with them. Use extreme caution.

Watch out for claim jumpers:

A real social media expert is worth their weight in gold – they can help safeguard your brand BEFORE it gets tarnished

They can save you a ton of money in SEO, SEM and online advertising investments

They can bring your organization together on a single level, understanding the importance of EVERYONE participating properly – sales, marketing, customer service, product development, HR, etc.

They can help expand sales, open new markets, broaden customer demographics and increase overall profitability

BUT…

Of course, there are many more levels to each one of the points in this presentation. I’m happy to discuss them with you. If I can’t help, I can point you to the right person who can.

OR, you can find a Chupacabra here: http://hurvitz.org/blog/2008/06/anatomy-of-a-con

Mike CrossonPublisher, www.SocialMediopolis.comFounder & Moderator of the largest social media group on Linkedin, Social Media MarketingContact information:mcrosson@changetheworld.com415.299.0637

Thanks for your time.