This question was getting kicked around on Linked In and of course there are those folks, usually old school traditional marketers, who like to scoff at the notion of hiring a Social Media Marketing Consultant, and perhaps they have a point: Like all things internet, their are fraudulent con men lurking in dark corners willing to take your hard earned dollars in exchange for thousands of new Facebook fans, 1st place in Google Ranking and a myriad of other schemes.
However, hiring a Marketing Consultant to help develop your marketing strategy & company policy on Social Media, as well as design and analyze the results of specific Social Media campaigns is about as dumb as hiring a CPA to do your company tax returns. The world of Social Media is ever changing – as in EVERYDAY there are new tools & platforms showing up. Most of these may be insignificant, but if you’re not plugged in and aware who will ensure that your company is utilizing the web properly? Is anyone at your company capable of developing out reach campaigns with specific landing pages? Who is getting the word out on every platform that fits your company? Is your website integrated with your Social Media platforms and are there landing pages on your website too? Who is measuring your Return on Investment? Who is developing the next campaign? Are your Blogs posts networked & distributed to the proper channels? Is your company using Press Releases on New Media?
Yes, this list goes on and on. And I’m not saying that every person out there holding themselves out as a “Social Media Guru” or “Expert” should be put on the payroll. But laughing at the prospect of Social Media as an important, strategic part of your marketing plan is as crazy as laughing at the internet as a vehicle for business. That’s what the old school guys did all those years ago…
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