By now, you’ve probably read, or at least heard about, the BusinessWeek article warning business owners about “social media snake oil.” While there have been lots of responses — including this detailed, well thought out post — the article does raise a good point: Management isn’t always clear on how to separate the people who can deliver valuable results from the people who talk a good game. (Heck, even consultants attempting to position themselves as experts offered crappy responses to the original BW article. But, I digress …)
Recent studies indicate that communicators will continue to expand their social media marketing in 2010. While some businesses will test the waters without bringing on outside help, many will turn to independent consultants or agencies for guidance. Finding the right ft is a challenge. To help you get started, here are 10 questions to spark conversation during the “interview” process.
10 Questions: Interviewing Social Media Consultants
- How can you help us? That seems like a logical question to ask, but the answer is critical. You need to understand what exactly they’re selling you — social media or an integrated communication program. If the person sitting across the table from you says he/she can help with social media, that’s one challenge. If he/she claims to be able to help with integrated marketing, better do your homework. It’s very easy to talk about integrating PR, social media, marketing, customer service, etc — much more difficult to actually do it.
- What experience do you have? Social media is new, so there are lots of effective consultants/agencies who can help you, but lack years and years of experience. That said, your small business shouldn’t be someone’s guinea pig. Don’t hire someone if they can’t talk about experience, and more importantly, success.
- What social networks should our business use? A good consultant may throw out a few examples, but they’ll also tell you that the real answer depends on how your consumers/target markets are using social media. And this times some research and digging. If a consultant says “Twitter, Facebook and a blog” and that’s it, odds are you don’t want to work with that person.
- Do you know HTML? It used to be that only web programmers understood how to use HTML. But, today, it’s important for PR and social media people to understand at least the basics. For example, you don’t want to pay extra fees or wait extra time for the web programmer to embed some links in a social media release, do you?
- How do you use social media? Not everyone uses social media the same way, and that’s perfectly fine. But, it’s important that the person you hire to assist with social media demonstrates the ability to use social media strategically. For themselves and for clients.
- Why is social media right for our business? Social media isn’t necessarily right for every business in every situation. But, a consultant attempting to win your business should provide a thorough answer as to the benefits your business can gain from social media. And, it should be more than just listening and engaging with customers. That’s important, but by now, consultants need to demonstrate a deeper understanding than that.
- Who are your references? If someone can’t provide you with solid references who can attest to their professional skills, that should raise a red flag.
- Tell us about a lesser-known social media initiative that you think was a success — and what can our business learn from their approach. Everyone knows about Dell, Zappos, Comcast — that’s easy. But, is your potential consultant paying attention to what smaller companies are doing? The ones operating on very tight budgets, with limited people resources? By asking them to cite an example — and then highlighting what your business can learn — you’ll be able to gauge the depth of their market knowledge.
- How will you measure success? Social media success can’t be measured in just fans and followers. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Make sure the consultant can offer additional metrics specific to your industry and goals. If a consultant can’t tell if you’re generating benefits from social media, are they really be the right fit for your company?
- Your turn: What else should small business owners ask potential consultants to ensure they find the one that can deliver strong results?