One by-product of dentistry's social media gold rush is the emergence of many self-proclaimed social media gurus, ninjas and experts who want to charge a fee to slap up a Facebook page and set up a Twitter account.
Ah, if only it were that easy. Here are some things to consider before signing up with a social media consultant:
Social media is a marketing function, and is usually best handled by social media savvy public relations professionals. What experience does your potential social media consultant have in marketing and public relations?
Social media is not a silver bullet. It should be part of a comprehensive marketing strategy and complement the other marketing tactics being used. How does your prospective social media consultant propose to integrate social media with the rest of your marketing mix? If he or she recommends eliminating most of your other marketing activities, run for your life.
Social media is not a quick fix. It may take months to engage with your target audience. You don't build relationships with the flick of a switch or the posting of a fan page.
You can't set it and forget it. It can take a couple of hours each day to monitor and participate on social media metworks and update your own corporate accounts. So who is going to do that, you or your consultant?
Where is your consultant learning about social media best practices? From other dental industry social media experts? This can be akin to attending a hillbilly wedding.
One resource I find extremely helpful is the web site http://www.socialnetdaily.com/ which covers the following topics in great detail:
- Social Networking News
- Social Media News
- Social Marketing News
- Facebook News
- Twitter News
- Blogging News
The bottom line is that social media is real and it's here to stay - Make sure your social media consultant is as well.
