I wrote a post about journalism yesterday and why we need journalists. One of the things that interested me was the comments I received about it, both on the post and in places like Twitter. People were amazed that someone who actively promotes Social Media and makes a living from it would not take the position that Social Media is the future and we no longer need News media in the traditional sense.

This gave me a reason to pause and question the perception that a lot of marketers and others have of those involved in Social Media. Do most of them so actively, if not over, promote Social Media as the answer to all problems because they are evangelists or because they dont have an understanding of broader media or marketing?
l
While I would love to give credit to the majority and say its because of their passion for Social Media that they come to the table with Social Media as the solution without even knowing what the problem is but really I can’t.  I know that the problem lies in the lack of depth that many of them have in understanding marketing.

Without the basics, as strong building blocks, how can someone hope to bring real answers to complex problems.  Only yesterday I watched a video posted to Facebook, mostly because it had the same attraction as a train wreck, on why the “expert” didnt want customers anymore, they only wanted clients because the difference was the relationship!

Hello! Welcome to the 21st century. While I understand some of this is still new to people, really if you are going to be a “thought leader” why are you regurgitating thoughts from 10 years ago?  True sales/marketing professionals already know that it is easier to retain customers than it is to acquire new ones, so obviously you want to build a relationship to retain them.

I congratulate the person for discovering this truth but, this is a great pointer to why so many who are selling themselves as “experts” can only come to the table with one solution – the latest trick that they have learned from another blog, facebook post, or marketing book they read from the library.

The age old adage Caveat Emptor holds true more today than it ever has. Just because the person pitching to you Social Media as a solution appears to know more about the subject than you, don’t be blinded to the bigger picture.

What do you/would you ask your Social Media partner?

image from horseracingsafety.com