PR 101 – My Thoughts on marketing, public relations and marketing
Jeff Cole | December 16, 2009
Welcome to the second part of Public Relations 101. This Wednesday blog is where I will be giving you my opinion on various marketing communications efforts.
I see my Monday blog as a kind of primer on marketing, public relations and social media. There is some opinion in it, but basically, I hope you are reading to learn what I know. I appreciate that hundreds of people who read and comment on it.
I greatly enjoy writing it. I will keep at it. But, because I try to keep the lessons to around 1,000 words – long for a blog I am told – I don’t have the space to review marketing campaigns. So, this blog has been born. I don’t have a title for it, so suggestions are welcome. I do expect to start some debates; in fact I want to start some. It is how we all learn. I do not have all the answers. I don’t even know all the questions.
I hope you all read this one as much as you read my Monday offering. So, let me get to it.
I am very active in social media. As I am sure you have noticed, I blog. I also tweet, spend time on Facebook and am approaching 5,000 contacts on LinkedIn. While I have only posted one video on YouTube, I watch it a lot.
I also am active on Plaxo, dabble on FriendFeed, use Digg and read Mashable. I am willing to bet I use social media a lot more than most. When you throw in my age – I am 55 – I am definitely ahead of any curve you can name.
Yet, lately, some parts of social media have started to frost me.
First, somebody has to destroy the keyboards of a lot of social media developers
Why you ask, a look of bewilderment on your face. You just told us that you are an active user of social media. What’s the problem?
This is how I feel when I get yet another site invitation.
I will tell you. There are too damned many sites coming out there are trying to imitate LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube. Everyday I get invited to join some new site that says it will make my life easier. I think sometimes that the late pitchman Billy Mays’ last act was to create all of these sites. The copy that comes with these sites is eerily close to how Mays used to sell products.
Look I am a huge believer in social media. I firmly believe it is replacing conventional advertising, marketing and public relations. Everyone should be using the Big Four plus one – LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and blogs. Okay, I agree Digg, Mashable and Technorati are also important. A case can be made for Friendfeed and a few others. If I lived in Brazil or the Middle East, I would use Orkut.
But, geez, every time I one of my email accounts, there are half a dozen invitations for sites I never heard of. We don’t need all them. I know the shakeout is coming, but fast enough for me.
Second, I am really tired of all these social media “experts” who claim they can make me a million dollars in the time it takes to trim my nails
To all of you who send these schemes to make millions on the Internet – GO AWAY! You may not know you’re lying, but I do. As the cliché says: “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
If you use the term guru when you send me an email, I going to hunt you down and slap you silly. Guru is a religious title akin to Father, Rabbi or Imam. Here are the first two definitions of Guru: (n) guru – a Hindu or Buddhist religious leader and spiritual teacher; Guru: each of the first ten leaders of the Sikh religion.
So, why not call yourself the Marketing Pope or something and be done with it.
Plus, I want to know what qualifies somebody as a social media expert? I belong to the Public Relations Society of America – the public relations industry group. The PRSA bestows a designation called APR or Accreditation in Public Relations. An APR is earned an by taking both written and oral examinations. The standards are rigid.
As far as I know, there is no social media industry wide group that bestows such a designation. I know there are individual training companies that give out accreditations. But, as I said, there is no agreed upon industry wide designation.
So, to me the only thing that works in proving you are an expert is if you have actually run effective social media campaigns. So, if you haven’t, stay away from me.
Until Monday, later all.
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Excellent post, Jeff. I agree wholeheartedly with your comments. I appreciate your mentioning PRSA’s accreditation (I am an APR and Fellow). You don’t mention a new association started by Mari Smith, who’s considered one of the “social media experts” you decry — in her case, Facebook. She has started the International Social Media Association http://www.ismaconnects.org/ which will begin a social media accreditation program. Time will tell if it “sticks.” A lot will depend on the content and how high the bar is set for entry. Your thoughts?
Jeff,
I couldn’t agree with you more. I have been working in CRM technology for over 16 years and have watch the social media landscape change dramatically in the last two. I believe it is unfortunately the overwhelming growth in “so-called” MLM social media “GET RICH QUICK scams is a direct result of the 27 million Americans now out of work and desperate to simply pay their bills.
This can all be attributed to the “Global Financial Disaster” the “Banking Boys” and the “Government Leaders” (including congress of course) has created over the past 30 years.
America has had one financial scam after another unleashed on us by WALL STREET starting with the 80’s junk bonds and Michael Milken. For those who are not old enough to remember this just read “Liar’s Poker” by Michael Lewis. The author worked for Smith Barney he knew firsthand how they scammed investors.
Then of course in 1987 we had the DOW “Crash”. Which of course was a direct result Junk Bonds were out of control. The FED had to pull the plug on the “Market makers”.
Next up, the fabrication of the “Tech Boom”. I just happen to be working in Silicon Valley during this period and I watched it firsthand as the V/C’s and the infamous John Doer picked the best potential technology Start-Up based on “The PITCH”
Naturally, the V/C’s weren’t the only ones who wanted access to the enormous payouts these IPO’s were creating for WALL STREET. So of course the managers of the countries biggest pension funds wanted in on the deals and they got in.
It just went spinning out of control. Then the worst happened. Suddenly the day traders starting gambling their homes away until finally THE FED Alan Greenspan pulled the plug again on the Wall Street MARKET MAKERS. THE FED could not have the average Joe (who did not know a thing about what they were doing let alone Day Trading) refinancing their houses to keep off the margin calls.
SO once again A BUBBLE “CRASHES”.
It had to crash those start-up didn’t even have technology (we use to call it Vaporware instead of software)
Needless to say, THE FED wasn’t going to let that recession last two long (two many people on Wall Street and the “Banker Boys” had all their funds running 20% or higher gains every year for the past 20 years so they said keep rolling the dice.
But little did anyone know that someone out of nowhere, a local supervisor from San Francisco would end up causing the Sub-Prime crisis as head of HUD she convinced Clinton to push a bill through that changed the rules for lending to the “so-called” riskier lower income families so they could get a fair shot at owning a home.
Of course, one Liberal Democratic idea turned into a massive SCAM with mortgage companies suddenly appearing everywhere, but especially in FLA.
Before we knew it “GREED” was everywhere and people were in over their heads with the mortgage scam that created the “SUB-PRIME BUBBLE” And once again it went belly up.
Only this was the last frontier for the “Banker Boys”. No more scams to create. Banks were failing the system was crashing down. Too many years of unchecked “Loss Money” and Credit manipulations that were off the charts. They had nowhere else to go. BOOM. Now a major number of the 27 million unemployed people in American are suddenly social media experts that will make you a millionaire.
I’m sorry to say this mess has only just begun. So if you think the Social Media scams are a drag now just wait another year and you won’t be able to keep up with the crimes that will be perpetrated on everyone on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, and all the others.
MLM has been around since Mary Kay in the 60′s. Or AMWAY. Only these were honestly good companies. Ladies sat around and brought their beauty products and housewives brought their new vacuums. But, I am sorry to say those were to “GOOD OLD Days. Long gone and long forgotten.
All we have now is criminals moving onto the new big thing that they can manipulate others into ponzi scams that will never go away. So yes everyone should stick their heads out the window (just like in the movie Network) and Shout “I tried of this and I’m not going to take it anymore”
We need to take back our social networks to their original purpose simply put to share and enjoy the development of new and meaningful relationships as well as old friendships.
Please folks remember what Mom and Dad said “If it’s too good to be true” it ISN”T don’t get catch again. Whatever money you have left you better put it into storing up canned foods and supplies because the dollar will be worthless VERY SOON.
Good Luck and be careful with your limited resources.
Maureen