I love to talk about social media with enthusiasts of the game. How they’re practising it, where they see the benefits, where will it be in a year or so’s time. But I see more and more so-called specialists coming into the market where they sell their (apparent) expertise to businesses that either don’t have the time or the wherewithal to handle social media themselves.

I’m certainly not criticising SMEs sourcing some talented help, I’m saying be careful what help you’re canvassing. Too may of these marketing experts are one-trick ponies. They sell digital, or marketing but it’s often just social media and nowt much else.

One of my favourite quotes about social media is from Avinash Kaushik, and goes, “Social media is like teen sex. Everyone wants to do it. No one actually knows how. When finally done, there is surprise its not better.”

As a consultant, just going on and on about Facebook or Twitter to a small business that needs marketing, wider business support and outside intuition is like telling a restaurateur that they need to focus, focus and focus yet more on dessert. Okay, it’s fair dinkum for a restaurant manager/owner to spend time and resource on desserts. Yet she also needs to look at the HR side of the business, of finance and infrastructure, of supply and sales, of quality and of appearance. The amount of various business tasks and facets mean dessert is probably less than 2% of their agenda, even if you are a Heston Blumenthal.

So it becomes a question of resources (isn’t it always in business). Yes, I’ll invest in dessert but the myriad of other draws will also get their deserved piece of business attention.

If you’re a Facebook or Twitter coach/marketer/consultant I’d argue you could widen your remit and envelop marketing – at least in a digital context. The alternative leaves a pretty narrow menu (unless you can live off dessert).

Photo credit: Corsi