Analyzing the competition is a big part of internet marketing and once in a while we actually remember to do it ourselves. Here in the Pittsburgh area, it looks like everyone got the memo about the importance of social media in online marketing. It also looks like social media management and marketing consultants are probably going to have some issues about credibility similar to the bad reputation of SEO as more people who don’t “get it” try to get into it.
There are a lot of myths about social media and a lot of people who would like to perpetuate some of them.
Local search engine marketing companies that used to dismiss social media as a limited opportunity are now calling themselves social media experts, offering training in how to annoy your customers with Twitter spam and one sided Facebook friendships. Overnight, web design firms have turned into SEOs who are also now social media gurus – simply by placing a bunch of logos from social networks on their home page. Blues and greens are now greys and reds. Some even offer video production, though few if any have any samples of their internet video work other than their own self-promotional stuff. The “me too” social media crowd seems to want to handle social media management in the same way they do email marketing or search engine optimization – one way communication, all about the numbers and the links – but not about the people, your customers and really improving the way you do business.
Did they just now figure out the importance of social media in internet marketing, or are they just blindly jumping on the band wagon at the last minute to try to make some sales? I don’t know.
Do they have a proven track record in integrating good social media management, SEO, web, and video? Do they have the ability to come up with imaginative ways to grow your business online?
We do.
