But what was key was knowing the client, knowing the business, and getting to know its target market. I'm no hairstylists nor salon owner but you can bet your ass I got to know them and talked to them face to face to get a strong understanding of who I was trying to reach out to online. Then I combined that research with the proper tools.

Gurus and experts like that in the funny video don't take the time to get to know the company. Not every company needs a profile on every social network. Figuring out what works and then how to work it has been key to my success.

With my tv background, I think like a producer. What's the story? What's your message? How does this impact your audience? How can you better reach the audience through video, online chat, or email? I generate ideas to help them see the various resources that are available and that it will take some work to get customers in the door or to actually buy products. Success isn't overnight.

Fourth what makes me a viable social media individual, is that I STUDY. Fake ass gurus follow a few real social marketing experts but can't apply it to a real world situation. As long as they are getting a check and make a couple of status updates and tweets it's all good. But soon they are fired because there is no results.

Lastly, I'm not about getting mass followers/friends that don't give a shit about your message, your product, nor your company. I set out to match companies with their audiences online, make the introductions or re-introductions, then help guide the conversation. Numbers don't mean anything if none of the fans, friends, followers are willing to buy the product, come into the store, or even share opinions on new products. If you just want numbers or a mere head count at an event, then you're not my client.

Should your web designer be responsible for your site conversions?

Should your plumber be responsible for you being regular?

It's up to a business to have a clear business strategy. From there they can tell a social media consultant what the goal is, and entertain pitches that will help them meet that goal.

Here's the reality – most businesses just want the traffic bump, a few nice mentions of their brand on Twitter, and the ego boost that comes with it. The call to action should be on businesses to clarify their own sales cycle so they can take advantage of social media properly.

Personally, I think we should just all become marketing consultants with a background in social media.

Brian Schuster
cleverwebtech.com

Personally, I think we should just all become marketing consultants with a background in social media.

Brian Schuster
cleverwebtech.com

Keep looking…….