What it takes to be a social media agency. Part two.

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I’d argue that Bob Rinderle is not the only one advocating for the power of relationship building. Michael Calienes’ comment was equally focused on what it takes to build strong connections. Whether your customer is the brand itself or your customer is the person buying the product, good marketing starts with listening, caring and sharing (not coincidentally the same attributes you site as core to this new way of marketing we call social media). In so many ways, social media is just a new weapon in the CRM arsenal. Relationships are, as you point out, complicated and time-consuming (whether at home or in the office!), but they pay off. Whether you are venturing into social media or practicing more plain vanilla CRM, make sure that you are listening to understand not just waiting for your chance to speak.

Nice posts, btw. The discussions around the evolution of agencies and the heebie-jeebiness of social media agencies reminds me of Michelle Tripp's Social Media Experts Are Scary post, earlier this year. My view - then, as now (warning: rehashed comment follows) - is that whenever technology throws up a new medium you get your early adopters and evangelists who immerse themselves in it, call themselves experts, build a career on it and write a book. At some point some agencies glimpse the bandwagon and hire them to impress their clients. They score, so more agencies do the same. This is when the number of “experts” explodes: demand is high + real experts are rare + agencies can’t tell the difference between them and those bluffing and rehashing their way onto the bandwagon. Shortly after that the new media goes mainstream: everyone understands what the expert once alone knew, and noone calls themselves an expert in it anymore. The new media becomes just another tool in the toolbox. The “Dummies for …” edition hits the shelves. By which time, of course, the original expert has either moved on to a new field or had kids, got a mortgage and become a manager.

Steve: I suppose you could make an argument it's only a matter of time before everything is social, everything has consumer participation, everything is back to word of mouth. But I agree with you that a lot of people don't get or don't have the patience for communicating (if that's even the appropriate word) this way. Listening, inspiring, sharing, creating content rather than a sales message, allowing consumers to have a say is a new way of marketing. Lots of brands still approach this is a means of delivering a message for free. The best brands are those that simply stay true to themselves but in a way that acknowledges it isn't just about them. Why things like Chalkbot is brilliant. Or CNN/Facebook's Inauguration effort. Or Dell handing the brand's support over to customers. Or the new efforts in the crowdsourcing space. I think you are on to something in the idea that even positioning ideas will come from this space just as they could come from media or technology. Big ideas will emerge from this stuff. For sure.

Thanks for the posts Edward. While I think that all of the things listed are necessary to be successful, the last two items I think are the most important. And the term "social media agency" kinda gives me the heebie jeebies and though it may be necessary, it brings about an interesting question. It brings back memories of the emergence of the term interactive agency. A lot of us have seen how a division of disciplines has lead to a kind of flailing around of traditional model agencies to proclaim they were also interactive (which they weren't) and then to the interactive agencies just becoming agencies, partially because their medium became the dominant one and their ideas were the ones that garnered the attention for the brand that a tv commercial or print ad could not. Social media takes a kind of understanding some traditional creative thinkers in ad agencies will have a lot of trouble coming to terms with (also very similar to the interactive world) and it will force partnerships like the ones out there now with large branding agencies partnering with interactive agencies. Will there be any social media only agencies? What will happen when one of the people from a social media agency comes up with the best position for a brand based on the fact social media uses new tools and disciplines? Wow, I guess you could say this post inspired me a bit...

OK, I read both posts. Great list, by the way. So my question to you and anyone else following along is this: Is there a short list of organizations actually doing all this at a high level of competence? Now there's a list I'd like to bookmark. .-= Dan Hutson´s last blog ..Social Media and the Paradox of Choice =-.

I would posit that #13 is symbiotic with #14 as the most important. Through the evolution of the organic entity that is social media, branding is to alliance and partnerships as the chicken is to the egg. It is impossible to stay relevant to your customer w/out engagement; alliances and partnerships allow access to those customers. Marketing has always been about speaking to the customer 1. where (s)he is 2. when (s)he is open to communication and 3. in the manner in which (s)he wishes to be spoken to. Social media is an expansive means (in flux) of attaining that goal (which, paradoxically, will never be achieved). Whoo hoo! Strap yourselves in! .-= mckra1g´s last blog ..mckra1g: http://twitpic.com/jm4gc - For consideration in 2mrrw's pitch #altenergy Suggestions? =-.