I think that you are one of the very few people who understand that most social networks are not very effective and therefore at OpenNetworkers.info we are introducing a syndicated strategy and focus on deep and clustered searches instead.

Most people on LinkedIN e.g. are just busy building their ‘Ego’ there is no real ‘networking’ and no quality interaction.

http://www.opennetworkers.info/forum/topic/show?id=644203%3ATopic%3A50625

It’s a marketing/management consulting opportunity enabled by social media, involving as it does customer measurement, innovation, culture shift, brand advocacy etc.

I understand the social media as a communications channel argument having spent time in advertising and running advertising budgets. But as the point has been frequently made the tools are cheap – its how we use them and for what.

Maybe thinking about what people are talking about and where and how that conversation can be enhanced.

There’s a great opportunity for social media consulting as part of a larger consultation, such as PR or management. I think you’re right (much to my chagrin since I wish I could work as a consultant combining the two) that consulting about blogging/podcasting/et al alone probably won’t last. But integrating social media as part of a larger PR plan is a great idea, not just focusing on social media by itself, but showing how it all works together for the betterment of an organization.

In-house PR departments (in possibly some variation of a spokesperson/spokesblogger/online ombudsman/head of social media role) will probably inherit social media in the long-run. It makes sense, since PR pros can use it to engage in a conversation with external customers, evangelists and detractors, and internally with employees who feel like they have no outlet to safely discuss their concerns.

This discussion reminds me of the PR firm I used to work at, and how a lot of PR firms have a long way to go before really getting social media. At one staff meeting I was, as usual for our office (I was the office social media evangelist), pushing for us to start a weekly podcast, dealing with PR issues in our region (a lot like Inside PR, creating meaningful content without advertising for the firm). The senior account executive looked at me and dismissed me with “well, all of the scripts will have to be vetted before we record them.” The executive didn’t understand that this is a conversation – not a scripted “radio play” to advertise the business. Another possibility for social media/PR consultants – visit various agencies still mired in the “go write the client a press release” mentality and introducing them to social media strategies.

Clients tend to be split between individuals with a message to get out (a lot of journalists or would-be journalists) and larger institutions who have dipped a toe into social media but are now drowning in hundreds of unorganized Flickr photos! I come into these projects as a jack of all trades. I have the personal knowledge about how to make a social website work, and the technical knowledge to “build the plumbing” so the organizations can actually use the social media (fifteen years in the nonprofit world helps me understand the internal dynamics of the organizations, which is always a big selling point).

I’m not sure where it’s all exactly heading, except to know that five years from now I will probably be doing the same kind of work but also probably be calling it something different!

I cannot speak for the larger business or corporate perspective. From a really small business perspective, these tools have to compete with all other demands on my marketing time, including getting a new sign, reworking my pricing strategy, and training my people.

If you want to make your living consulting with small business owners like me, you’ll need to do more than tout the latest shiny social media tools. You’ll also need to talk about the much broader issues I face and how you can make them easier for me. I’m not thinking about easier “consumer driven product management functions.” But I am thinking about my customers all the time. And THAT is how you convince me to do business with you.

Well, being someone who does “social media consulting” I’d have to agree with you on some of your points…

For awhile now, I’ve seen how the folks grounded in what might be called “legacy media” (advertising, journalism, p.r. and the like) seem to do pretty well when they add social media to their skill sets. I find the “legacy” folks coming to me for advice when they hit bumps in the social media road. But, they never actually want to pay me for my knowledge. In fact, some have even treated me like it’s my responsibility to just hand over everything I’ve learned to them….

So, I’m careful about how I speak of what I actually *do*.

Now, since I don’t have a “legacy” media background, I’m something of a maverick. Subsequently, I end up working with a number of maverick thinkers who are like me, and who I’ve met through networking. For some of them, I do jobs that could be classified as “community management” (like Connie Bensen suggested)–for others it’s stuff related to the various aspects of social media.

So, while being a social media consultant is, in some ways, like being, say, an email consultant, there are ways in which you can display your skills that can lead to all sorts of interesting jobs. But it’s not easy, it takes time and f2f connections to build a reputation. Then there’s maintaining the reputation, lots of what could be called “old-fashioned sales,” and constantly keeping up on new things. Oh, and living where the cost of living’s not too high. That helps too :-) Still, I’d agree that I’d never advise anyone to go into *just* social media consulting. It has to be part of a bigger picture.

Good stuff Chris.