Ok.  This is a tired discussion, I admit.

But yesterday, I came across an article by Shel Holtz which stated, “PR trumps marketing when it comes to controlling the social media budget and strategy.”  The statement originated from new findings released by the Communication and Public Relations Generally Accepted Practices (GAP) Study, a study released every other year by the Strategic and Public Relations Center at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism.

Read Shel’s post for the full breakdown (or better yet, read the full study), but boiled down, organizations are mostly turning over strategic control and oversight of social media initiatives to traditional PR departments and agencies.

This tends to happen for two major reasons:

1. The close alignment of many social media objectives with those of PR.
2. PR professionals are generally more skilled at measuring social objectives.

I’ve said for awhile now that I thought public relations was the natural home for social media services, at least in the agency world.  Many of the goals of a social campaign do align with services already offered by PR firms.

I do think that public relations agencies have the edge when it comes to measurement.  Social media measurement, without the right tools at hand, can wind up a messy slush of educated guesses and incorrect data.

But I believe that no single marketing practice can truly own social media, and that we’d be doing the field a disservice if we allowed public relations (or advertising) firms to take over the bulk of social responsibilities.

In the three years that I’ve been engaged in the social media community, I’ve learned that social media is a very nuanced tool that can be used to solve or improve many different types of business problems.  You can use it for lead gen, reputation management, direct sales, SEO, customer service, product research, and more.

This is why social media requires agencies and departments that look at social media from more than just the public relations angle.  Social media is not a pure form of marketing, it’s a hybrid approach that blends together the best of many different marketing activities and that can be applied in many creative ways.

This is why I suspect that as the social sphere evolves, we’ll see migration from social as a PR tool and begin to see more dedicated social agencies like Powered and New Marketing Labs, or, dedicated digital teams of large full-service agencies like Fleishman-Hillard and Edelman Digital.

How do you see social media fitting into the agency spectrum in the future?  Is it destined to become another service offering for public relations agencies, or should it be left to more dedicated entities?

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Related posts:

1. Joining the Social Media Informer Blog Network!
2. Social Media Challenge Digest V.3
3. 5 Reasons Why I Hate Social Media

Much like the Social Media Marketing scene today, the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) industry is still rife with cheats and dishonest marketers, who would love nothing more than to slowly drain your bank accounts while providing little to no value in return.  These marketers, and I hesitate to even call them that, take advantage of those who are unfamiliar with industry terminology, and how to do business online.  It's for that reason that I've created these 10 warning signs that you're working with an Internet marketing dunce.

1. They don't ask business questions

Let's be honest.  You're not starting an Internet marketing program for your health, or because you have some unnatural obsession with Google.  You're doing it because you want to make money.  You want to start, grow, or improve your business, and through some form of research, you've determined that your best bet is to forage into the online universe.  When you meet with prospective SEO's or Internet marketing agencies, the good ones will ask you business questions like, "How much is a conversion worth to you?" or "What's the most profitable segment of your business?" 

2. They don't ask tough questions

As an Internet marketer, I don't expect you to know everything that I do.  If you did, you wouldn't need to hire me, right?  A good SEO will ask the tough questions that can only come with experience and skill.  If you say, "I want to increase my traffic", I ask, "why do you want to increase your traffic?"  Is it to sell more widgets? To build a community?  To attract investors?  It's not enough to say, "I want to increase my traffic" – there's always some underlying reason for that goal. 

3. They guarantee rankings – and it's all they talk about

Yes.  Rankings matter.  It's the Internet marketers job to provide visibility in the search engines for your website.  And if you're not on the first page, you're not getting traffic.  It's that simple.  However, it's also the Internet marketers job to make sure your website is ranking for relevant keyword terms that convert AND provide traffic.  Not to mention that sometimes, your website will convert better when it's ranked #3 for a term then it ever will at #1.  Focusing on rankings is not healthy.  It's a means to an end, so focus on the end – not the means.

4. They talk about time frames shorter than 6 months

Despite the fact that Google and Bing are trying to incorporate more real-time offerings into their search platforms, search engine opimization is a very slow process.  If you've got a brand new site, expect to wait a year before you see any major search results.  If it's an existing site, or a site with poor or even no optimization, expect six months.  If you run into an SEO who guarantees 1st page placement in Google within a month, run far, far away.

5. They don't give you a plan

Just like any other form of marketing, good SEO requires a plan.  If the Internet marketer you're talking to won't provide a plan, don't hire him.

6. They don't report

You want to know what you're getting for your money, right?  If you're not measuring your marketing activities, then how do you know they're working?  How does the Internet marketer know they're working, if they're not measuring and reporting?  If you're flying blindly into the wind, you're just more likely to crash and burn.

7. They refuse to discuss tactics

Good SEO is not a mystery.  If you're inclined to, there are hundreds of places you can turn to online for free and in-depth tutorials about how to do it right.  Of course, it will take you a lot longer to produce results, but if you're on a tight budget – it can be done.  A good SEO is confident in his skills, and unafraid to educate his client when necessary.  There are no more trade secrets in SEO.  

8. They don't talk about anything other than SEO

Search Engine Optimization is one component of a good Interent marketing campaign.  Maybe your business needs some Local Business optimization, or Social Media Marketing, or Pay Per Click services, or Conversion Optimization, or a new Website Design.  If your prospective Internet marketer can't recognize these needs, or refuses to acknowledge them… well, you know what to do.

9. They guarantee an oddly specific number of backlinks

Hey, I can guarantee that I can get you 200 backlinks.  And I can do it tomorrow.  Interested?  I certainly hope not!  Those 200 backlinks will be some of the lowest quality, most spam-tastic links you could possibly get.  In fact, they may do your website more harm then good .  But hey, I got you 200 links, right?  It's exactly what I promised!  Don't fall for these scams.  Getting good, quality links that help your website is hard work.  Really hard work. 

10. They don't practice what they preach

If your prospective Internet marketer pitches you on a dozen essential initiatives, but you find they're not doing a single one on their own website, well my good friend, you've found an SEO that's all talk and no walk.  It's easy to talk theory.  It's a lot harder to show documented and proven results.  An Internet marketer with no documented experience is liable to do much more harm than good to your website – and your company.

If you encounter any of these warning signs in your search for an Internet marketer, make sure you run far, far away.  The last thing you want to do is waste money on marketing that's ineffective and misguided.  Make sure you're selective, ask the right questions, and above all else – watch for the warning signs.

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Related posts:

1. There’s no future in SEO
2. Help! I’m Drowning in Data!
3. Peer Inside My Google Reader Account