Here's a news release about an upcoming seminar that sponsors and participants say "lifts (the) lid on complex world of social media." In one of the funniest lines I've read in recent memory, the release quotes a marketing guru saying, "It promises to throw up some very interesting discussions and debates and we’re sure it’s going to draw a big audience.” 

Throw up, indeed.

The beauty of social media is that it hinges on some very simple, straightforward concepts. Brand managers have to turn the car keys over to consumers; corporate communicators have to cede control; transparency, authenticty, and credibility matter more than all the money in the world an organization can spend on its polished, one-way messages. Maybe they meant the technology is complex? Hardly. Anyone can be blogging within about twenty minutes or less, on anything. Most of the best blogging platforms are free. YouTube, Facebook and MySpace are free. Grade schoolers master these social media platforms in minutes, intuitively.

No, the complex part of social media is why in God's name it takes so many otherwise smart people so long to give up the ghost of marketing past. Complex is the psychology of total control.

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I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, I fear. But at the risk of repeating myself, repeating myself, repeating myself… here's yet another story about brand management in 2008 and the 'make or break' role of social media strategy planning and management. Here's the lede:

Highly influential, outspoken, with a loyal following and the power to make or break brands at will – meet the Web 2.0 ‘super advocate’.

Want more new customers? Want to know more about your current and potential customers? If so, then I would suggest you scan the item. It's a quick read… in fact, would be even quicker had anyone proofed it first.

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If you think SEO is the end-all and be-all of this modern age, you'll be very interested in this column today on ClickZ by Mike Grehan. Mr. Grehan is the founder and CEO for Searchvisible Ltd. and is recognized as one of the foremost SEM experts. It's worth reading his story from beginning to end about a client who went through the phases of SEO only to be left feeling he needed something more and/or different… better?  But here's an excerpt I pieced together for you which gets to the point of greatest interest to me:

A couple years back, I'd carried out the usual SEO (define) audit and provided a recommendations document. I also put him in touch with a few SEO shops to assist with carrying out the initial recommendations…my former client absorbed every recommendation I made…  He was very excited about the results he was getting. And then came the quarterly meeting with the SEO guys… After evaluating what he and his team had achieved in-house by actively promoting the business online versus what the SEO guys had achieved in the same period, he decided to part company… So having listened to the history since I had last worked with the client, I realized what he really wanted from me this time was a recommendation for a good, creative online marketing and PR company. This he was prepared to spend money on.

Underline emphasis added. BTW, looking for one of those yourself? If so, you've arrived.

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