Comments on: Social Media Beachhead

By: David Kutcher

David Kutcher — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 23:27:45 +0000

But RFPs AREN'T scarce! Every week between 300 and 400 RFPs are uploaded to the RFP Datdabase found at http://www.rfpdb.com by the site's members. These RFPs range from advertising and accounting to public relations, marketing, and web development. The full gamut of RFPs. And yes, there are even a few looking specifically for social media solutions.

And the best part is that this service is not expensive, has no subscription fees, and if you upload projects that you've found but aren't going to bid on, you get 5 projects for free for each lead you post.

By: David Kutcher

David Kutcher — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:27:45 +0000

By: David Kutcher

David Kutcher — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:27:45 +0000

By: David Kutcher

David Kutcher — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:27:45 +0000

By: Agree & Disagree Links for 07-28-09 | Modite

Agree & Disagree Links for 07-28-09 | Modite — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:32:15 +0000

[...] Want to win an RFP? Include social solutions in your proposal, @StuartFoster Posted to: [...]

By: Stuartfoster

Stuartfoster — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:15:47 +0000

You can't succeed unless you have a beach head. What you do from there is up to you. I do think at the moment “social media” needs a c-level position because of the complete lack of understanding internally of what it is. Until that knowledge gap goes away the need is there.

In 5 years? Social Media won't exist…it will be just another channel.

By: Stuartfoster

Stuartfoster — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:14:05 +0000

Absolutely. You can't just tack a “Social Media” title onto your PR department and expect to make any sort of headway in terms of culture change. You have to take small steps and effectively guide companies (and your agency) through the process of adopting social.

It's all about managing expectations effectively (and having the person who is the social director designing the social strategy).

By: David Spinks

David Spinks — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:45:08 +0000

Even if you did bring in a "social media expert" to your agency, that's not always enough. You still need to develop an understanding of social media throughout.

I was speaking to someone the other day who I don't want to name, that was hired by an agency to do the "social media stuff" and now they just throw in the "social media stuff" into every RFP, without realizing how unreasonable the goals are for the "social media expert".

You can't just throw in social media because it's sexy. Sure, your potential customer might bite and sign with you, but unless you understand exactly what you're offering and the reasonable amount you can offer, your results are going to suffer.

@DavidSpinks

By: prostylus

prostylus — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:54:39 +0000

I can't deny that social marketing solutions make an increasingly well-baited hook for businesses, but I dispute whether they deserve a C-level position. (This isn't as off-topic as it sounds.)

Social media is a marketing path like, say, channel marketing. It has a legitimate place alongside other marketing pathways and tools. It may even be the tool on which hangs the rest of a business's marketing strategy. But that doesn't mean SocMed is than a tactical tool. So, to your point, it can decisively win battles, but not the war.

The beachhead is a good metaphor for SocMed's value in RFPs, but don't forget: D-Day's success was followed by the failure of Operation Market Garden.