The POWER of PR with Danae Jones
There is no question that social media and the worldwide web have seen the arrival of the overnight expert. For consumers this has created no end of problems as people are signing up for products, services and programs with so called experts that are no more than amateurs with a very captivating social and online presence.
My advice is, do your research before committing to engaging anyone or buying anything from someone you haven’t heard of before. Online and social media reviews are also not sufficient enough research as many of these can be easily fabricated. Google is your friend. Don’t’ be afraid to Google the company or person’s name and do your research on that platform first. Google is renowned for exposing the good, the bad and the ugly. While you’re at it, Google yourself. Yes yourself. You’ll be surprised with what you will find. If you or your business don’t rate a mention on Google, than you need to do some serious work in building your online presence.
Now getting back to working out the experts from the amateurs. Don’t be afraid to ask for examples of their work and samples of success stories or contact details of reputable companies that have become their happy customers so you can contact them directly. If someone is as good as they say they are, they won’t be afraid to give you their client list and their contact details.
Legitimate qualifications in their area of expertise is always a good place to start, or if they don’t have the qualifications on paper, make sure they’ve been doing what they say they do for a long period of time. Experience matters.
The other point I would look at is if they practice what they preach. So if someone says they do great websites, but they themselves have a sub par website, than chances are they aren’t what they’re cracked up to be. Same applies for social media and marketing. If someone says they are great at social media or marketing, make sure you take a look at their own marketing collateral and social media platforms and make your assessment that way.
On the flip side the overnight expert phenomenon has a lot of benefits for people who are new to an industry and want to easily dominate and make themselves appear bigger than what they really are. This can be achieved with minimal outlay and a creative strategy to funnel sales.
Danae Jones is Principal of PR & Marketing firm Danae Jones Consulting