I’ve been very busy, up to my knees in Social Media lately.
In addition to regular client work and developing my Social Media teaching materials, I started an interview series, talking to many of the luminaries in Social Media. I’ve been interviewing them via phone and recording mp3’s of it.
OH THESE are not the fools I refer to in the title! Oops. That’s a separate topic I’m leading into; I made a video about The 5 Fools You Meet In Social Media and how not to be one… but more on that later.
The awesome experts I’ve talked to include Carrie Wilkerson (The Barefoot Executive), Perry Lawrence (Ask Mr. Video), Michael Martine (Remarkablogger), Warren Whitlock, Simon Salt, and Steve Gaither. Coming up are David Armano, Brian Solis, Dan Zarrella, Alison Driscoll, Wayne Sutton, Jordan Kasteler, Danny Brown, Andy Beal, and others. There are even more that I’ve contacted and am waiting to hear back on.
It’s already been incredible and has changed me. I love this interviewing thing.
Here’s why interviews are cool for social media especially:
Interviewing Teaches You A Lot
Social media is still VERY new relative to other forms of marketing, and no one knows everything. The industry’s experience is considerable all together, but thin in any one person.
How do you find any particular expert’s major insights? The ROI on interview time is a lot higher than in reading blogs. Books take a long time to read. In 45-60 minutes of interview, I hear a lot of profound stuff, and in particular, one interviewee gave me a tip that is so effective – it’s the best Facebook fan growing technique I’ve heard, and we’re testing it out ASAP.
Interviewing Makes Connections
Social networking is networking. Interviewing makes a connection, and I get to connect these people to other people. I get to expose them to lots of people as well (this is all going to go into a website full of Social Media Expert Interviews). And interviewees suggest other interviewees. Love it!
Interviewing is Social
It would be particularly ironic to be antisocial and introverted about Social Media. I think a lot of us in SM are both introverted and extroverted, perhaps selectively. Introversion is sitting around your computer writing a lot, which makes you effective online; extroversion teaches you to care about others and understand others. You need both skills to start relationships online and solidify them offline.
Interviewing Changes You
It’s one thing to learn tactics, but when an expert throws out a phrase like “I’m not a social media expert. I’m a people expert,” and makes compelling arguments for just being a good person that cares about others, it makes you think about whether you’ve gotten lost in the numbers and the conversion optimization. Especially when that person is followed by tens of thousands of people, has email lists that big, and makes 7 figures online.
We all have strengths and weaknesses, and hearing an expert’s mind, heart, and experience in depth just plain and simple makes you better. The power of experts is in their perspective and wisdom, and it has a strong impact- let me tell you, as the interviewer, I feel like I’m bearing the full force of their insight. I love it- the part of me that knows introversion isn’t healthy, and knows you’re wrong when you think you’re the end-all-be-all expert LOVES It.
I look forward to being able to share that with everyone!
Ok the Five Fools You Meet In Social Media.
Are you familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? It shows how people evolve from survival to self-actualization.
I created something for social media marketing I call Brazlow’s Hierarchy of Awesomeness. It describes
- 6 Stages of Social Marketing Evolution, and then
- Tells you how it’s foolish to get stuck in the lower 5 stages, and
- How not to get stuck there
Here’s the infographic:
If you want more, I created a free 33 minute video teaching that system and tips on mastering social media.
Enjoy, and let me know what you think!
