My inbox is crammed with Social Media Training announcements.  Sometimes I wonder if the people giving trainings on social media marketing outnumber online content creators. (Maybe this is the next study for The Pew Internet and American Life Project?)

I’ve given a fair number of Social Media (SM) trainings and sat in on a few. At most, the classroom setting provides an overview of the space:

What is SM?
Why it is important
SM by the numbers (demographics, user generated content data)
SM tools
Top sites or destinations for user generated content (Facebook, Linkedin, etc.)
Tactical case studies

These trainings provide a nice introduction to the basics but what they do not, and cannot possibly do, is equip you with a social media strategy for your organization.  Unfortunately, I’ve had more than one client who came to us (in a panic) after taking a basic training, selecting a tactic used in one of the case studies presented and setting off boldly to “participate in the conversation”.  At best, the initiative fell flat (the tree fell in the forest and no one was around to hear it).  At worst, it stirred up a hornets’ nest that the organization wasn’t prepared to deal with and soured senior management on the whole concept of Web 2.0 communications.

Don’t get me wrong – I think basic trainings are great for, well, understanding the basics.  However, as I noted in my post last week, thinking through a strategy (from the readiness of your organization to the needs of your customers/constituents) is a critical first step.

At Serengeti, we prefer to create customized trainings and workshops that help lay the foundation for creating that strategy and/or build the organizational infrastructure needed to successfully implement a strategy.  Customized trainings and workshops offer a number of advantages:

• More in-depth content (detailed coverage of a broader range of topics, including search and social media, reputation management, etc.)
• Coverage of issues in a way that is relevant to the client (legal/policy issues, organizational readiness, etc.)
• Case studies that are specific to the client’s customer or constituent base
• Content that is tailored to the knowledge and skill level of the staff and addresses key concerns
• Specific skill development, such as crisis response, social media optimization tactics, Blog outreach, etc.
• A structure that makes the material easier to digest (i.e., several sessions that build on one another) and on-site workshops that don’t require staff to travel.

Yes, a customized training will cost you more (you get what you pay for).  So if you aren’t ready for a custom training and you want a good, thorough overview of the space, try the workshops offered as part of Search Engine Strategies training days.

Filed under: Education and Training, Social Marketing on Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 by Nan Dawkins |
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