Social Media Butterfly

I read and hear a lot about “rock stars” of social media, blogging, or seo (search engine optimization). But I’m not easily impressed by rock stars. Instead, I have far more respect for rockers. What’s the difference?

• Rock stars are all about publicity. Rockers are all about their craft.
• Rock stars are on the cover of Rolling Stone. Rockers are on the cover of Guitar Player.
• Rock stars know Billboard charts, publicists, and the paparazzi by name. Rockers know chords, pedals, amps, strings, recording software, acoustics, etc.

For these reasons, I’ll trust a rocker over a rock star any day. And this translates to social media and online marketing as well. I’m not naming names, but I’ve read a bunch of the so-called “A-listers” and often thought that they’re out of touch or full of it. That may sound harsh. But the people who really know there stuff are generally not well known.

That’s not to say that a few rockers don’t reach stardom. Darren Rowse of Problogger is a good example of an A-lister that offers real value.

It’s just that sometimes the world of social media and seo is not unlike Hollywood. I see far too many magazine covers of pop stars and starlets who had a hit movie or a hit song once, but not much since. They’re only intriguing because they’re hot or do crazy things that get attention.

I’ve seen many an A-lister achieve similar status in online marketing. They did something cool once and it solidified them as a rock star in the industry. Now, everyone follows them whether or not what they’re producing now holds any value. It may not seem as shallow because that link bait post on “101 things you never knew you could do with [fill in the blank]” sure was a fascinating read. But if you don’t find yourself using anything you learn from a so-called A-lister, it might be worth considering why you spend so much time listening to them.

On the flip side, there’s a lot of social media rockers out there. They’re amazing people who are generous and passionate about what they do. They love the work and do it whether they’re rewarded with notoriety or not. Generally, there’s a healthy dose of the geek factor going on. And when you see that, you know you’re in the presence of rocker greatness. When that happens, pay attention. Take careful notes. If you really want that social media campaign to succeed, you’ll want to have the right gear and play the right notes. And the rockers will show you how it’s done.