Social media: It excites some (like myself and likely most of you reading this post) and it terrifies others. It’s new, doesn’t hold back, encourages uttermost transparency and is taking the marketing world by storm. There are still many people out there that don’t know how to use it properly, and because of this there are an enormous amount of social media bootcamps and webinars from so-called social media “experts all vying for attention and claiming to have the secret sauce for social media success.

Many marketers spend thousands and thousands of dollars in airfare prices and the cost of attending these social media bootcamps across the country.  These marketers do learn a few things, but they also ignore lessons that they feel they don’t need to know or simply don’t want to come to grips with because of the time it will take to do digital marketing or online community effectively.

These bootcamps also provide little in the way of networking because those attending are all trying to learn.  The companies and marketers going to the bootcamps would be better served spending that time involved in attending and in travel by reading a few books on social media marketing, community management, SEO practices, etc.  Here’s a great list from those already active in the field.  There is no “quick and dirty” way to do social media, and these social media bootcamps try to tell you otherwise.

How to “Do Social Media”

Just do it.  You can only learn so much from other people lecturing about social media best practices to you. Eventually, the training wheels have to come off and you just have to start experimenting and doing it. Yes, you may fail. But, you simply have to pick yourself up by your bootstraps, learn from it and try something other. Surround yourself with those who know what they’re doing and ask for their help if need be.

Signs to Look For:

1. The bootcamp claims to “solve all your problems.”  Again, social media goals and issues will be different for every single company. There will never be a one-size-fits-all solution. So please stay clear of anyone, who claims it.
2. There’s only one or two speakers.   It’s safe to say that the most valuable conferences tend to have a wide variety of speakers with a diverse array of backgrounds and point of views. Having multiple case studies and POVs at a conference will only add to the overall learning experience.
3. All the speakers have “guru” “ninja” “expert” etc. in a bio.  There is no such thing as a social media guru. Or marketing guru. Or social media ninja, jedi. Anyone who calls themselves this (in a  serious manner) are very likely full of crap.
4. The conference ticket is very, very expensive.  This one is a little bit more tricky to figure out. If the caliber of speakers is at a really high level (the Chris Brogan, Gary Vaynerchuk, type of circuit), then yes, the conference may be pricey. That being said if the conference is super pricey and the caliber of speakers is low, it’s usually a warning sign that the conference may be disappointing.  (This goes without saying for SxSW Interactive and BlogWorld, which are both expensive, but very highly regarded).

Jessica Malnik

Jessica Malnik is a PR/marketing coordinator, social media specialist, videographer and avid blogger. Visit her blog for social media, technology, public relations, journalism and marketing ramblings.