5 signs you’ve got the wrong SMM consultant

A litmus test for social media marketing ‘experts’

There’s a great phrase, popularized in Texas, to describe someone who “talks a good ballgame.”

“All Hat, No Cattle.”

I’ve always liked this phrase; but in two separate discussions in the past week, others used it to describe some social media marketers and their inability to execute. So it got me thinking about social media marketing (SMM) and the phrase’s applicability—specifically when hiring an SMM consultant for your company, brand or organization.

There are telltale signs of “All Hat, No Cattle”—and brands of all stripes and sizes, organizations for- and not-for-profit, and marketers in consumer and business arenas should take note: SMM consultants are the smartest people in the room (ask them, and they’ll tell you), but can they actually deliver?

Here are the five indicators that you’ve got the wrong SMM consultant.