Who Is the Top Social Media Expert?
Today I tried an interesting experiment. I googled “social media expert”. I wanted to see who would take Google’s #1 spot.
It wasn’t Chris Brogan, whom I would have guessed. Today’s top dog is Giovanni Gallucci. I had never heard of Giovanni, and unless you’re from Texas, it’s probable that you never have heard of him either. Giovanni lives in Dallas and over the last couple years he has made an impressive effort to position himself as a social media maven. I can’t knock that. It’s what anyone who wants to create an independent career in social media should be doing. If you look at his efforts, there is much to learn. Giovanni shows what it takes to gain traction as a social media professional.
To the established social media pros, the A-list, Giovanni Gallucci appears to represent everything that they warn people against. Self-proclaimed rock stars, experts, and ninjas do not present the perfect picture of credibility. There are plenty of articles about what to look for in your social media expert and what to watch out for, and it seems that they all caution us about guys who look very much like Gallucci. He calls himself an expert and a ninja. He alludes to press coverage but doesn’t show examples. He lists clients but doesn’t offer specifics on what he did for them. These points that do not stand up to suspicious scrutiny, and I recommend changing those aspects of his website, but I would not write the man off because his approach is more aggressive. His formula is working. He is the #1 social media expert in Google’s eyes.
How did Giovanni Gallucci steal the top spot from the likes of social media A-listers like Chris Brogan, Brian Solis, and Peter Shankman? He did it with focused SEO. Giovanni decided to optimize for “social media expert”, so that is the title given to his website. Within the content, you’ll find social media mentioned numerous times, along with words like “ninja”, “buzz” and “marketing”. The man understands on-site SEO and he has used it masterfully. He also has massive offsite SEO through profiles on more than twenty social networks, content on sites like SlideShare, YouTube, and Flickr, and an active presence on Twitter and other sites. He presents a focused and consistent picture of himself, and knows what he wants people to remember about him. This is personal branding at its finest. Gallucci seems like a smart, hard working, likable guy and I expect that he will continue to work his way toward a position on the social media A-list.
Where is the lesson in this experiment? First, no matter how strong your presence is online and offline, the top spot in any search engine can still be won by someone who is fully committed to that task. Chris Brogan used to occupy Google’s number one position. Chris still has the single most recognizable name in social media marketing, but it looks like Giovanni is in the race and hungry for victory.
Second, there is no such thing as an overnight success. It takes time and effort to not only learn the trade, but to market your skills and create a reputation. Giovanni can work five times harder than everyone else, and it will still take time to grow reputation and wide recognition. But it may take less time to achieve a high level of success because there are examples to follow and an industry that is hot for expertise.
And the last lesson I take from this experiment is that even though the experts say “don’t call yourself an expert, rock star, or ninja”, perhaps doing those things is precisely what you should do because a) they’re not doing it, and b) they’re talking about it. They promote awareness of the terms and refuse to apply the same terms to themselves, creating an opportunity for somebody else. Kudos to Giovanni Gallucci for recognizing the power of calling himself a Social Media Expert.
I noticed that “social media ninja” is still up for grabs. We’ll talk later. I have some work to do.
Tim Piazza is the lead architect of social media and interactive marketing at Keller Crescent Advertising, Indiana’s largest independently owned advertising agency. You can read Tim’s blog at http://www.bzzmatters.com, follow Tim on Twitter @TimPiazza and learn more about Keller Crescent Advertising at http://www.kellercrescentadvertising.com
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Tags: Brian Solis > Chris Brogan > Facebook > Flickr > Giovanni Gallucci > google > Peter Shankman > seo > social media > twitter
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11 Responses to “Who Is the Top Social Media Expert?”
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July 31st, 2009 @ 9:10 am
Here’s how I lost that race (and Giovanni’s a really great guy).
I don’t call myself an expert. I *never* say that on my site. So, it’d be hard to rank for it.
I rank for strange things like “no I don’t sleep” and whatever.
So here’s the even stranger thing: if the above is true, that I don’t rank at all, I still get plenty of business and tons of calls.
How?
I’m not relying on SEO for my business.
Is that crazy? Probably.
But my human network is powerful.
July 31st, 2009 @ 10:13 am
Chris, you are arguably the most recognizable person in social media marketing. I didn’t imply that you don’t rank at all for the term “social media expert” and I’m sorry you took it that way. One of your blog posts is #2. I might have made that clearer.
What I think is interesting was the unexpected result. If somebody asks me to name a “social media expert”, the first name out of my mouth is Chris Brogan. But people don’t ask Tim Piazza nearly as often as they ask Google, and Google’s first name is Giovanni Gallucci.
Giovanni was able to smartly use SEO to squeeze through a crack and grab the #1 position. It demonstrates that under the right circumstances, a much smaller brand can steal search engine placement from a much larger brand. Where that leads to depends on what happens next.
If I were in your shoes I’d be concerned because the race isn’t over. Small brands who want to be big brands take greater risks, work harder, and focus more. Big brands need to be vigilant custodians. You’re a big brand, Chris.
August 8th, 2009 @ 1:16 pm
Tim,
First, you and Chris are both correct – I am a great, likable guy. If I may add…terribly handsome, super smart and funny.
Seriously, all your points well taken. But I have always had a hard time understanding why we in social media are supposed to be ashamed of our status as experts, gurus, et al. I’ve been building communities and search engines for over a decade and I’m proud of the knowledge I’ve acquired along the way. No-one’s going to take that away from me and I’ll do no less than shout it from the mountain tops for all to hear. It seems we are the only professionals that think that claiming our accomplishments in our field of expertise is a negative. But…with that said, I’m happy to take advantage of my industry’s collective self-loathing to claim the top spot in Google. I learned long ago that it’s important to market to your potential clients, not your peers.
You mention Brian Solis in the piece – ironically I am working on a project to produce developer camps in seven cities around the world focused on Microsoft’s next mobile operating system – http://winmodevcamp.com – and he is hosting social events each evening after the camps so the developers can relax after a day of education and development. Brian rocks and has an exciting background in PR. I feel blessed to be hosting events sidy-by-side with him.
Chris Brogan is good people and an absolute rock star also. There’s an interview I did with him on a social media project for a client: http://viewzi.tv/ He’s smart and works tirelessly. Please note at the beginning of his video me says “You’re a good-looking man.” Remember that: Chris Brogan thinks I’m HAWT. To your point on your google search experiment, I have a slide in one of my presentations on social media where I show the screenshot of the google SERPS with me ranking just above Chris. The caption on the slide reads “Surely I don’t deserve to rank above Chris Brogan for ’social media expert’ in Google…or do I.”
Peter Shankman is Peter Shankman – nuff said.
You mentioned that the self-appointed social media police caution against “experts” who are vague on their sites about their successes. Are there some specific cases where a social media firm or consultant has sufficient specificity about their clients and their accomplishments so one would be able to have a measuring stick to compare their transparency? I’d argue that if you compare their sites to mine, to my blog and to the presentations I release under creative commons, you’ll find more transparency about who I work with and what I do than you will on their sites. On my slideshare account, on my blog, flickr and youtube you’ll find many examples of my work. On slideshare, every example I use in my presentations are from campaigns I’ve personally developed and conducted. In most cases I see in social media, you have people in online marketing and social media talking about the big, attention-getting social media successes and failures that we see in the press. And in almost all those cases, they had nothing to do with the campaign they are talking about.
This brings up another of your points. You rightfully noticed that I make use of SEO. Social Media doesn’t operate in a bubble. Assuming you can build a personal brand by only using social media is naive. It’s critical that you understand how to take advantage of multiple marketing, pr and advertising channels to achieve enough brand recognition online to sufficiently drive your business. For instance, Chris does a great job of also using email marketing/newsletters to keep his personal brand in front of his audience.
A bit about how I get results via social media – I really push the limits of social media. I won’t shy away from that. I have a great track record in building communities as well as using these platforms to get clients in front of their audience where ever that may be. I spend lots of time paying attention to the TOS’s on social networks so I know what buttons I can push without getting burned. I test, test, and test the limits of techniques and tools in SEO and social media. I spend time watching the behavior of ppl on different sites, study game theory, produce live events that bring community together (see: http://barcampaustin.org, http://predevcamp.org, http://winmodevcamp.org to name a few), and speak a t event s and teach workshops on social media in order to force myself to keep the saw sharpened.
One last tidbit on my credibility, because you’ve shown a light on it. I will make it more clear where I can about what I’ve done for different clients and link to the actual articles where I’ve been mentioned in the press or where I’ve gotten clients press mentions. In some cases NDA’s preclude me from being specific about what I do for clients. One place you can see some press mentions I’m responsible for is at http://viewzipress.com/ – This is a former client, the website is a showcase of all the press I drove to the brand using social media. But I need to get those links on my website where I am tooting my horn so there’s a more direct connection.
Oi – the yard is calling so I must go. “Mow me. MOW ME…” It’s kinda creepy really.
Great piece and interesting case study about how brands must be vigilant about constantly defining themselves and redefining themselves online.
peace
@giovanni
August 8th, 2009 @ 8:12 pm
Tim, if you knew Giovanni, you would agree with Google. He is an \expert\ a social media \ninja\ and a \rock star\ in every sense of the word. I have had the pleasure of meeting Chris Brogan at his \InBound Marketing Summit\ stop in Dallas earlier this year. They are both brilliant men in their field and quite frankly, isn’t there room for more than one \expert\?? I am an eager student always looking for a new teacher to challenge me. Maybe if more \experts\ would come out of the shaddows and claim their crowns, more people like me could benefit from their knowledge…
August 8th, 2009 @ 9:16 pm
I like both Chris and Giovanni because they are not skinny. I’m tired of the fit people winning!
August 8th, 2009 @ 10:15 pm
This exchange brings up a couple things I’ve always thought about the well-known social media gurus, experts, ninjas, etc.
Regardless of what it does for one’s search rankings or career, referring to oneself as any of the above is simply off-putting – whether you’re a mechanic, a neurosurgeon or an online marketer. After all, if someone is truly a rock star it will be said ABOUT them rather than BY them.
In addition, I’ve always wondered how someone who spends so much time and energy promoting and creating success for themselves finds the time and energy to promote and create success for their clients.
You have never heard of me – and it could be because I work too slowly or sleep too much or have too much of a life outside of my job. But when I am working, I work hard for my clients. And shouldn’t that be what it’s all about?
August 9th, 2009 @ 9:29 am
I know both Chris, and Giovanni. I think they both are great guys, and have way too much on their plates to care who is considered number 1. They both are winners in my book.
August 9th, 2009 @ 9:46 am
Giovanni, thanks for taking the time to stop by and write a very thoughtful response. I really appreciate the opportunity to hear your perspective. I think you’ve gathered that I’m impressed with the way you’re using the tools. Like you, I test like crazy and study what others are doing. I don’t like to sell something where I don’t have first-hand knowledge about its effectiveness.
What I observed about your website is that it gives a consistent top-level story. But there’s a lack of depth and specificity on the site and that doesn’t help people who want to establish your credentials before picking up the phone. The content is out there, absolutely. But not in a way that is equally accessible to all of your potential clients. You have to figure that if somebody needs help, they’re probably not hitting 20 social media sites to learn about you. That’s why I recommend providing more depth and specifics about how you have helped clients, what you did, and what the results were, directly on your site where people expect to find it. While it’s never wise to underestimate the online literacy of a client, it’s rarely wise to overestimate it as well. As yardsticks go, Lee Odden’s company, TopRank Online Marketing provides a respectable measuring stick. http://www.toprankmarketing.com/clients.php
Coming from a traditional advertising agency, My company is not above criticism either. Ad agencies are notorious for tight control and delivery using flash and disregarding the importance of on-site SEO. I see it changing, but as an industry, we’re still far behind the our brothers and sisters in public relations who appear to have a much stronger grasp of both SEO and social media. There’s an industry-wide paradigm shift that’s been going on for a dozen years, but because clients have been slow to adopt, agencies haven’t been forced to embrace the change as quickly as perhaps they should have.
The people who call out “rock stars, ninjas, and experts” have a valid point. There are plenty of pretenders out there, and customers who are unaware of the distinctions between them and a real expert need some guidelines to go by. I think the realization is that differentiating yourself from the pretenders is not the same as avoiding any potential resemblance to them. That would be futile, since they’re trying to look like experts, right?
I’m 100% with you on claiming a name. You’re on the other side of the paradigm shift. If you can associate your name with the #1 term people search on when looking for your services, it’s great branding, it show’s you’re smart, and I’d rather work with smart people any time. You deserve your success, and now that you’re on my radar, I’m going to keep paying attention. I’m a fan of smart people.
August 9th, 2009 @ 10:07 am
Lee, you do have a good point about self-promotion versus reputation. However, I can tell you from first-hand experience that reputation will only take you so far. If you want to stay successful, you have to market, you have to promote, you have to create a strong position and then defend it–all while performing exceptional service for your clients and maintaining a great reputation.
It’s not easy, it takes a great deal of energy, and it’s not for everybody. As a veteran of successive workshops and seminar tours, I can tell you that the stress on family life and the burnout from being constantly on the move is a high price to pay for one’s career. I applaud the guys like Chris Brogan and Giovanni Gallucci because I understand how hard they work.
Keep in mind that what other people say about a brand is often initiated by the brand through their marketing campaign.
August 9th, 2009 @ 7:10 pm
[...] somehow came accross Tim Piazza, while reading his interesting blog . Tim is VP of Interactive Media at Keller Crescent and I came across his profile when reading [...]
August 9th, 2009 @ 7:39 pm
It is with great interest that I read the whole blog and we are fortunate to have Tim Piazza as well as Giovanni on the board to reply and state their positions.
We, the “social media experts” live on marketing products and I see points in both Tim Piazza Giovanni’s angle. Giovanni’s aggressiveness positions and bring quick results to his customers with his hard work and with his expertise and experience. He may have to look if self proclaim deters his customers or attracts them.