This is a two-part series, discussing two major questions that we are most often asked by companies trying to enter into this new era of Social Media.WHO and HOW.
Congratulations for entering into the new media world.You now have a Facebook, a Twitter, a Youtube, a Flickr, and blogger accounts, as well as your traditional website.Now comes the tricky part; using them appropriately.The very first question you must ask yourself is, “Who will become the Social Media mouthpiece?”
After speaking with several companies, one mistake that many companies make is that they assign Social Media responsibilities to their IT department.Someone up the chain of command said, “Social Media is done on computers.IT works on computers all day.They should do Social Media!”No, they shouldn’t (necessarily.) That’s like saying, “My janitor cleans a toilet … He should become a plumber!”Most would consider this a silly statement.If you owned a major newspaper, you probably wouldn’t have all of your articles written by the paperboy.(I can hear IT people saying, “Thank you,” from here.You’re welcome.) The tools are simple enough to use, but need to be navigated by a well-versed individual that is aware of your company’s current products, promotions, and services.
In order to fully understand who should be in charge of your Social Media, you must know which job responsibilities that individual or group will oversee.There are three major areas in Social Media – Advertising, Public Relations, and Customer Service, that need to be addressed in slightly different ways.
For example, your Advertising person is most likely focused on immediate results.They want analytics that show for the day after an ad was run, an influx of customers came in and bought the product.Social Media doesn’t typically work that way. Spotting trends in Social Media takes longer, and uses a completely different set of analytics.
The typical Public Relations Manager wants to always show your company in a good light, and would want to shut off any negativity that can come through the channels of Social Media.He would limit the amount of client submissions onto your sites, which is not the appropriate response in the Social Media world.
Your Customer Service person wants to solve any issues that arise, on a per-issue basis.Although this is certainly a part of Social Media, it is only a fraction of the total responsibility.Depending on the size of your company, there may be a small amount of customer issues that make it into cyberspace, and a Customer Service manager could miss the focus of the larger areas of Social Media.
Your social media strategist, champion, or whatever buzzword you like right now, should be someone who is able to blend these three roles.You want a percentage of PR, Advertising, and Customer Service, that truly understands your company and the demographic your company needs to reach.
Stay tuned for Part 2 – How Do I fill 5 New Channels with Information!?!
