Social Media Explained

Having worked in social media and public relations for a few years now I sometimes have to explain to people that my job is a weird hybrid role between public relations, marketing, customer support, events, sales, web and campaigns. I contribute to all of them, but I am not really a member of any one team. If I could assemble my “dream team”, essentially the perfect social media storm it would look something like this:

Public Relations Specialist: There are sensitive issues that arise online and they need to be dealt with by someone that knows how to handle crisis communication. This person would also be responsible for writing social media releases, pitching bloggers, writing the company blog or Tumblr, and responding to posts online about the company. They would also play a role in Tweeting and managing the Facebook page for the company (or direct the peon on how to do this – see below).

Dedicated Customer Support: When customers have issues, they need to be resolved quickly and professionally. The last thing a company needs is a customer that is upset, motivated and online. Customer care representatives tend to have access of all sorts of tools e.g. a customer’s account, discounts, and authorization to make people happy, they also know the policy on how to use them. There needs to be someone dedicated to finding mentions of the company and resolving issues as they arise. This person would collaborate with the PR person since what is posted online can stick around.

Marketing Specialist: Every good social media strategy includes some stunts, live events, giveaways, and innovative ways to get fans excited. Too often the marketing team will be given interesting promotion opportunities a.k.a. added value items with publications they advertise with, but that team will have no idea how to use them. Someone on a social media team would be empowered to take over that part of a campaign and execute in conjunction with the rest of their team.

Graphic Designer: Every social media project needs to be have a visual component, and a graphic designer (preferably with some video and photo  taking capabilities) is a necessity. Just the welcome tab on a Facebook page requires some graphic design work. Or a custom Twitter backdrop! The list goes one, believe me, graphics is necessary.

Web Designer (with SEO experience): Most events these days need a micro-site, edits to the main website, and special builds for Facebook. A web designer would come in handy for stunts, regular updates to content on the company website, etc. They would also establish an SEO strategy that would help refine the best way to tag content on YouTube, Flickr, etc., as well as monitor social media releases that are written. Why should this person be dedicated? Because every web team I have ever worked with is always swimming up to the eyeballs in more pressing tasks. In order for social media to be a top priority, it has to be their only priority.

Social Media Associate (a.k.a. peon): This is a catch all, entry level position, someone who can take over for a member of the team if they are out for the week. They are interested in learning all aspects of social media. They get to create media lists, tweet, upload videos, and learn every angle of the business.

Now, with my perfectly assembled team, my job would be to direct their efforts to be sure that we are all working toward the same goals. Every team needs a good leader to keep the brand on track, focus on goals, and brainstorm (as well as encourage failing from time to time).