There was a time long ago when dinosaurs ruled the earth and organizations considered it acceptable to have one person who “got” social media on staff.
This person would be on call to show people how use Twitter, set up a Facebook brand page, and ultimately, be responsible for single-handedly carrying out a “social media strategy” with elbow grease as the exclusive item in his budget.
Meanwhile, his peers managing email, direct marketing, or even the company vending machine got more resources and of course, more appreciation from their colleagues.
“Social media is easy. My niece started her own blog.”
“Social media is something the intern can do. So don’t spend a lot of time on it.”
“We know we’ve got to ‘play in the social space,’ so let’s get a social media guy!”
Unlike his jurassic counterparts, the lone social media guy is a concept that is far from extinct. And the organizations who prolong his existence might be doing so at the risk of prolonging their own.
OK, so this is a bit of an extreme analogy, but here’s why you should consider making social media more of a team effort and less of a solo act:
Social media needs to be a layer, not a silo.
Social should be a consideration as an extension to any other campaign or tentacle of the overall content strategy.
Don’t develop a content strategy in a vacuum and bolt social media on as an afterthought. Incorporate it into the DNA of your strategy. This can only be possible when social is incorporated into the DNA of the people at your organization. Besides:
Many hands make light work.
The most successful social media activations are typically not the work of a lone ranger. You need depth of thought and breadth of experience. The more actively contributing members you have to the cause, the more brains you have available to solve problems and interact with your audience. (Find smart ways to integrate social media into your organization’s real life).
Social media, all too often, is treated like a checklist and not like a tool. In other words, organizations feel that the bare minimum (i.e. “we have a Facebook page!,” or “we Tweet every day!”) are missing the potential impact social can have when leveraged by the entire organization.
Some examples:
Take JCK:
The “official” account is supported by editors who have their own beat within the vertical and are actively engaging. Social isn’t the exclusive realm of web editor Daniel Ford, it’s the realm of every member of the team.
Or take this very blog:
This is not the lone voice of one person (thank God!), but the collective chorus (which sometimes doesn’t sing in tune with itself, and that’s a good thing) of a full team. This brings varying perspectives to the fold and applies more brain power to any given problem.
A social media guy can easily walk away. A social organization would require a full-blown strike to go down.
Warning: This message does not mean “everyone needs to have a Twitter account.”
Some of the smartest content people I know do not have an active Twitter account. But they lurk there and in many other places online. They participate in forums and industry discussions and they pay careful attention to what others are doing in the space.
They may not speak the language publicly, but they read and consume the language quietly, and have context for when strategic decisions are being weighed. They don’t rely exclusively on the social media guy.
Because they’re a social media guy, too. They just aren’t alone.
[Image: Lehigh Valley, PA]
