Episode #9 – So, Who Does “Own” Social Media Anyway?

Great point Travell! Often marketing agencies, particularly ones who specialize in digital, will have someone who can serve as a PM, sometimes it will be the client themselves, but yeah it’s important to identify who this actually is upfront.

Great show. As I’m guilty of fanning the flames of who “owns” social media, I’m totally behind your analysis.

The big picture communications approach/philosophy aligns with the way PR generally operates. Encouraging dialogue and building relationships are what us PR people attempt to do.

However, we haven’t cornered the market on that expertise.

A full understanding of the environment, the tools and technology are also very important. When I’ve executed social media programs for clients I often farm out work to developers, designers, monitoring firms, videographers, voice-over artists, etc.

The application of social media to particular communications challenges e.g. image enhancement, product sales, internal comms, community relations, crisis/issues management, etc. are best done in concert with a communicator who is an expert in their area and a social media strategist who can apply the best tools, techniques and approaches to satisfy the objective. The real power happens when these people are one in the same, but it’s pretty rare right now.

Jay, I just posted my thoughts on Social Media and Traditional Organizations.

http://wikiDOMO.typepad.com/linking_local/2008/04/social-media-an.html

Let me know your thoughts.