Yesterday, I posed a question on Twitter that prompted a lively response: Is a social media presence by proxy (i.e., run by your consultant, PR firm, marketing agency) sustainable in the long-term?
Most folks said no, which begs a follow-up question: What role should your PR agency have in your social media program?
I’m not crazy about handing the keys to your social media presence to a PR firm — not entirely, at least. The blogger community values authenticity. While a PR firm can eloquently represent you, the blogosphere doesn’t want a representative of you…it wants you.
On the other hand, going it alone could be PR suicide. Pitfalls abound: Poor wording, inadequate planning, ill-conceived gimmicks and misunderstandings await at every turn. A seasoned PR pro is better trained to navigate those pitfalls than a CEO.
Where, then, is the middle ground? What role should the agency play? What role should you play?
The Case for Social Media by Proxy
When PRstore copywriter Lisa Hoffmann posed the question at a biz lunch yesterday, the consensus was that blogging by proxy was okay. In other words, let your PR team — in-house or external — ghostwrite for your CEO. Since the CEO would likely guide the content by way of a creative brief or editorial review, there’s an element of “authentic voice” to the posts.
But what about responding to reader comments? And what about extending the blog into Twitter and other downstream platforms? When should the PR team consult the client and when is it okay to ad-lib a little? A blog is one thing, but a complete social media program includes many points of interaction.
It seems the tricky part isn’t starting the car, it’s driving the car.
The Case for Do-It-Yourself Social Media
The most authentic approach to social media is to empower everyone in your organization — from the CEO to the staff — to speak in their own voice. It’s an approach that defies conventional PR philosophies, but one that is earning high marks in the Web 2.0 era. Customers will appreciate the easy access to a support team. Outsiders will admire you for dispensing with the PR horse-and-pony show.
Their are risks, of course. Busy executives may not have time to be contribute meaningfully; employees’ priorities and opinions may conflict with company goals; poor communicators may muddle the company message.
A DIY approach to social media will pay off in the long run, but the learning curve will be long and you’ll probably commit a few gaffes along the way.
The Case for Social Media with Training Wheels
A hybrid approach to social media may ultimately be the best. In other words, your PR department guides the company’s social media strategy, but execution will ultimately depend largely on the rest of the team. Blogging could become a recognized role for a staffer, for instance. Employees could be permitted to use Twitter, but with certain guidelines. The PR team could provide employee training on appropriate use of social networking sites.
Ideally, a PR firm or marketing agency should be a partner, not a service provider. A forward-thinking PR team will help you integrate blogging and other Web 2.0 tools into your corporate communications strategy, and ultimately into your corporate culture. Short-term, any of the strategies I’ve outlined can be effective. Long-term, however, your workplace culture will need to evolve dramatically to the new realities of communication and connectedness.