Who’s Responsible for Social Media Counsel?
Most public relations professionals would agree that two of the most knowledgeable resources for social media communication are CEO of The Geek Factory, Inc., founder of Help a Reporter Out and uber-networker Peter Shankman, and PR and new media strategist for Sevans Strategy, founder of Twitter chat Journchat and savvy communicatrix Sarah Evans.
Both have harnessed social media for the good of the PR profession and most of us PR pros tap into those tools on a weekly or daily basis (thanks to both of you). Sarah and Peter recently teamed up on a humorous but relevant post identifying 25 ways your “social media expert” might not be an expert.
The post clearly stemmed from the influx of so called SM gurus who claim to promote business growth through an intense social media “strategy” that often consists of adding some Facebook friends and Twitter followers.
It had many of us laughing out loud as we recognized so many claims that have become the tired but true examples of people misrepresenting their experience because many businesses don’t yet know what to look for. But they made one point I’d like to counter – “All of a firm or agency’s ‘social media strategists’ come from traditional PR or Marketing agencies.”
I think I turned a little red when I read that one, because, well, that’d be me. I majored in PR and I worked at a traditional and very successful and skilled agency. Truth be told, I did head up corporate communications for a social media advertising network where I was immersed in the world of social media, but my efforts were still largely focused on shaping the company’s communication strategy using my traditional background.
My past experience taught me how to create powerful communication and to get it in the hands of influencers – and to do it in ways that reflect the needs of specific target audiences. So I’d argue that makes me a very good resource to help create the social media strategy, which we do for a number of our clients.
I think it’s easy to see why a trained communicator is pivotal when you see many business owners make valiant attempts at social media engagement, only to fail because they don’t understand that social media is about conversation, and not the static dialogue involved in most other forms of marketing.
I’m guessing that what Peter and Sarah were getting at is that to counsel a client on social media strategy, a practitioner needs to demonstrate an understanding of the tools, of the nuances of social media conversation and have experience in putting those tools into play.
At RKPR we didn’t offer ourselves as counselors until we felt comfortable with our extensive research, our trials and errors and by implementing our own programs to teach us how social media could culminate in successful relationship building. Even today, we like to say we are our own best case study. And like everyone else, we’ll still scramble to stay on top of the latest information.
As PR practitioners, do you feel we are the best conduits for social media education for our clients? What qualifications do you think we need to help them develop a strategy?
Rachel Kay
Great post. I also feel that Peter and Sarah have done some great things for PR and helping to infuse social media into it. However, I didn’t agree with the same point that you focus on above and said so in a comment to their post. Social media as a – even slightly – mainstream tool hasn’t been around all that long. So, making that point as they did seemed kind of short-sighted. Where are the people who are skilled in social media supposed to have come from? Where did Peter (journalist) and Sarah (PR) start their careers? I don’t mean to bag on Peter and Sarah, but significant skills are gained through strategic communications/pr training that significantly help in social media. You’re doing it and so are many others. Keep the faith and keep being rad.
Hi Al – thanks for chiming in! I agree and I think we both felt the same way when we read that tip. There is a lot of criticism about those PR practitioners who aren’t up to speed on social media, so it seems a little counter intuitive to suggest they shouldn’t be doing it.
Hi Ray Kay. Thank you for posting this. I know that post sparked a lot of conversation. Ultimately it was in response to a friend who said her firm was pushing an “expert” in social media because that person was on Facebook. I’ve also been made aware of similar stories. The majority of those reading were not the target audience. Those reading are the PR people who SHOULD (and most likely are) be teaching, talking, leading the way.
In regards to your post, you were right on with what we were trying to convey when you said:
“I’m guessing that what Peter and Sarah were getting at is that to counsel a client on social media strategy, a practitioner needs to demonstrate an understanding of the tools, of the nuances of social media conversation and have experience in putting those tools into play.”
Thank you for all you do!
Sarah – thanks so much commenting. I imagine what you were saying that I may not have taken from that tip was the vast number of traditional PR agencies consulting clients on social media and suggesting strategies when they haven’t done their due diligence to understand exactly what they are talking about. You mention your friend – I have those too – PR pros who hear the buzz words like Facebook, Twitter, engagement – and try to put them into practice for their clients. I agree with you – that is a big problem.
Wow. I can tell I posted that comment shortly before bedtime. Sorry for all of the errors.
Great question, Rachel. Like you, I come from a traditional PR/marketing background, so when I read that point on Peter and Sarah’s list, it made me stop and think twice, too. I think PR people can — and often should — lead social media integration … as long as it’s the *right* PR people. There are lots of average folks in our industry who think that throwing a cocktail party or piling up stacks of clips (that may not even reach a client’s target audience) is a good day’s work. It’s safe to say those people probably aren’t the best choice to spearhead social media. But, if you’re a well-rounded PR person — one who understands how marketing, customer service, product development, etc. fit into the big picture — then I believe you should play a key role in incorporating social media.
Bet this will be a lively conversation on your blog tomorrow. Looking forward to following along!
Heather (@prtini)
Hi Heather! I absolutely agree with you – there are people from all professions, pr included, who should not be spearheading online communication. Hopefully a trained communicator can transition his or her talents to fit the specifics of social media conversation.
This is a very interesting discussion–and one that will rage on for quite some time I believe. You’re already starting to see social strategists come from all different disciplines and walks of life. Amber Naslund comes from a non-profit background to an extent. My friend Rick Mahn is an IT vet. And many of the folks I engage with online (including you, my friend) are battle-tested PR pros. What’s the right formula and background? I’m not sure there is one. I used to believe the PR pro had the upper hand, but I think it’s more of a blended skill set. I blogged about this over at Amber’s place a while ago–the need to be able to speak different languages. I think that’s the key. You need to have that broad PR/marketing background–I think that’s important. But, you also need to be able to talk a little IT/tech. And, you need to understand what motivates people and what sparks meaningful conversations. And, you need to be a human being (don’t take that last one lightly–there’s a lot baked into that statement). It’s a unique skill set right now, which is why you see a lot of our friends and colleagues getting snapped up by agencies and corporations as the economy starts to turn the corner a bit.
@arikhanson
Great Communication Starter, Rachel!
I would agree with Arik in regards to have a blended skillset…it will always be kinda hard to determine who’s ‘best suited’ for any one gig…HOWEVER, I believe that (more ofthen than not), a simple ‘college try’ in a variety of things can help untap some unknown attributes and talents. You just have to give yourself some time, patience and diligence…and some help along the way!
Which is how anyone like myself could possibly get into PR & Social Media with an Acting degree! And, like Sarah said (and you nailed earlier) — “…a practitioner needs to demonstrate an understanding of the tools, of the nuances of social media conversation and have experience in putting those tools into play.”
Narciso Tovar
@Narciso17
Awesome post, Rach. I think Arik is right in that it will be a heated debate for a long time, and I don’t think there is one set description for who should head up your campaign. I argued on my blog awhile back that it shouldn’t automatically be your PR person, because they might not understand the tools. Do they have the foundation? Certainly. Any good PR pro should be able to use communication tools that are readily available to get their message across. This is why I still don’t think that there are social media ‘experts’ of any kind.
Great post, Rachel!
Like you (and many others who have commented), I come from a PR background so I like to fight for us PR pros to have a chance in the social media game. However, like Heather said, it needs to be the right PR people. Not all of us are suited for social media. And, I agree with Lauren that it shouldn’t always be PR people doing social media…especially when people from other backgrounds are more suited.
Social media is so new, so no one can truly say they come from a social media background (thus why I don’t think anyone can call themselves an “expert” yet). Maybe once colleges start offering social media majors, and social media is around for a little longer, people will have it as a background, but not right now.
It’s really a matter of who is able to use, understand, and apply all the tools the best (while still staying on the cutting edge of everything new that comes out) – and I think Sarah is a good example of a person like this.
Rachel – Honestly, this is one of the best posts I’ve read in some time. You really shed a lot of light on what is quickly becoming a very heated subject within the PR/social media worlds. Coming from a non-PR background (I have two degrees in sport management), I lean more to the side of what Arik said. I now certainly have the PR and social media chops that are necessary to succeed in this business (at least I like to think I do!), but to be honest, I often find myself using a lot more of the skills I acquired working in college athletics and professional sports for the work I do now for clients with social media.
A lot of that involves basic tenets of good communication, no matter what field you work in: being open, honest, well-spoken and constantly intrigued to learn more from others. I take all of these and try to use that to help shape better social media initiatives for clients. From my sports background, I also try to instill a lot of enthusiasm and passion into my social media work. I really think you can’t take that for granted. I’ve seen far too many people in the business go through the motions with initiatives, and from my perspective, that does little to engage others via social media. You have to become an advocate and a fan of your clients and their work (to a degree … you obviously don’t want to go overboard), so that comes out in the social media (and traditional PR) work you do for them.
@KeithTrivitt
Wow – thanks so much for all of the great discussion! So many good thoughts here – I can tell we are all passionate about this topic!
To clarify my own stance – I don’t believe a PR person is the only person who can contribute to a social media strategy. Certainly some of my greatest mentors don’t have a background in PR. I was responding directly to one line from Peter and Sarah’s post that suggested people with traditional PR training shouldn’t consult on social media. I believe traditional PR training can be a great stepping stone to overall communication strategy that includes social media – given that the practitioner has become well versed in the nuances of online conversation.
To be honest, this could transfer to so many industries. Some PR pros are great at social media, some not so much. But then some social media whizzes are absolutely crap at PR. Or marketing. Or journalism. Or advertising. Or (insert profession here).
The point is, having as wide and varied a skill set is becoming increasingly important to both set yourself apart as a business owner, or as a potential employee for a company.
I come from a traditional marketing background and over the years I’ve incorporated PR and social media into my skill sets. Yet I have a bunch of others that, while I don’t advertise them, I need to do my job. HTML or CSS coding for client websites, for example, and search engine optimization for client visibility being just two.
The single title job description has been redundant for a while; now you need a bunch of skills. Saying that an “expert” social media pro can’t come from a traditional background (PR, marketing, whatever) is kinda like saying you can’t be a teacher unless you went to a certain school. We all have fantastic learning abilities built in from birth; all you have to do is want to learn.