Felix Gillette at
Businessweek recently provided a comprehensive article on the social media
director movement. Many firms are looking for them. Felix writes, “in Las Vegas, Harrah's
Entertainment recently circulated a job listing for a "corporate social
media rock star." In Chicago, Buick went looking for a handful of
"social media ambassadors" to help manage Tweet to Drive, which
allows customers to schedule test drives from home via Twitter. At the same
time, traditional public relations and marketing powerhouses such as Ogilvy
& Mather are bulking up their expertise to fend off social-media-focused
startups.” I have seen first hand some of these defensive moves by traditional
PR firms to protect their turf.
However, much of the ROI here is anecdotal. But the huge numbers of participants and the potential is seductive. I have also seen first hand some social media successes so I can add to the stories but not the stats. Here the demand out paces the supply of experienced social media experts. So many firms are turning to, in Felix’s words, “a swarm of self-proclaimed social media rainmakers has appeared at job interviews, aiming to parlay a high number of Facebook friends or Twitter followers into salaried positions with benefits.” I would rather select seasoned people who know related skills like community management and have a proven track record in these related skills.
Part of this hiring rush is driven by fear. Nobody
wants to become the next United Airlines which took a beating last year after
ignoring a frustrated passenger over his damaged guitar. This musician got
frustrated and posted a song on YouTube about the airline breaking his guitar.
The video has been viewed more than 8 million times
Another infamous one involved James Andrews, a
vice-president at the PR firm Ketchum flew to Memphis to talk to employees at
FedEx, one of the agency's largest clients, about digital media. Shortly after landing
in Memphis, he wrote on his Twitter account, @keyinfluencer: "True
confession but I'm in one of those towns where I scratch my head and say, 'I
would die if I had to live here.' " Someone at FedEx noticed the sideswipe
and took offense, touching off a storm that resulted in an embarrassing public
apology on behalf of Ketchum executives. Felix noted that Andrews did not respond
to an e-mail seeking comment. I think this is yet another mistake on his part.
These two examples and similar stories have likely
driven more than one queasy PR department to consider hiring a social media
strategist. However, I think looking proactively with a positive strategy is a better
way to guide such additions.
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