Community and Conversation

I entered the Community and Social Media (herein referred to as SM) field a little over a year ago (may seem like a short time, but read this article by Jeremiah Owyang about social expertise). I’m new enough to the field that I’m not entrenched in the old mores of customer reference programs and PR, but I did begin before the entire world caught on to the current SM hotspots, Facebook and Twitter.

Social Media Experts are everywhere...be cautious!

I’m very lucky to have entered when I did; I (along with our team) was able to learn about the social contract, context and boundaries of these SM sites and how our company presents itself on these properties. Now that every CxO and VP has learned about SM in Fortune or the Wall Street Journal and declared them a must-have for every business, regardless of audience, product or brand platform, a new crop of enterprising individuals have come out of the woodwork: the “Social Media Expert”.

One of the most important things I’ve learned through my (brief) experience in the SM field is this: There are very few social media experts out there, but plenty of folks who claim to be.

Had I not been careful, I (or even worse, my company) could have been swept up into the frenzied world of buying followers or following the advice of some self-aggrandizing “brand evangelist”who doesn’t understand our customers, product positioning, or go-to-market strategy.

Before you go out and hire an expert, consider what you know about your company first.

The question that you (not the “expert”) must be able to answer is this: “How will our company and brand behave online?” Most “experts” will preach the pillars of social media interaction: full disclosure, organizational transparency, a hip, “with-it” social voice, etc. The problem is that these traits cannot be emulated by some companies; if you work in a highly-regulated industry or for a company that services a very unique clientele, you may be limited in what you can say online and/or how you say it.

Now, this may seem a bit hypocritical, as I am offering SM advice…the difference is, I do not advertise myself as a social media expert; I’m part of a team that saw an opportunity to grow our company’s presence online, and we put in the time, made the mistakes, and refined the SM presence of our company, and because of that trial and error we have gained the understanding of the business. Our corporate leaders know the boundaries and responsibilities that apply to our followers, fans and community members, and rely on the social media team to build and strengthen these relationships, all the time conforming with and reinforcing our brand and company voice.

This isn’t the last time I’ll speak (read: rant) on this topic, but I’ll save you from the rest. Before you go out and hire an expert to tell you anything, consider what you know about your company first.