Posts Tagged ‘community’
Social Media is not a separate channel
July 19th, 2010
Felix Wetzel, Group Marketing Director for Jobsite, has posted a blog on The Wall, voicing views that are often overlooked as part of the social media debate - and it’s refreshing to see a senior in-house marketing professional lay his social media cards on the table in such a direct way.
Felix says: “Social media needs to be implemented in the relevant functions and not built as another separate entity. If it’s a separate entity it will fail and will only always remain as another communication channel. Social media has to become part of the DNA, not another add on. Which leads me to one additional point: Any communication agency with a separate social media arm misses the point completely and waves a big sign that reads: ‘We jumped on the band wagon, but we don’t get it!’”
These may seem like brave words to some, but in a climate where too many companies still tend to rank discussions about Social Media in the ‘know we need to, but not 100% sure why’ file, which often leads to implementing social media as a box ticking exercise alone, I would argue it’s necessary to have this debate.
Felix’s key point, that ‘appointing a Social Media manager will hinder the harnessing of the social web’s true potential‘ is valid in my opinion, simply because that job is too often focused on creating a silo where listening, conversation and communication are contained, rather than about opening up these crucial elements to the rest of the business and of course the wider community.
If organisations think that hiring an individual to take care of social media for the whole company is ‘job done’ then it’s a sure route to failure.
If social media strategies are to succeed, they need to be an integral part of the organisation. Social Media isn’t just about marketing, nor is it a tactic, it’s a different way of approaching your business, moving real conversation, reputation and usefulness to the centre of the business, while addressing some of the fundamental issues that businesses of all types face on a daily basis.
You can follow Felix at Felix Wetzel. He’s also the author of the ‘People, Brands, & Random Thoughts’.
Reflecting on the digital PR community
January 31st, 2009
This post has come a little later than I had planned, but needs must. On Wednesday night I attended the first P2PR event, organised by Jamie Burke and Lidia Miras Martinez at Brando Social, thanks guys - I really enjoyed meeting you and everyone who attended.
Jamie has already done an excellent round up of the event and if you haven’t joined the P2PR community on Ning I would encourage you to do so as there is some great debate with smart people involved. So what can I add? Well, what struck me at the event was the good level of debate between people that would traditionally be classed as competitors. Now of course we’re not going to share everything, a point that was highlighted by most people that I spoke to, but there was a mutual respect, willingness to share issues candidly and helpful input on potential resolutions. It was refreshing to have that input and feel part of a group of people that really are trying to better their profession and push new boundaries, especially in the current economic climate.
By the way, from my discussions, I think the general consensus on new biz was: lots of opportunity but decisions being postponed, put off, or new hurdles being put in place to jump over, which I agreed with.
So, do I have a point? What I’m trying to say is we know we have a good community, we know smart people are trying to do exciting things in communications, in social media and in PR in general. That’s not a new revelation, but we face a real test in the current financial crisis, and although we’re much better placed to deal with it than many other sectors, it’s a test none the less.
If we can still keep that openness, and will to collaborate in today’s financial environment, which so far all the evidence that I’ve seen confirms we can, we’re not only going to come through these harsh conditions, but we’re going to come through it stronger and better than before, which is a future I’m very much looking forward to.