Social media responsibilities began in marketing. It was a logical starting point because social media was expected to eliminate traditional tactics. The marketing team has always managed brand image. Social networks had the potential of expanding reach and solidifying or destroying the brand’s image. Choosing the people responsible for branding to be in charge of the channel was a good idea.
Evolution happened and the channel evolved differently from expectations. One department cannot adequately manage all of the nuances of social networking. There are three components to social activity. The first is the marketing message. The second is customer service. And, the third is the technology required to optimize presence and improve efficiency.
Many of the people who quickly made it to the top tier of the social networks did so because they understood the technology. It didn’t really matter that they didn’t understand business or service. They were able to optimize their presence in a relatively short time. This put them on top of the pyramid. It’s doubtful that they will stay there, but knowing how to use the technology well gave them a decided advantage.
The ability to optimize your online presence so that your messages can be sent efficiently is a game changer. Most marketing teams do not have the tech mindset needed. They also do not have the product and service knowledge to answer questions or the patience to deal with irate customers.
That’s okay because what they do have is the ability to create great marketing campaigns. The people with the appropriate skill sets can handle the service and technology challenges. Companies participating in the social channel need a task force to create the best presence and most efficient operation.
Ideally, this task force would consist of members from marketing, service, and IT that work well together and the latitude to do what needs to be done. The marketing team members would create promotional messages and schedule them to be posted at appropriate times. They would share the information with the service team members complete with documentation on specific requirements for contests and promotions.
Service team members would monitor all of the company’s active social networks and respond as needed. The IT team members would work with the creative team to create custom layouts and help with any technical issues as needed. All team members would participate in the responsibilities and rewards of a successful social media presence.
This is a major undertaking for most companies. While they may not be sworn enemies, marketing, service, and IT are rarely friendly departments. Interestingly, the channel that was expected to eliminate traditional marketing may be the catalyst for corporate integration. Here are some tips to get you started making the shift from silo departments and channels:
Assess the situation. If your marketing, service, and IT team members regularly hang out together, you are ahead of the game. If not, determine how alienated they are from each other so you know exactly what issues you are facing.
Create a plan. Document every responsibility for each team member as much as possible. The last thing you want is people that are already adversaries having opportunities to blame each other. Include success metrics in the plan so everyone knows what is expected.
Define a rewards program. One of the best ways to motivate people to work together is giving them the right incentives. Sworn enemies will become team players if properly motivated.
Name the task force. Choose a good name that encourages participation. Sometimes the name alone can inspire people to willingly cross department lines and work diligently for success.
Choose the team members most likely to succeed. This is a good opportunity to communicate to the entire company that working together is a career booster. Choose people known for their ability to work well with others.
Monitor activity and adjust as needed. This will not be an easy transition for any company. It will be especially hard in companies where departments have adversarial relationships. Monitoring activity closely until the program is working keeps everyone on track.
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