Andy Sernovitz

Andy’s Take: PR people make the best social media execs

By Andy Sernovitz on December 18, 2008 | 7 Comments

I had an awkward conversation with a recruiter for a Fortune 500 company, who insisted that they needed a top e-commerce expert to run social media for them. It’s a mistake: Social media is about conversations, communications, and customer service. It’s not about Web sites, and it’s not about sales. Put a sales-focused e-commerce person in charge, and you’re going to end up with a failed sales campaign with no impact or social media credibility. (They ended up hiring someone from a top PR firm.)

My take: PR executives make the best social media executives. There is a similar mindset. Traditional media relations requires finding the right influencers, building trust, and sharing credible, relevant stories. Translating those actions to social media — replacing reporters with the bigger community — is exactly how to run a great social media program.

Of course, an inept spam/pitch PR loser will be just as inept in social media.


Related posts:

  1. Combining social media with e-commerce
  2. How social media is shaping the b-to-b marketplace
  3. You, me, and us: The key reasons people talk

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  • Posted by Carrot Blog — Social Media & PR—the golden relationship? on December 22nd, 2008 at 7:56 am

    [...] this and who he think should be running the social media world: PR executives. As Andy says, “PR executives make the best social media executives. There is a similar mindset. Traditional media relations requires finding the right influencers, [...]

  • Posted by Dr Wright on January 4th, 2009 at 5:59 pm

    I do not agree. PR executives usually see social media as another microphone for what they are doing. I rarely see them creating or maintaining relationships in social media. They just blast out some ads and charge clients extra for a special “social media” press release. Social means Social- it means relationships and you can not pay someone else to maintain your relationships. Just like you can not pay someone to maintain your spousal relationship. You have to show up.

    Dr. Wright
    The Wright place TV Show
    http://www.wrightplacetv.com
    http://www.twitter.com/drwright1

  • Posted by Mark Parker on January 6th, 2009 at 4:33 pm

    I think both Andy and Dr Wright are wrong (but also partly right).

    The best social media execs will be those who understand what is expected and perform the role without falling back into their old habits (i.e. selling at every opportunity or blasting crap out into the socialsphere). So if the company fails to adequately define what is expected from the role then whomever’s in that role will fall back on what they know best.

    Andy, what you describe under ‘my take’ (in my opinion) is typical of why mainstream businesses are hesitating before getting right into Social Media – you make this new way seem like the old way with a bit of spit and polish – or more accurately a wolf in sheep’s clothing. You seem to indicate you think one of social media’s key goals is to find and manipulate?

    Social media is about web sites and sales, just as it is about establishing a dialogue and allowing the community to have freedom to explore and have an opinion.

  • Posted by David Petherick on January 7th, 2009 at 12:48 pm

    I think it’s not sensible to be too prescriptive, although my instinct would normally place a PR-aware individual at an advantage in taking a position in social media – but it is about starting conversation and dialogue, rather than pushing a story out, and social media is too often viewed as just another ‘broadcast’ channel – an stance that’s doomed to fail.

    By coincidence I blogged on a similar topic a few days ago when reviewing Adrian Ho’s chapter in the book ‘Age of Conversation’ see http://digitalbiographer.com/2009/01/05/237-reasons-to-read-aoc2-day-5-quote-19/where Adrian said “we can design interactions that allow our customers to really participate.”

    As Andy says, building trust and delivering credible stories is key – but it’s important to understand that, in essence, everyone is an influencer just as important as any other – even though short-term ‘results’ might be perceived as something achieveable by just having a few key blogs and individuals covering your story.

    Social Media is about conversation as much as story-telling – and that needs a mouth and two ears, used proportionately.

  • Posted by David Petherick on January 7th, 2009 at 12:49 pm

    Oops – that link got slightly mangled:

    http://digitalbiographer.com/2009/01/05/237-reasons-to-read-aoc2-day-5-quote-19/

  • Posted by The future of PR on September 9th, 2009 at 3:03 pm

    [...] From a column I wrote for Smart Brief on Social Media, where I am Editor-at-Large: PR executives make the best social media executives. There is a similar mindset. Traditional media relations requires finding the right influencers, building trust, and sharing credible, relevant stories. Translating those actions to social media — replacing reporters with the bigger community — is exactly how to run a great social media program. (Read the rest here.) [...]

  • Posted by Gina Rubel on February 15th, 2010 at 6:20 pm

    Andy – I couldn't agree more, although I'm definitely biased. It's all about communicating strategically and effectively with your “publics” – that's public relations. Social media has given us tons of tools to be more direct and more effective (while taking more time than it ever did before even with the immediacy of today's digital world). It's so important to integrate marketing, advertising, and public relations into social media engagement and then track the returns.

    Gina Rubel
    Furia Rubel Communications / Public Relations & Marketing
    http://www.FuriaRubel.com (Web site)
    http://www.ThePRLawyer.com (blog)

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