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This is the third part in a series of posts developing a social media toolkit for companies. When I last wrote my piece on Social Media Policies and Procedures (Part 1), it received a lot of interest and showed up fairly high in the Google Search results. Part two was developing a Social Media Strategic Plan.
As with any agency, organization, company, entity (herein company) mission, vision, and goals, social media is simply another tool in a portfolio of mechanisms to enhance the company’s internal operations and external perception with its customers and stakeholders. Below is an example of a company’s makeup from top to bottom, starting with its purpose down to the lowest level procedures:
- Mission, Vision, Values
- Goals
- Company-wide Strategic Plan
- Functional Strategic Plans (IT, Human Resources, Marketing)
- Tactical Plans
- Policies
- Procedures
photo credit: thefuturistics
Where Does Social Media Fit in an Organization
Depending on whether you are speaking to a company’s CEO, or a so called social media expert, the answer can be different. In fact, some organizations believe that social media should be the driver while others see it as a nuisance, or just another fad to deal with.
At a minimum, social media should be a part of a functional strategic plan, whether IT or Marketing. Ideally, it’s part of the company-wide strategic plan and integrated into the portfolio of tools that the company can use to enhance internal and external operations. If treated as a grass roots approach, social media will grow from the enthusiasts, although with passion, but without a vision. When upper management treats it as a serious initiative to truly enhance the company, the roll out and usage can be strategic and planned.
When planned, it becomes a part of the company’s goals, and tied into the mission and vision. Rather than hiring an intern or pushing it to marketing, social media should be integrated into the business owners. For example, an architectural firm should have its top architects participating and writing the company blog, tweeting, and engaging with its customers using social media. When that function is shifted to an intern, or marketing, the customers are engaging not with the business, but with a gatekeeper. Eventually, the customers will realize that they aren’t engaged with the company.
What Are Your Thoughts?
Where do you think social media should be in a company, if at all? Who should be the owner? The business units, or the support units? Will there be a social media group, like marketing, or will it just be a part of marketing?
With that, I leave you with a wonderful database of over 100 social media policies.
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