Social Media Is The Responsibility Of Public Relations

July 18, 2008 · Comments

Jason Falls

A question I’m asked with increasing frequency at various meetings, conferences and gatherings is, “Where exactly should social media fall in the organizational structure?” It’s not an easy question to answer as different organizations have different strengths, weaknesses and established silos of discipline. The answer becomes even harder when my own honest answer is somewhat contradicted by my own agency’s architecture, with social media standing as it’s own department and almost stand-alone component of the marketing mix.

[flickr style="float: right"]photo:2466860959[/flickr]My honest answer is that social media should be the responsibility of public relations. Or at least that is how I see social media’s evolution.

The reason is simple.

Social media is a method of communications. Social media tools facilitate these communications. To be effective in social media, whether as a marketer or just an ordinary participant, you must, first and foremost, communicate well.

Yes, social media tools are mostly driven by technology. But they are driven by technology to deliver a message or messages. You don’t trust your IT department to layout your print ad. Why would you trust them to run your blog?

As I’ve said before, we are in an era of technology transition. Communications professionals are learning quickly that to be relevant and effective in the age of social computing, there’s more to competency than communication skills. Technology has become a requirement of the skill set. Yet, so many communications professionals – from public relations to customer service staff and from copywriters to journalists – are horribly deficient in average computer understanding, much less that of web-based technologies and tools.

Therefore, I would not plant social media efforts totally on the shoulders of the public relations staff today, unless of course your PR department can exhibit the kind of tech-savviness required to accept the responsibility. I would, instead, employ a specialist in social media (or hire an agency with one … have no idea who I’d recommend though … heh) who reports to the same person or department as the public relations director with both instructed to work hand-in-hand on social media projects.

What is most telling in your social media efforts is the message. And that is most likely already being supplied by your public relations or communications arm. If you see social media as technology-driven, you probably have your website run by the IT department when it often is, first and foremost, a marketing mechanism.

As soon as three to five years from now, I see social media marketing as an almost exclusive domain of public relations professionals, so long as we get our collective heads out of our asses and learn how to do it. Some of us are there. Many of us are not. Too many of us think social media is newspapers in Eastern Europe.

In my mind, social media is essentially public relations in the online world. Divide the category up by component — blogs, social networks, microblogging, podcasts/Web TV, wikis/collaborative software — they each ladder in some way to a component of public relations — writing, corporate communications, community relations, media relations, event management.

PR as social media owner in many ways also addresses the concern of the online community that marketers don’t belong. Assuming we can trim away the corporate speak and manage transparent communications efforts in years to come, public relations representatives are the least likely to sell and most capable of speaking as humans to humans, rather than up-selling hucksters to “consumers.”

Where should social media fall in the corporate structure? Right now, it depends. Tomorrow? Social media will evolve into components of a sophisticated public relations effort. The only question in my mind is, will public relations evolve to embrace it?

Image: “Responsibility” by Nosha on Flickr.

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  • Wow Jason, you are the first peron I have heard put social media in the terms of PR. I appreciate that perspective. I have always had a fascination for public relations, networking and forming relationships. Social media gives those of us who are naturals an opportunity to shine. If your good at it in person, you'll be great at it on the web. The important thing is to allow the experts to do their thing! It's a craft & it takes forward thinking. People need to realize social media is a campaign & needs long term goal setting. I started a company called www.SocialZipper.com, a Social Media & Networking Agency with two others. What I'm excited about is being able to guide other businesses into this new realm that grows deeper and deeper on a daily basis. Thank you again for sharing yoru information!
    Dayle Hoffmann
    www.SocialZipper.com
  • Thanks Dayle. I'll check the Zipper out soon!
  • Jaclyn Bryan
    I am a public relations student on the cusp of graduation. Before I am through with college I must secure a public relations internship. That said, I have noticed that social networking is now a preffered skill set. However, I do not think that most students know more about the infrastructure and marketing tools of social media (myself included). Sure, most people have "knowledge" about social networks and blog's, but that's all. I think messages sent via Facebook, MySpace etc... are similar to newsletters. It sends a message to the people who sign up for it and they MIGHT pay attention. Although, newsletters can fall on blind eyes. The traditional press kit and print ads will continue to be the most effective. Social media will be affected. It is only a matter of time until similar to MySpace, a new network will be frequented. You had suggested a pr social media specialist, no doubt such an employee will need to know more than "Well, I have a facebook." That is my current challenge as I make the transition to the "real world."
    p.s. I am educating myself about the importance to social media as it it applies to pr.
  • Thanks Jaclyn. I think you'll find each medium is more and less
    effective depending upon the client, product, message, audience,
    market and more. No one or two tools are always go-to. It depends on a
    variety of factors. Social media is becoming an important part of the
    overall communications channel for companies and PR professionals are,
    in my opinion, best suited to carry that responsibility.
    Unfortunately, we're far from the "suited" part being "capable."
    Hopefully your generation of PR professionals can change that.

    Thanks for chiming in.
  • Elizabeth Groen
    As a public relations student learning about the benefits of social media, your article shines the light on what I have learned and illustrates just how important social media is and will be to the world of public relations. In journalism school today, students are learning more and more about web-based technologies and tools. This should be encouraging after your frustration with public relations practitioners deficiency of knowledge on these topics.
  • It is Elizabeth. Thanks for sharing!
  • susang
    Couldn't agree with you more. I think in a few years, we will look back on this and laugh about how we thought social media was such a "separate" thing. It will be completely integrated into our profession.

    Social media, however, is different from any one tactic because it is a game changer for marketing and customer service. I think in the future, it may not be such a stretch to see the marketing, public relations and customer service areas merge. The question is...who will the leaders to lead this new age? It will be the people who understand all the functions and how they interconnect. The ones who understand traditional and new media. It may very well be the chance we p.r. people have been waiting for to "get to the table," and stop being the corporate butlers serving up warmed over mass messages. Personally, I think it's the best thing that's ever happened to our industry. Let's make the most of it.
  • I think, Jason, that where social media belongs definitely depends on who you have working for you. Take me, for example. I work for a non-profit that finds, trains and supports foster parents.

    I may be the marketing manager, but I have as long of a background in social media and even SEO as I do in marketing & advertising. By that same stroke, I also have experience in PR. The PR manager, on the other hand, has no experience outside PR. Yet, she insists, with each error--even egregious ones--that she should be in charge of social media and be instructing me how to do it. She is 54. I am 24.

    As a marketer, I know it is my job to sell. But being in a people-driven industry, I find that my marketing efforts are best served by listening to our "customers" and creating a basis for communication with potential foster parents. I have found that social media is my best marketing tool because I can talk directly to the people that matter instead of throwing a billboard at them while they're driving 75 miles per hour.

    So, what would you suggest in our case? Do I hand the reins over to PR? Or do I stand my ground and say, "this one belongs to marketing".
  • Great point, Amy. I think while my overall feeling here is clear, that some common sense needs to be incorporated depending upon the organization. It sounds like you have more background in social media than your PR counterpoint which might lend itself to you being more of an overseer. But there also exists internal politics, sensitivities, etc. First, I would completely dismiss age as a factor. You aren't qualified as a social media person because you're under 30 any more than she is more qualified in general because she's over 30 or 40. Still, since she is your elder, and that does carry weight in many organizations, perhaps you approach it with a partnership approach. "Let's work together to develop policies and programs that make sense for our organization and departments."

    Two cents from someone who doesn't know your organization. For what that's worth. Thanks for the comment and input. Great example of why one way isn't the only way.
  • I agree that Social Media has a lot to do with your PR!

    Increasing your presence on the web is everything.

    Ali Magnano
    www.whywebpr.com
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