Comments on: Want More Attention for your Social Media Marketing? Send a Chef

By: B2B Public Relations: Whither Goes the Company Spokesperson? | Marx Communications

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:58:58 +0000

[...] confront the “that’s the way it is” mentality. I was recently reminded of that when I read a post by social media/PR pro Shannon Paul. Paul talks about the long-time PR favorite tool – the company [...]

By: Shannon Paul

Shannon Paul — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:54:17 +0000

Thanks, Tom – I’m sorry if I was unclear. I was using the metaphor of the chef to represent the person/people responsible for social media integration and the owner/manager to represent the official spokesperson.

I think people should speak as themselves anywhere they converse on the social web. I think it’s important to understand the company’s point of view, but bringing that point of view into conversation with your own voice is the key.

P.S. This isn’t just about a company’s social media “accounts” on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. This applies to outreach into blogs and other online places where conversation is alive and well — like forums and message boards. It’s important to not let those conversations go ignored just because they may not be as high profile as a Twitter-post from a “influencer”.

By: Shannon Paul

Shannon Paul — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:50:56 +0000

Paul – Great points. However, I always feel compelled to remind people that programming content for posts on social networks is such a slim part of the job of bringing social media into a company. This is why having the people who do the work present the information. This is crucial and helpful to those who are trying to bring it to their organization.

By: Shannon Paul

Shannon Paul — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:48:34 +0000

Dave – Love the concept of extending this metaphor to the waiter. That’s why a lot of us working in social media refer to the public facing part of the job as “in the trenches” or “on the front lines”. Good stuff :)

By: Tom Martin

Tom Martin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:27:20 +0000

Shannon,

Great post — one thing I don’t think you included, but I’d love to hear your two cents on — whether it is the chef or the official spokesperson speaking in the SocMe channel (at a conf or online) — I think it is important that they not sound like an official spokesperson… maybe that is what you meant by “sanitized.”

But even going beyond that… I sometimes hear companies say the socme accounts (twitter/fb) should speak “as the company” vs “a person who handles the SocMe duties” at the company.

Your 02 on the topic?
Thx
@TomMartin

By: Promotional Products

Promotional Products — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:09:14 +0000

Shannon, love the post and the analogy. I was a bit confused because I thought it was going to involve Domino’s and their transparency campaign. But it turned out to be great any way. I love the last part about making people “get it”… This is huge.

By: paulbalcerak

paulbalcerak — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:48:45 +0000

I love a good analogy and this one's dynamite. I think, as with anything, there are upsides and downsides to either approach: An official spokesperson can be good, simply to maintain consistency (you don't want five people answering one question five times, in five different ways) and to make use of the best you've got. I feel like the guys Veronica mentioned are great examples—they're plugged into the company, but they're also social media pros and they get how the medium works. They're good ambassadors. It's almost like "The Alaska Airlines Twitter Show with Elliot Pesut." Then again, a spokesperson can create way too much bureaucracy and take all the fun and usefulness out of social media. I had someone tell me recently that one of their employees got a humorous jab on the company Twitter account and was asking around about how to craft a Tweet in response. It's 140 effing characters—what is there to craft?!?! Like I said, completely unnecessary and it makes them seem fussy and old (probably not what they're going for). So I guess for me, it all comes down to who's running the Twitter/Facebook/etc. page.

By: Dave Van de Walle

Dave Van de Walle — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:05:26 +0000

I guess my fave analogy — that of the guy or gal fronting the retail store, like Gap — might have been trumped here. Nice post!

Seriously, you can take this even a step further: you’re not putting a muzzle on the waiter when he goes to talk to the customers. If you plan on using social media to get your MESSAGE across, it’s gotta be less about having one person do all the talking and more about general guidelines — try the veal, I prefer our house red, etc.

Hey, everyone’s a brand ambassador these days, right?

By: Veronica Sopher

Veronica Sopher — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:19:19 +0000

Hi Shannon! Great analogy! People want to hear and learn from the person who is doing the hands-on work. Two perfect examples right here in Seattle are Brad Nelson at Starbucks Coffee, and Elliott Pesut at Alaska Airlines. They often have the best and most compelling stories to share, because nothing speaks to the audience like experience.