Social Media: The Rules of Engagement

Social Media: The rules of engagement

Are you tweeting or LinkedIn? Are you getting face time on Facebook, or are you still a MySpacer? Do you Digg it or podcast? No longer simply the playthings of over-communicative, self-obsessed teenagers, social media has made its way to the boardroom. And as this technology has been quickly and widely adapted, it’s sometimes difficult to know where the lines are, because the standards for their use are constantly evolving just as they do.

I don’t know about you, but I prefer to keep my personal life separate from my professional life. And social media sites like Facebook make that difficult. On one hand, I feel obligated to participate in social media so that I can make informed recommendations to clients about it. On the other hand, I’m feeling a little overexposed. Do I friend my teenage sons? My husband doesn’t want me to add him to my Facebook page, because he has similar concerns. It’s a real conundrum.

A couple of resources I found that address these questions are this post at Digital Labz, “The 11 Rules of Social Media Etiquette” and this one at Techipedia, “The Social Media Etiquette Handbook.” They’re a good first step, if you’re new to social media.

My clients are increasingly interested in social media, and I’ve often pondered the ideal role an agency should play and where the lines are here. So this article, “Who Owns Social Media?” at AdWeek really caught my eye. Key excerpt:

“I’m not saying every digital and/or every PR agency is ill-equipped to deliver against “social.” What I am suggesting, however, is there’s an acute and fundamental flaw in equating “social” with “digital” or “social” with “earned media.”

So what’s the solution?

Perhaps the solution is to return to the clichéd “integration” drawing board and figure out how to ensure that all three sides of the equation are equally represented around the table. In this scenario, there’s a definite and defined role for an “integrator” — an independent third party (internal or external) that is the generalist to the physical, digital and virtual specialist verticals, with less interest in ensuring success in any one world than in simply ensuring your success, period.

Having said this, it may also turn out that there is no such thing as a social AOR.”

I think that’s right.

The thing I tell clients is, social media should be a consideration like any other media and a part of an overall integrated marketing plan. It’s one vehicle to consider among many, and may be more relevant for some audiences than others. And because it’s still very much an evolving marketing vehicle, looking before you leap is key.