The voice and tone of how the brand comes to life on social media should not be the sole job of one or two people.
Why it matters: Companies would never let one person dictate a brand campaign, so why should one person dictate the entire presence of a brand?
When one person dictates the entire presence, too often it becomes about personal preference. Social media is not about the person behind the account. It’s about the brand.
Just like social media is part of marketing, social media should be a collective effort within the marketing function. Breakdown the silos, open up the doors and make sure the work is mapping back to what everyone is driving towards. When a team contributes to the channel it becomes about the bigger picture and helps leave egos at the door.
The big picture: Yes, there will always be someone who plays gatekeeper on the channels. I believe in defining lanes, having gatekeepers and knowing who ultimately is the final decision maker. But the “big picture” of the presence should never be dictated by one or two people. It’s imperative to make sure there’s a team that contributes to the collective strategy — a strategy that starts with the brand and larger vision. The old ways of social being a role that lives in a silo should be long gone. Yes, organizations need people who are experts and gatekeepers of the platforms, but it should still be a collective effort.
Bottom-line: At the end of the day social is part of the larger marketing ecosystem. It’s time to structure how we hire and work in that way.
