MattSnodBlog

As companies continue to get involved with social media, we can see them doing so in a variety of ways. Whether it's Comcast using it for customer service, SouthWest Airlines using it for airfare deals, or GM and Ford connecting with customers online, brands are starting to realize the power of social media.

However, the implementation is still generating confusion. Who should be handling social media? HR? Corporate comms? Marketing? The CEO? The answer is, all of the above (to some degree). What many companies' individual departments are failing to realize is that social media is a communications channel available to and for the entire company.

If you think of a company as the hub of a wheel, the different social media (and traditional media) communications channels spoke out from there to the audiences (customers, employees, investors, suppliers, government, etc.). While the departments within a company, say the size of GM, may be so huge and disparate that they seem like companies unto themselves, the audiences only look back to the hub as one company. Therefore, that company needs to behave and speak accordingly. One department can't be saying that the priority is streamlining the factory while another says the priority is their carbon footprint. Everyone needs to be on the same page, which is why good external communications starts with good internal communications.

And remember the above list of who should be handling social media? Quite often, the one that's overlooked is the IT department. After all, social media happens thanks to IT. If you're looking to roll out a plan for Twitter and Facebook, be sure to loop in your IT department to work out the technical implications and processes. It was found that only 1 in 10 companies are involving their IT departments in this process.

I've found that the best course of action is to form an internal committee with representation from a variety of departments and regions. Get all of the issues, questions, concerns, and roadblocks out on the table. It's the only way to know how this will potentially impact -- and ultimately benefit -- everyone.