The demands of social media today can take a toll on any executive – there are just not enough hours to post, tweet, like, comment and blog – let alone do an actual job. Often, time-constrained executives turn to communications consultants to help develop and drive their social media platforms (which, in my humble opinion, is a good thing).
Of course, you want someone who captures your essence and creates content that is relevant to your industry and passion. Find someone like that and you’re halfway to a successful social media presence. Then, you have to provide your relevant point of view — weekly calls, bullet points or links to relevant articles are all great fodder for any communications person to use in creating blogs. Once you have an information feed established and are comfortable with your writer, you have to get out of the way.
This is where it gets tricky: the thing about social media is that it is immediate. Twitter waits for no one. Tasking a writer to develop a blog based off your company news or as commentary to industry news requires a fast turn-around, which many writers have no problem accomplishing. What can’t happen is to have that blog sit in your inbox waiting for your review and approval.
If you are not going to give your writer your immediate attention, then you have to get out of the way. If you have an established relationship, believe in your writer. I have written many blogs that have been lost in cyber-space – blogs that would have helped my clients break through some of noise on social media and strengthened their positioning. But an unapproved blog is an unpublished blog – and a missed opportunity.
Trust your gut and trust your writer. Any communications professional worth his or her salt won’t jeopardize a solid working relationship (or paycheck for that matter). Do you still have to drive tone and content? Of course, you do. But do you have to hold off getting your voice out there because you don’t have time to review three paragraphs? No, you don’t. You can find another trusted resource in your company to be your eyes – or, you can get out of the way and let your (hired) voice be heard.
Author: Robin Imbesi