Question

Topic: Social Media

Handing Over The Social Media Reins?

Posted by KathyAd on 7/24/2013 at 3:26 PM ET 125 Points
I am an online marketing manager who has always handled my company's social media. For example, I create a spreadsheet with our tweets, I enter the tweets in Hootsuite, and then HootSuite posts the tweets to our company's Twitter account and to my LinkedIn account so we have 3 posts per day on each. I also take part in conversations, retweet posts from the target audience, etc.

I am joining a new company that already has a junior (or possibly mid) level person who tweets. My question is, how do I get this person to hand over the reins? (I am not very experience in managing people... I am sure there is a way to do this so they are loyal to me and inspired.)

There are 2 options:

(1) I DO THE ACTUAL POSTING — In this case, I would post to social media platforms for the company, just like I did at my old company. This person would have to get used to the idea of me taking over.

(2) THE OTHER PERSON POSTS, UNDER MY DIRECTION — This is the more likely scenario, in which the other person would keep posting to social media, but they would have to do it under my direction. How do I become the person who is driving social media strategy, and who management looks to as the social media expert? How do I make this other person feel like they are the "expert" (ex. let them continue to write verbiage for our posts and decide what to post each day), but have them look to me as the senior expert?

I know if another person was coming to my company and telling ME what to do with social media, when I've been doing it all along, I would be pretty ticked and feel like I don't "own" it any more.

Thanks for the input!

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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Moriarty on 7/24/2013 at 4:06 PM Accepted
    From where I sit, my thoughts are to leave well alone. If she's doing the tweets, let it be so. just accept it and take more trouble over the things you do.

    I would advise you to let her be the "boss". By which I mean, let her be the boss of Twitter - and you're delegating everything to her. Only make friends (you'll be in the same office, right?) and let it filter through that you really do know your stuff too. Don't lay it on, let it grow. She'll come up with difficulties, and so will you. In doing so you'll learn each other's strengths by osmosis.

    More to the point, there will come a time when you're appointed as manager over several people each of whom will be doing part of what is now your job. You have to let them do their work properly, and make sure they know their work is valued. Otherwise you'll just have a team of hangers-on who won't budge unless prodded with a sharp stick.

    Does this help any?

  • Posted by SteveByrneMarketing on 7/24/2013 at 5:20 PM Accepted
    I tend to agree with Moriarty, but it depends on the complete specifics of your situation, including personalities.

    Does your supervisor (or HR) have a written job description for you and the assistant, job titles, organizational chart, etc? If not, why not? You shouldn't be guessing about your leadership role without a discussion with the appropriate senior manager.
  • Posted by Moriarty on 7/24/2013 at 5:34 PM Member
    Thanks for that clarification, Steve. Those are important issues.
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 7/24/2013 at 6:06 PM Accepted
    Another option is to share with the existing "tweeter" what you did at your previous employer, showcasing the pluses and minuses of your "system". Then have them show you their system. Compare/contrast the benefits, and then create a "better" system that works for everyone.
  • Posted by josephmcelroy on 7/24/2013 at 9:15 PM Accepted
    You need to immediately develop a comprehensive social media strategy (hopefully integrated into a total Inbound Marketing strategy) that identifies objectives that tie into corporate strategic goals. Then illustrate how the tactic of Tweeting supports the overall objectives. Ask for a tactical plan from the junior person to demonstrate this support and then revise the tactical plan as necessary. Then have regular meetings to review the execution and tracking to plan.
  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 7/24/2013 at 9:31 PM Accepted
    Social media is less about "turf" and more about building a community by being an interesting person or company that's worth being connected with. My best advice is to park your ego at the door.

    Acceptance that you don't know it all (no one knows it all), will take you much farther than an edge that tells everyone they're doing it wrong.
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