I wrote defining social media relations as something of a hypothetical, to test the idea of a new role responsible for coordinating a company's interactions with the market through social media. Today, I read a very similar description from someone who's been doing the job.
Jeremiah Owyang initiated the community marketing program at Hitachi Data Systems. Today, he shared his definition of the community manager role (follow the link for his commentary):
- Listen to find out what customers are saying.
- Respond quickly when appropriate.
- Inform stakeholders in the company what’s happening.
- Shut up and sit back.
- Listen more.
I wanted to talk with Jeremiah about how the program is working out, but he's kind of busy now—taking great pictures in Asia and handling the transition to his new job at Podtech. When he announced the move on his blog, he wrapped up his experience in a way that really captures the attitude companies need toward social media:
We’ve launched thought leader blogs, user forums, and other tools that reach to customers for an open dialogue that will help us to listen to customers and build better products and services.
If you want to have a happy experience in social media, emulating Jeremiah's attitudes toward online communities will serve you well.
Tags: SMR blogger relations
