Yesterday, Jim told the story of Nora B’s, a restaurant in Elm Grove, Wis., whose Twitter account is handled by the owner’s daughter, who happens to reside in Florida. The interactions and experiences he’s had with @NoraBsSpecials are all positive ones and led him to the conclusion that social media done right with tribal knowledge doesn’t need to have borders.
Let me say that I also follow @NoraBsSpecials and I agree that the owner’s daughter, Erin, does a tremendous job with the restaurant’s Twitter account; especially since she lives more than 1,000 miles away. Jim’s story about how his wife tweeted to the restaurant, received an almost instant reply and that they were expected and greeted warmly at the venue when they arrived is a perfect example of how social media should work. Kudos to Erin and her family on this.
The most valuable thing a business can do in the social media space is interact intelligently with its customers and clients. This means that whoever is controlling that business’s accounts should have a good understanding of the ins and outs of the company and the day-to-day operations. That person should know what events are coming up, who the frequent visitors are, what specials are being announced and a myriad of other tidbits about the business that change frequently.
If we are honest with each other, we understand that Nora B’s social media strategy really works because the person handling the account from afar is the owner’s daughter, which is something Jim pointed out in his blog yesterday. This model would probably not work nearly as well if Nora B’s had hired a random social media consultant in Texas and expected that person to keep tabs on or hold as much interest in the Twitter account.
In my short time of having a business of my own, some clients have suggested that I launch, handle and monitor their social media accounts. The usual reason for this request is the time factor. In the few instances where I have helped out with a client’s social media strategy, I’ve helped launch or re-launch an account, monitored it for a month or two and taught the client how to use it wisely before handing the reins back to them. I understood that I didn’t know enough about the client’s business to take over their social media indefinitely.
On a personal note (and somewhat similar to the Nora B’s story), my family owns a business called Visionary Web. The business is more than 300 miles from where I live and they do have Twitter and Facebook accounts. I also do business with and for them from time to time. At no point have we discussed me taking over the company’s social media accounts because I am not involved on a daily basis. That’s not the decision Nora B’s made, but it’s working for them.
I can’t say that a business should never have an “outside” person monitoring its social media anyway. I handle the social media accounts for Jim’s company ColorMetrix. However, I am very much involved with the business on a day-to-day basis. I’ve met the clients, demonstrated the products and help out with marketing and project management. There is barely a day that goes by that I don’t communicate with Jim about ColorMetrix. In my mind, that makes me qualified to run the company’s social media strategy.
I still believe that Nora B’s example is more of an exception than a rule. It’s a special case. I think social media does have some borders. They might not be well-defined, but they are there.
Tonight’s #shehechat topics
Join us tonight at 8 p.m. CST on Twitter by following the #shehechat hashtag. Our topics are listed below.
- Does social media have borders? Can someone outside your business manage your accounts?
- Has social media created a language barrier with shorthand (i.e. L8=late, u=you, B4=before, etc.)?
- What happens when your staff isn’t well-versed in your business’s social media presence? (Jim and I have a real-world example from a recent outing.)