The future of our industry is full of bright-eyed, energetic, smart new graduates. Some were lucky enough to start their first job in the past few weeks, while the rest are still looking for their big break. They’re eager, optimistic, ready to conquer the world. And we’re setting them up for failure.
As more brands have begun incorporating social media into their overall marketing strategy, too many are looking around for the youngest person in the building or hiring an entry-level PR graduate and placing all the responsibility for social media integration in their hands.
What’s the rationale? The ones I’ve heard have been along these lines: “They’ve grown up with this stuff, so they know what they’re doing” and “They’re already on Facebook, so…”
This isn’t good for two reasons.
1. Many schools are NOT adequately preparing students on the topics of social media integration, social media strategy or social media tools. I’ve heard this from more than a few recent graduates in the past couple months. I had lunch with a friend this week who graduated in May and she, too, confirmed that there was little to no social media discussion in her classrooms. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough professors like Barbara Nixon, Karen Russell and Mihaela Vorvoreanu teaching in classrooms.
2. Knowing how to set up a Facebook account isn’t all that’s needed to create and execute successful communications programs – whether online or offline. You have to know your audience, set measureable goals and objectives, understand how to develop sound strategies, plan for potential negative scenarios, recognize a crisis as it’s unfolding and respond appropriately. I could go on. My point is that the skills needed to develop successful programs come with experience. And, unfortunately, two or three college internships don’t qualify you for that.
I’m not knocking the newcomers. I want to make sure we’re giving them the best opportunity to succeed and, along with their success, elevate the value our industry brings to brands.
My concern is that the organizations that turn over control of their social media efforts to entry-level pros increase their chances of negative experiences online. Maybe worse, though, is that they put unrealistic expectations on 22-year-olds who were fighting an uphill battle from the start.
Have you noticed this? Do you share my concerns? Do you think about it differently?
*Update: To be clear, this post isn’t about entry-level PR pros doing a poor job or even higher education’s job of including social media in curriculum. It’s about mid-level and senior-level people assuming the young one in the room understands how brands should use social media because they happen to have a Facebook profile.
*Update #2: Karen Russell wrote a post in response to this that may better clarify the point of concern I’m highlighting here. Check it out.
*Image by Łéł†Āķ Mă3ý.
David spends his days focused on marketing communications strategies and execution. He blogs here regularly about integrated communications, PR and social media.
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I don’t disagree with many of your points. However, I do think you’re selling higher education short.
Yes, Barbara Nixon, Karen Russell and Mihaela Vorvoreanu are all doing wonderful work. I follow them. But, there are others that have been doing it and even more are getting up to speed. It isn’t as dire as you make it out to be.
Yes, there is perhaps too much reliance upon young talent. But, this isn’t really new. For many, many years PR firms have hired young grads and given them the lion’s share of the workload. So, to make it sound like the young hires are mostly at fault (or the reason for the failures) is to do them a disservice.
You focus primarily on the new hires, yet then say you’re not knocking them. Call out those mid-level managers and C-suite people that enable and empower a system that has used email & snail mail release blasts. They are also to blame for the misdirected and poorly planned pitches and more.
Yes, using new hires can (and has) caused much of the problem. But, it is the management level PR people that are truly to blame.
Robert – either you misread the post or I wasn’t clear. (I probably wasn’t clear.)
I’m not putting any blame on the young PR pros. This post is aimed at the management level folks who task them with more than they probably should given their experience level. It’s setting unrealistic expectations for them. It’s not that they aren’t smart or talented or working their butts off. That’s why the title of the post is *We’re* setting them up for failure. And *we’re* isn’t even referring to higher education. It’s referring to management.
I wholeheartedly agree that mid-level managers and C-suite people enable and empower the system. In fact, I’ve written about that here before. Here’s one example – http://bit.ly/17bLL9
Lastly, you easily should have been mentioned along with Barbara, Karen and Dr. V in this post as examples of people who are setting college students up for success. My friend and former colleague Leo Bottary, too.
David, I’m sorry. I’m not trying to pick on you, really. I just see this meme all too often. Let’s not forget that agency PR may be your life and focus, but it is overall a small percentage of both the amount of PR being practiced and the number of people in PR. Most PR is local and being done by government entities, nonprofits and other NGOs. The numbers (people & $$$) aren’t even close.
Yes, those local entities also depend upon young hires too often, just like those in the agencies. But, most of them are not into social media and networks like the agencies are *trying* to do.
But what’s a new hire to do? Horrible economy. Hired by people that too often use them (not educate & mentor them, for the most part), these new hires could challenge their employers. What would that likely cause? Diminished stature in a firm where they are already at the bottom? Fired? What’s the option for these new hires?
Yes, it is an issue that needs to be discussed, but in the perspective of the known problems and instances. The vagaries of the problem have been discussed often. Dollars drive this problem. People seeking the dollars aren’t going to change until the dollars dry up.
It is an old problem, David. It didn’t suddenly arise with the onset of social media practice. It is rather firmly entrenched in the corporate culture of management and billing and more.
I’m not sure what to say, Robert.
Again, I agree with you. As mentioned above and in the post I linked to above, this has been going on for a while. Doing it with social media programs is a new practice on the old problem. It sounds to me like you think we shouldn’t keep pointing out the problem and new ways it’s showing up since it’s been talked about before and it has a dollar-driven agenda (which I agree with, though that doesn’t make it right). If that’s the case, that surprises me a bit.
The post I linked to in the comment above points out the exact same thing you mentioned just now in terms of the lack of options for the young pros who find themselves in this situation. So…again, I agree with you.
Lastly, I’m not really sure why my perspective should be diminished or valued less because agency PR is a small percentage of the total PR practiced. Unless you had another reason for sharing that.
Just focusing on the broader problem and its long history, David. I don’t mean to diminish your experience or focus, but to remind that it is happening many places. As you say, perspective.
David, thank you for mentioning my work with PR students.
The picture you paint here is pretty dire, and I hesitate to comment on it before seeing more than anecdotal evidence. I’d like to see how many students are or are not trained in social media integration – even if they’re not trained in social media, if they understand the basics of PR & communication planning (which is taught very well in MANY schools) they should be able to apply those principles to social media and any other new contexts that may come along. I’d also like to see how many new grads are placed in leading positions without any safety net or mentoring, what their success rates are, etc.
I understand your worry, and it may be valid – I just don’t know. The difference between fear and anxiety is that fear has a real risk at its root, whereas anxiety is more vague & diffuse – there may or may not be a risk there. I’m not sure if your post is about fear or anxiety…
That being said, I hope that students and their employers mentor each other – I think this is happening a lot, and both parties benefit
Either way, thank you for thinking about young PR practitioners and their best interest. Your post may be a necessary warning signal, and it’s better to be warned before the problem escalates!
Thanks for sharing your insights and perspective. It’s definitely appreciated, especially since you, Robert and I have different vantage points.
I don’t think it’s dire, but certainly something to be aware of and concerned about. I don’t have hard statistical data for you (notice I didn’t call it a trend), but it’s something I’ve heard more of lately from quite a few recent grads. In fact, a standout PR student left a comment on a post here a few months ago saying he was concerned about this for himself and his peers when graduating this year.
On another note, I’m glad you added the point about two-way mentoring, which is a great practice.
David-
I’m totally with you. Our student-run firm at Michigan State University has a couple different clients we so some PR work for. Lately, everyone wants us to make a Facebook page or a Twitter account. When we start working with the clients, we make it clear we can do the tactics, but we need help both understanding and setting the strategy.
I’d venture that other PR folks see that, too. It’s not just management; it’s the clients that think tactics instead of strategy when it comes to social media. And along with what Robert said, is this something that is just now happening? I can’t say for sure as I’ve only been paying attention for a few years.
Thanks for sharing some of your experiences, Nick. To answer your question about Robert’s point, using junior-level staff to execute the majority of day-to-day work has been how the industry works for a long time. It’s budget driven. Junior-level folks are billed out at a lower rate at agencies and cost less in salary and benefits on the in-house side. So you have senior-level folks set the plans/objectives/strategies and junior-level people execute.
Social media is a new area where that same problem is happening, only this time it’s as much about people at the management level being unfamiliar with the online space as it is about dollars, in my opinion.
If being “budget driven” and using junior-level staff just to do tactical work is a problem, then there needs to be a significant change in the public relations industry that focuses on the quality of an employee, rather than the quantity.
This is something that I’ve observed to be a very serious problem. In our society, experience is often looked at as a key determinant to how successful someone is, but that’s not always typically the case. What ever happened to putting someone on the job/project who does that job/project best? …great ideas founded in solid strategy? …providing the necessary tools so that employees are successful? Someone could easily sit on a job for years and not evolve or show insight that warrants a promotion because of lackluster or ordinary performance.
To be honest, I’m a recent graduate who has always understood, if not tried to understand, the “bigger picture” when it comes to public relations. Strategizing, creativity and the use of research are things that led me to desire a career in PR. I was that guy in Intro to public relations that always asked “Why do we have to write a press release … is that all we need to do?” — demanding that there has to be more just implementing tactics.
In fact, handing me several tactics and telling me to accomplish them is NOT a good idea unless I understand what role those tactics play in the overall scheme of things. I’ll either ask why (but at some point you have to stop asking questions so you won’t be seen as incapable/annoying) or make an educated guess (which could be dangerous if I’m making guesses and executing based off incomplete information). That’s just how I operate. Some call that childish while others call it initiative.
I say all that to say, management and mid-level practitioners who aren’t properly nurturing entry-level employees will only hurt themselves in the long run. That doesn’t mean that I (or any other students for that matter) don’t want to do the brunt work, but it does mean that the higher-ups should tell subordinates WHY not to touch the stove as opposed to simply telling them not to touch it, hoping that they don’t burn themselves.
I’ve been burned before on an internship and with a client that I did freelance work for because I wasn’t given the bigger picture. Tactics come after strategy and if you’re implementing them without a focus on the strategy(ies) and objective(s) then it’s a recipe for disaster. That’s true for any public relations model (RACE, ROSIE, RPIE, etc.) which are used in today’s industry practices.
Thanks for speaking up for students and entry-level practitioners. It really helps to know that someone actually cares about what we’re facing!
Great post, David. There are still too many people out there who assume that social media is occupied purely by young people (under 25), and that young professionals know everything required to run a full campaign. Just like any other channel of communications, social media campaigns require skill, perspective and a strategic outlook to be successful. While many young pros have a lot to contribute to these campaigns, putting all the responsibility on them for those things is, as you say, setting them up for failure.
Good post David. I see where you are coming from – but we really did grow up with this stuff. I think a valid argument is in the concept that mastering social media/networking is, for the most part, a self taught skill. It’s not something you take classes in during school (it was never mentioned once in any of my classes (I’m a May 08 grad). So, on that note, ‘we’ (twenty-somethings) have had just as much time to learn the medium as someone twice our age. It’s not a medium that’s been around through the ages (radio/print/tv) that the older generations have a one-up on – so there is something to be said for younger folk you are engrossed in the web all the time – we’ve had first-hand experience for years.
That being said, it’s not something that every twenty year old just ‘gets’. My fiance, for example, has no clue where to begin with social media marketing, while I consult, write about, and preach it’s benefits all day long. As you pointed out – many companies bring on people saying ‘Hey, this guy is 23, he’s got a Facebook, he must get it’. Every 20 year old girl who loves posting picture on Myspace isn’t going to be able to run your companies social media initiatives.
Really good thoughts David (as always). I always leave your articles with some new perspective. Cheers!
I think this discussion is similiar to “who should be in control of social media,” be it marketing, IT, PR,etc. There is no right or wrong answer. The person(s) who should be in charge of social media should be the one(s) that are most skilled. Same can be said about “higher-ups” hiring entry-level PR folks to run social media. Some are good at it, some aren’t. But why does age have to be a determining factor. In an ideal world, the entry-level PR person would have a number of internships under his or her belt, would have the basic foundation of public relations and would be able to go in and be successful.
-@kmskala
Thanks for jumping in to the conversation. It’s appreciated.
The fact of the matter is that experience is helpful, at the very least. My understanding of strategy today is much more advanced than it was when I graduated from school – despite three internships and being selected by faculty as one of two Most Outstanding Students in Public Relations Studies. That’s not a knock on young pros (including myself 8 years ago). It’s just a fact.
The second concern I have is that many entry-level pros don’t have the courage to push back or they are in a job where questioning and push back aren’t encouraged. That comfort level normally comes with more experience. They’re told to set up a Facebook page, but they don’t ask questions like:
-Does that make sense for us?
-Who are we targeting through the Facebook effort?
-What are our goals for using Facebook?
-How will we know we’ve been successful?
-How will use Facebook regularly so that it adds value?
-What do we do when 17 groups pop up titled “We hate (X company)!”
And, unfortunately, too many mid-level and senior level pros don’t understand or use social media. It’s the shiny object. And they have shiny object syndrome. So they say “we must have a Facebook page” without really stopping to understand why they should and if they should.
The results of that will most likely be sub-par and leave them thinking that Facebook didn’t work for their company, so social media doesn’t work for their company. And it probably, unfortunately, would leave said young pro feeling like they hadn’t done a good job, when it wasn’t really their fault to start with.
Agreed! Because of the advancement of technology, more pressure from clients to see immediate results and an environment that fosters round-the-clock work for not round-the-clock pay, it’s that much harder for SR level folks to help JR PR people. I briefly addressed this in a post making an argument that as communications people, we have 2 major responsibilities, and everything we do stems from them: building perception and being a connector. However, we don’t teach younger employees these functions, we dump the tactical stuff on them: “If an AE is performing the TPS Report of PR (media monitoring) but doesn’t know why, how is that beneficial to the client?” Take a look at the post if you get a chance, curious as to your opinions: http://thesternbergeffect.blogspot.com/2009/06/what-should-public-relations-be.html
Thanks for sharing the post, Josh. I’ll take a look at it.
David,
I agree, I think the assumption that graduates understand the system better as a marketing tool because they use it is flawed. At the same time, I think graduates should embrace the opportunity to lead these campaigns. This is a way they can distinguish themselves, rise quickly in a company and show their resourcefulness. Yes, it’s a steep learning curve, and they will make mistakes along the way – but, in the end it is really up to the graduate to seek guidance and assistance – whether it be inside and outside the firm – if they don’t have clear goals.
I’m a little over a year out of college and essentially run the marketing and public relations department at Inktel. It was and continues to be a challenge. I’m still learning many things, but I’m grateful for the opportunity and the challenge. I don’t think I would have learned as much as I have in this past year if I had specific steps or guidelines to take. Nor would I have sought out the help of others and started reading blogs like your own for perspective and insight.
Yes, managers need to modify their expectations that graduates intrinsically have knowledge of how to use social media as a tool for branding – but that doesn’t mean they can’t challenge them to learn fairly quickly.
“If we’re growing, we’re always going to be out of our comfort zone” ~John Maxwell
Thanks for sharing your experiences at Inktel. Love the Maxwell quote, too.
David, you bring up some excellent points. As an agency owner (and baby boomer), who has spent considerable time and energy trying to understand the subtleties of social media, I think it’s an important investment in learning that needs to be embraced by PR folks at all levels.
Certainly when we’re looking for new hires, we want juniors who have a keen grasp and passion for social media. Who they are and how they interact online is key as to whether or not we’ll hire them, along with strong communications skills, of course.
But it’s equally important for the mid-level and senior folks to learn about social media too. That’s not to say everyone has to be a blogger, podcaster, twitterholic. But we all need to be aware of the new tools and how they work in order to provide intelligent counsel to clients as to how and when these social media components can be woven into an overall communications strategy.
Sure juniors may be the first to learn about new apps, but the entire agency should listen, evaluate, master and counsel.
“But we all need to be aware of the new tools and how they work in order to provide intelligent counsel to clients as to how and when these social media components can be woven into an overall communications strategy.
Sure juniors may be the first to learn about new apps, but the entire agency should listen, evaluate, master and counsel.”
Amen.
David,
Thanks for sharing a great post.
I’m a senior at Kent State University, and our public relations program uses a PR Online Tactics course to teach students how to line up social media tactics with client objectives and strategies. We learn how to blog. We learn how to tweet. We study how social media can benefit an organization, and we learn how not monitoring it can hinder an organization.
As an intern in health care PR, my coworkers have enjoyed learning from my knowledge of Twitter, Facebook and the blogosphere.
Although we’re ahead of the curve, many PR students at Kent State are not intrigued by social media. But as interns and entry-level professionals, I believe we can play a significant role in advancing an organization’s social media efforts.
You’re right: Having a Facebook account for five years doesn’t make you a Facebook expert. Handing such responsibility to entry-level professionals could go sour, and that’s why mid-level and senior-level managers should work with them to make sure social media efforts are lining up with objectives and strategies. When (and if) a crisis does occur, the mid and senior-level professionals will be prepared to work hand-in-hand with the social media specialists to handle the situation appropriately.
First, kudos to Kent State for what sounds like a worthwhile approach to not only using social media tools, but tying them back to overall goals and strategies. That’s great!
I agree that interns and entry-level pros can play a great role in advancing the organization’s social media efforts. And it’s a great way for them to show their value to the organization. My point, and it seems yours, too, is that mid-and-senior level managers need to work hand-in-hand with them to line up tactical efforts with overall goals.
I wholeheartedly agree with you! I’m a CEO who had this thinking two years ago…our interns can show us how to work the social networks and we’ll be good to go.
WRONG!
New college graduates, no matter how many internships they have or how smart they are, do not have business experience. There is nothing more frustrating than talking to a client who has their receptionist or the intern creating their social media presence. While I think all employees at companies need to have a social media presence, just as if they’re customer service reps, the strategy and the vision HAS to come from the top.
Great post!
Thank you, Gina. Appreciate you sharing your experience and initial approach. The strategy and vision must, at the least, be guided by the top.
That’s one of the problems that’s leading to this, I believe. Too many look at social media tools as one-offs. They aren’t. You should have a reason for being there. What is that reason and how will you use it to accomplish your goals?
Agreed. Senior managers often do a terrible job of mentoring young staff, helping them to develop good sense of judgment, how to anticipate issues, etc. These are core competencies in PR, SM is just another tool that will flourish or fail if not backed up by sound, analytical thinking and well planned strategy. Its a manager’s job to ensure that workers, young or old, are up to the task.
I’m so glad you posted this today…as a continuation of our conversations about this subject. I mentor several different college students and I’m constantly surprised about how little they know about social media…for business purposes. Are you telling me that there isn’t a marketing or jouralism track or series of classes dedicated to social media? Based on your post, my experience and very little hard research…the answer is no.
This said, how can we make a difference? Is PRSA leading this charge and I just haven’t heard about it?
I’m curious to hear from others about how this major issue might be resolved at colleges and universities…but more important from the business/community leaders in each of these markets. Its important that this burden doesn’t rest on the academics but the business professionals who are using social media effectively.
Perhaps there is potential to partner with the folks from the Blog Council (www.blogcouncil.org)? Anxious to hear from others on this subject!
Matt – Always appreciate your thoughts.
This post is less about the shortcoming at some higher ed institutions regarding social media and tying efforts to overall goals and strats. It’s about what we can do to ensure we’re not looking at social media efforts as one-offs and hand it over to the new grad without any guidance, direction, etc. The lack of some higher ed institutions teaching social media strategy/integration is one reason why we shouldn’t expect new grads to be able to automatically run successful campaigns without said guidance.
That said, we can all improve at our jobs and helping higher ed close any gaps on the preparation side is certainly an important way we can contribute to both it and our industry getting better.
I think it would be good to hear ideas from higher ed folks on how we can best collaborate and partner with them and academics to help better prepare students, in the spirit of continuous improvement.
Thank you, Matt!
I’m on the fence with this one, David.
On one hand, the future of any industry is always shaped by the young. Give them opportunity and they will learn, experiment, innovate, stumble and grow — and usher in inspired new ideas in the process.
On the other hand, I see the risks of letting someone still wet behind the ears manage the social media show.
Unlike traditional news media, the kingmakers of the social media sphere don’t have the constraints of editorial boards, shareholders, boards of directors and advertisers. In many ways this freedom is a benefit to society, but the risk to a client is that a blogger or Twitter user can be more unpredictable, more impulsive and less bound by an ethical code than traditional publishers.
We saw with Motrin what happens when an enraged mob gets out of control. As a medium of the moment, social media is a powder keg. We’ve seen veteran PR pros and business leaders blow themselves up by misreading the mob — trusting a newbie to make split second decisions and balance conflicting interests is a risk.
I’m not suggesting that all new PR pros are destined to screw the pooch. We’re graduating bright, talented, enthusiastic newcomers every day. But the obligation of the CEO is to protect the clients, protect the company, and minimize risks — not give an up-and-comer a shot at the big leagues.
I agree completely with you. You just did a better job of saying it. Hope the post didn’t come across that all entry-level folks will screw it up.
David-
Historically, junior-level PR folks have almost always been put in a sink-or-swim situation. While the learning-by-dolng method is often effective over time, we, the mid- to senior-level PR pros, expose ourselves (and our companies and/or Clients) to the kinds of stumbles, bumbles and repercussions we see on bad pitch blogs and the like…. not because these newcomers aren’t smart, but because they’ve often never done what we’re asking them to do in the “business world” with “real people”…
As for the assumption that college grads “know” social media and therefore, should be responsible for it, I think this is no different. The issue is not whether they can set up a FB page or Twitter account. But can they handle the responsibilities of maintaining the company’s most valuable assets: its business relationships and its brand. Isn’t it irresponsible to lay that heavy burden on someone who doesn’t perhaps know well or understand the whats, whos, hows and whys behind the key messages, the stakeholders, the influencers, the competitive landscape, etc. Isn’t it irresponsible to give them this responsibility when it’s very possible that they’ve, for example, never crafted a 140-character on-message response to a key customer before? Aren’t we unfairly setting them (and us) up for miserable failure if we do just that?
Unfortunately, the training and mentoring is often foregone due to a litany of tasks that always need to get done. I think, as mid- to senior-level PR folks, we must find the time to properly train and mentor these newcomers (and our teammates) to our field… both on PR tactics and strategies and on our company or Clients. Yes, this takes time (time we often don’t feel we have), but in the end, we all win if we can make this a priority.
And, of course, maybe they can teach us a thing or two in the process as well.
Hi David,
I found your post particularly interesting as it raised a lot of issues that have already been addressed in the comments. I wonder about the flip-side, though. As companies continue to look at younger staff members for social media expertise, are recent PR grads being given enough opportunity to investigate and learn traditional PR tactics and strategies?
Several of my internships looked to me for insight on social media due to my age and blog presence, and as I grew more knowledgeable about social tools, the majority of my daily tasks focused on digital PR practices rather than pitching journalists, planning events and presentations, or working on other PR initiatives. When I left my internships, potential employers looked at my resume, saw all my digital experience, and assumed that’s the direction I should keep following (e.g., working in digital practices at agencies, launching social media campaigns for non-profits, etc.).
My point is that I hope those higher up the PR ranks encourage their interns and young employees to experience offline and online client campaigns, because there is (and always will be) a need for both. If this doesn’t happen, then, yes, young PR pros are being set up for failure because we won’t have the skills and experiences necessary for successful non-social media PR campaigns.
Thanks!
Meg
Excellent point and one that I hadn’t given much thought to. Really interesting perspective.
David, thanks for the interesting post. Personally, I think there is a bigger issue than agencies hiring (and giving responsibility to) junior or just-graduated PR folks as their social media mavens simply because they’ve grown up with it.
Just because these junior hires know how the tools work doesn’t mean they understand the fundamentals behind social media and have the insight to create the strategies. Where are these juniors getting their direction from?
The way I see it is that not enough senior execs at agencies are making the time to truly understand what social media is, what it entails, how it can help their clients. If these senior people don’t have that insight, how can they guide the junior hires in their execution?
Unfortunately too many people think social media is about the tools available to us when nothing could be further than the truth. Without understanding the strategy and knowing exaclty how it ties into an organization’s key objectives, execution is pointless.
The ability to devise a strategy is something that comes with experience, it can’t be taught. If the PR execs leading these agencies are not entrenched themselves, how can they expect to guide their team or help their clients?
David,
You do bring up valid points, but I am with Robert and Mihaela on this post…I’d like to see hard evidence on what is or isn’t being taught and successfully conveyed to students. For the past three years, I have integrated social media into every course at Northwood University. There are certainly more in highered that are ramping out because they see their peers doing so and because the students are asking for direction.
Truly, social media tools/practices only amplify a larger issue…are we teaching students the solid fundamentals and relevant theory to put into practice. I am appalled when students come into a class and not know how to properly write an objective or consider measurement as a “nice to have” versus a MUST HAVE. Are we teaching how to relate PR strategies and tactics to the bottom line versus counting the number of HITS or clippings?
Also, shame on the agencies who give the interns and young professionals tactical assignments without basis in strategy or evaluation. This is an issue that will not be solved overnight, but requires a culture shift.
Hey Lauren. I’d expect that you’ve done a really good job integrating social media into the curriculum at NU. That’s great.
Let me point out again that the topic of this post isn’t that higher ed is failing students/future pros by not incorporating SM into curriculum. The point of the topic is that mid-level/senior level pros shouldn’t deem entry-level pros “social media experts,” treat social media as a one-off and hand the young pro the reins to those efforts without any guidance or oversight into how those efforts tie back into overall goals, strategies, etc.
One of the reasons I shared for not doing that is that we shouldn’t expect that all grads coming out of communications programs have even been adequately exposed to social media strategies and tools and incorporating those as part of your overall marketing mix.
I don’t have hard evidence. But I do have several recent grads, including more today either in comments on this post or direct messages on twitter who have said their new employers are putting too much expectations on them in terms of their ability to develop and execute social media campaigns that make sense for the business simply because they’re the young one at work. I don’t think we should wait for hard evidence to say, “hey, that’s not good and here’s why you managers shouldn’t assume they can run with that without you being there hand in hand.”
To your point and mine, if the larger issue is students not knowing how to properly write an objective or considering measurement a “nice to have” then that’s yet another reason not to turn over your foray into social media without lots of guidance and help.
Thanks for your perspective!
I understand what you’re expressing in your article and it makes a lot of sense. I think people are just in panic mode and doing whatever they can to make a dime without spending one. I tell most of my clients and associates that they still need to incorporate other strategies in their marketing efforts. Twitter alone won’t get the job done. And I am clear with my clients on what I can and can not do. I can get them set up with social networking accounts, teach the the tip, tricks, and time saving tools, but a marketing or PR expert is going to give them much more than I ever could.
There’s a huge learning curve where social media is concerned. I happen to get it, but people who don’t are SO LOST. And yes, many of them think “well, you’ve got a Facebook page, so I’m sure you can help me make a billion dollars selling my jewelry on Facebook.” Nope, sorry, I can’t. Sure, I can set you up and we can launch a campaign, but be realistic. Not every tool works for every biz, and don’t expect miracles!
Great post David. Obviously a hot topic and very relevant to my situation. I’m fresh out of school (May’09 grad) and looking for a career in social media marketing. Not to say the professors aren’t trying to keep up, but my own efforts reading blogs such as this one and practicing with myself as a brand kept me far ahead of the professors teaching communications/PR/marketing (I had a journalism prof just ask me to teach the class about Twitter because she did not understand). We may have grown up with this technology, but what we are seeing is that professionally, it is a completely different animal.
I’ve dedicated my own blog to the subject of social media marketing and I have found that there are many differences between PR, marketing, advertising, professional social media, and personal use of social media tools. If the problem was simply meshing old technique with new technology, mid-level management would figure out how easy it is to create an account on social media sites and stop worrying about finding the youngest candidate to sign in for them.
At this point, I believe the most knowledge can be learned from experimentation, reading, and involvement in the social media world. It takes much more than logging into to understand the intricacies of strategy and campaigns and much of that needs to be taught in agencies/corporations/non-profits. If you want somebody to log into the latest trend, you can ask my little sister to do so. If you want somebody that is going to learn and produce innovative campaigns while both accepting mentoring and mentoring those around them, find a recent grad that has taken the initiative to learn all they could from the online community that is so willing to share these days.
Thanks again.
- Scott
I completely agree with everything you’ve said here, David. As a young professional, I sometimes feel obligated to know all that I can about social media just because it’s already assumed that I am an “expert”. Yes, I’ve been on Facebook for a few years, but strategy, planning, etc? With only a couple of years of experience, that stuff is a little over my head. I know that a lot of my fellow young professionals feel this way too; it’s a lot of pressure to live up to being an “expert” when you’ve only been graduated for a couple of years!
David, I started to comment but it got so long I wrote a post: http://tinyurl.com/llzhwp — I do think many PR educators are doing a good job, but I don’t think employers should assume young people know about social media just because they’re young.
Great continuation of the topic on your blog. In fact, you may have stated my point better than I did. Thanks.
Really great post, I was/am going to blog about the same thing today (I’ll link back to this as an example). As a manager at a PR agency, I agree we sometimes neglect to give the newcomers the tools they need for success. We see this over and over again when we talk to clients about social media and they say, “we’ll just give that to our intern.”
To me, it’s not about knowing your way around social media tools. That’s great and we need to employ people who “grew up with it,” but we also need to teach them the business and marketing skills that go along with a social media program. To your point in number two above, executing a Facebook/Twitter strategy for any brand is different from uploading photos of your friends.
David – you make some good points here. I think it’s a common misconception that because the younger generation has more social networking savvy that they can manage those program elements, and the older crowd let’s them run wild because they don’t take the time to learn the tools and don’t know what questions to ask.
Our team learns about new tools and tries them out together, and we all play a role in outlining strategy. I know I can’t advise clients if I don’t understand the vehicles.
As you’re usual, you’re so right!
I totally agree. I think PR/coms professors should consider regular check-ins with practitioners to gain additional insight for the classroom. I frequently share social media-related learnings with my former professors and ask theme to consider sharing insights with their students.
I’ve read most of the comment threat of this post, and it’s encouraging to see such a conversation. My experience in social media came quite by accident. While directing the marketing communications department for a consortium of financial advisory companies, I began blogging about the convergance of social media and public relations three years ago.
That blogging came about because my graduate program in applied communication was weak in social media instruction. While my concentration was in message development and rhetoric, I noticed the trend of social media going mainstream in marketing. And we’ve started to understand social media as a marketing function — ergo social media marketing. But that’s a wrong understanding of it.
Social media or Web 2.0 is about tools — blogs, Facebook, Twitter — you get the picture. While I think it’s important to understand how these tools work, its more important to understand that message still matters. I think schools of journalism that house public relations programs continue to do a fair to above average job teaching message development skills. However, the way we engage people is changing. So the body of research — agenda setting theory, et al — which has guided our thinking and understanding of engagement is shifting and converging with group and interpersonal communication, two bodies of literature we fail to address in traditional PR classes. We need to begin introducing students to that literature.
Don’t misunderstand me. Learning about social media tools is important. And I believe schools can address the learning curve by incorporating these tools into every class. For example, I have worked with a seasoned public relations professional and faculty member to create a course where we use PitchEngine SMRs to create news release. And I’ve completed a thesis where I call for the use of social networking sites, such as Ning, not only as an educational tool in the classroom, but as a marketing tool as well.
At the end of the day, however, social media tools are tools, just like a hammer will always be a hammer — whether you use it to drive a nail or bust out a window.
David,
It’s so ironic that you wrote this so soon after our lunch meeting, : )
I had a thought about all this that I’m not sure was addressed. I’ll preface by explaining to those I don’t know offline that I was lucky to go to a fantastic yet small liberal arts university, with a strong emphasis on writing. Regardless of whether I’m writing a press release or a tweet for a client-I feel confident in my PR foundational knowledge, but most importantly in my writing skills.
On that same note, I would worry that if colleges and universities ever shifted emphasis within their PR disciplines to new media over traditional public relations practices that future students would really lose a great deal. As you said at lunch, new media is just that, new-and it will forever be changing. I strongly agree with you, a few comments back, where you said that schools should focus more on integration. An understanding of how to use strategy and basic PR skills will be a far stronger talent to have in your arsenal than a working knowledge of twitter tweets. However if schools could teach the concept of new media and its application in “real world” PR, it would help. Case in point…I was taught about viral videos and blog seeding. Not really groundbreaking.
On another note, I would like to point that just because I am a twenty-something does not necessarily mean that I (or my peers) have necessarily grown up with social media, or are now in a constant frenzy of communication with it. I had a similar conversation with another intern this past week, and we both agreed that the generational image of a millennial going to the internet as a fish goes to water is simply highlighting a section of our demographic. In comparison with what others may believe about me based solely on my age, I rarely get on facebook/twitter. I say this because, 1) I’m too busy actually working to succeed in this horrendous economy and 2) I really don’t care what all of my facebook “friends” and twitter followers are doing 24/7 and I don’t expect that anyone else cares all that much what I’m doing 24/7 as well. I would probably laugh if someone handed me a huge social media project because “I’ve grown up with it”. I have only had a facebook page since 2005 (because at that time it was designed to be just a network for college students)-and twitter in the last 6 months. This may shock some readers, but in fact I was studying and interning during my “growing-up” time-and if I want to socialize, I’ll do it offline.
In closing, I think it would be a really interesting experience for junior-level and senior-level practitioners to spend a day in the life of the entry-level. They might be surprised at the difference between now, and when they started out-and more importantly, it might help open a line of communication so that the levels could better understand one another. A better understanding could prevent purely assumption-based projects. Granted, it would never happen, but imagine the possibilities.
Hmm…I agree that it is placing the new hires in an uphill battle from the start, but are they really being left on autopilot with no focus from the company? Are companies truly undervaluing social media to the extent where they assume a graduate with a Facebook account can set up a proper campaign? Especially when it is the agency/company who’s reputation is on the line by doing so.
While I agree with what is said in this article, I have not personally come across it. Social Media is still new – even more so than the web itself. Cases like this are why we are expected to be in a constant state of continuing education, regardless of how old our diplomas are.
Although, I will add, that I’m sure cases do exist where this is assumed. Luckily, my experience has been positive in this light.
David,
You raise some great points here, as do the people who have commented. Ultimately, it’s about the need for mid-level managers and C-level execs to nurture and develop young talent across the board, in my opinion. It’s not a challenge unique to PR and social media, which I’m sure everyone realizes, although you highlight a very relevant example for PR professionals. Regardless of how extensive a course of study might be, strategic business thinking comes with time and practice. Yes, we need to let younger workers dive in and learn from experience, but it’s important to create a culture of collaboration where questions and brainstorming are encouraged. As many have said, there’s great opportunity for learning on both sides of the generational/experience divide. Just my two cents…
~ @lindabeth
David,
Great conversational springboard here! My two cents is that to expect every young/entry-level PR pro to have strategic or any social media experience just because of their age is a disservice to the young talent out there, the social networks and our clients. Frankly, it’s ludicrous.
As a mid/senior level PR pro, it’s incumbent on me to understand new communications channels and use them myself rather than just push them off onto someone else.
More importantly, we should explaining the strategy behind our campaigns whether they are traditional PR, integrated or just new media with our young hires so they know more than just the tasks and to-do lists and begin to understand the reasons why a certain course is charted.
I think that will empower both groups to collaborate and exchange ideas — both learning from each other.
Thanks for giving me something to think about today.
Great post. This is an issue that I have had experience with, both positive and negative. I have been out of school for almost two years now. At my job (in-house PR) I have sometimes been on just the tactical side of projects. As others have said, this has been the traditional role of the entry-level position.
However, I have had some good mentors at my job with mid- and senior-level pros letting me sit in and ultimately participate in decision-making meetings. The catch here is that, they probably wouldn’t have let me participate at this level yet (as they have proven with some of my other entry-level colleagues) if I had not shown an understanding of strategic thinking. I take it upon myself to read the latest business books, to follow these kinds of conversations on blogs, to listen to the way senior leaders talk and I can therefore ask intelligent questions and can contribute to the “big picture.”
My point is that this can sometimes be the chicken-or-the-egg complex. I would not be participating in strategic planning and other “higher-level” decision making meetings had I not proven my abilities, but I also would not have such well-developed abilities, had I not been given the chance to participate. I don’t know what the solution is, but I can advise my peers who are in entry-level PR positions to always think strategically, even if you are only executing tactics. If you get lucky, some of the people above you may take you under their wing, but there is always some amount of luck that you can make for yourself with just a little effort.
An excellent post and ensuing discussion. Here at Notre Dame University Australia (Fremantle) we are about to introduce the first Australian university course dedicated to e-PR. I have incorporated it into my other classes for the past two years.
Wow, this post really struck some chords. As a recent graduate currently seeking new opportunities, I feel obligated to give my two-sents.
Social media was discussed and covered in my curriculum, but there wasn’t a stong enough emphasis on the strategic aspect of this new medium. Personally, I took it upon myself to learn about social media and how to use it for PR purposes. I simply didn’t want to be left behind. I read dozens and dozens of white papers, bought books on the topic, subscribed to blogs such as Communications Catalyst, and enthralled myself in social media.
While simply having a Facebook page or Twitter feed does not constibute “expertise,” it certainly helps one become familiar with social media tools. And when used approriatley, participation in the social media realm can evolve into knowledge of its role in the marketing mix.
I specifically use social media tools to converse with knowledgable professional — such as yourself — and learn from them. I use blogs, Twitter, etc. to share content with like-minded individuals and contribute to the conversation. By doing so, I have acquired a firm grasp on social media and how it can be used as a strategic PR medium. In fact, I wrote a thesis on social media entitled, “Public Relations & Social Media: Evolution Meets Revolution,” in which I discussed the evolution of the practice (how it began, its role in society, what it is, etc.) and the revolution of social media (its emergence, tools and tricks of the trade, etc.).
Basically, social media simply compliments the traditional practice of PR. Public relations is a versatile practice. The principles and purpose are the same. A new medium has just been added and “gatekeepers” are losing their prominence. Universities just need to examine that social media is best used as a tool for monitoring, content disribution, and two-way conversation with audiences. Once those basic principles are understood, further endulgence can commence.
While I agree that there probably isn’t a strong enough emphasis on social media in many college curriculms and the task should not be soley be bestowed upon recent graduates, I do, however, feel many young professional are very up-to-speed on these new technologies and their role in the practice of public relations — if they work hard, research and devote significant time to understanding.
To me it makes sense to hire young professionals to HELP handle social media strategies. They may not be qualified to be handed sole responsibility, but their youth and enthusiasm should serve a company’s social media objectives well. We must remember that many seasoned PR pros no very little about social media, while most young professionals know a fair amount.
Thanks for the post and starting the lively discussion. Sorry for the long-winded comment. Have a great weekend!
JGrass
David – I loved this post, and it’s something I really try to focus on in my presentations for associations on WHO should be doing your social media. So many times, execs are gullibly willing to just hand over their communications strategy to an intern or entry level because they know how to make a Facebook page. Social media isn’t about doing, it’s about engaging. And by putting someone in charge who does not understand your brand, you are literally giving them the reigns to your strategy. SM is an enhancement of the foundation that has been built, so why ruin it by giving it to someone who doesn’t understand?
As a Millenial who heads up an entire SM campaign for my organization, it took about 2-3 weeks of planning and discussing before I felt comfortable being in charge of it. This was also after a year of working there and knowing the brand like the back of my hand. I think people don’t understand the responsibilities of the SM space.
Lauren
Social media’s integration into PR using current strategies and theories is down right messy. However, it is an essential part of evolving PR and the enhancement of new techniques.
Here’s the dilemma though: Youth with social media knowledge are not effective marketers. Established marketers with no social media knowledge are no longer effective marketers either.
The key is finding those people who exist somewhere in the middle (and age does NOT matter here). Whoever can best blend these skills into an effective whole will be well suited for PR’s evolution.