Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does

street fightThere’s a question mark over “who owns social media” when it comes to business.

Some say PR should own social media, since they’ve been dealing with the public faces of companies since time began. Some say marketing, as social media is the new email marketing is the new direct marketing is the new cold call marketing (but all wrapped up in a fuzzy warm cloak). Some say customer service; some say legal; some say sales. And so on, etc, delete where applicable…

You know who owns social media? No-one. Not an individual department. Not a niche. Not a job description. No-one.

Plenty (all) departments and sectors (should) own a piece of it.

Customer service should own the people-to-people side of it. Sales should own the business development side of it. Creative should own the strategy side of it. Legal should own the “keeping the shit off the fan” side of it. Every employee (ideally) should own some piece of it and help tell the company story. That’s the beauty of social media – everyone can have an impact.

But one single department owning social media? Sorry, personally I think that’s asking for trouble, not to mention limiting the potential of what it can offer you. Give me cross-department collaboration (over one department not collaborating and making everyone else cross) any time.

How about you?

Creative Commons License photo credit: ernop

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88 Responses to Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does
  1. dannybrown
    October 20, 2009 | 9:54 pm

    Still curious who owns social media? http://bit.ly/3Xd9Dp #socialmedia

  2. bloggingtweets
    October 20, 2009 | 10:00 pm

    New @dannybrown: Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does http://bit.ly/2IaLV2

  3. AllThingsM
    October 20, 2009 | 10:18 pm

    Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does http://bit.ly/FRyQi

  4. Mark Van Baale
    October 20, 2009 | 10:30 pm

    Danny, The topic of “who owns social media?” has been around for so long. Everyone has their own thoughts of who should own it, but I agree with your viewpoint. No one owns social media. It would be like saying who owns TV? Who owns radio? No one does. Social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc. are platforms that enable conversations between people. No one owns how a person uses social media tools. Until companies start getting a clue that you cannot limit ownership of social media to one department or group, they will never get on board or understand the true value of it.

  5. markvanbaale
    October 20, 2009 | 10:32 pm

    @dannybrown shares why he believes no one owns social media. Left a comment. What is your take? http://bit.ly/3kGRmO

  6. paulhyland
    October 20, 2009 | 10:34 pm

    RT @smmguide: Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does http://bit.ly/jIRW4

  7. Danny Brown
    October 20, 2009 | 11:03 pm

    Great points Jenn – and a lot can be put down to crappy consultants that are advising businesses how to get involved…

  8. rebeccahappy
    October 20, 2009 | 11:14 pm

    I work at a fairly large charity and we are bottle-necked with this kind of mindset. We are often very fear focused. Of course this is couched in bureaucratic jargon. For me I think it is too bad that we have to battle over these little things rather than embracing the new life that is brought about.

  9. Jenn Mattern
    October 20, 2009 | 11:19 pm

    I really feel your pain Rebecca. The politics of it all is precisely why I got out of nonprofit work and decided to go out on my own. The insanity and fights over every itty bitty thing were just ridiculous… not a very efficient way to cut costs and make sure enough of the funds were actually going to the people we were supposed to be helping. But I digress….

  10. JustinSMV
    October 21, 2009 | 12:25 am

    RT @DannyBrown Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does http://bit.ly/32CgLJ

  11. flegflegger
    October 21, 2009 | 12:52 am

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  12. koach84
    October 21, 2009 | 12:53 am

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  13. tzabaoth
    October 21, 2009 | 12:54 am

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  14. tifajhonson
    October 21, 2009 | 12:55 am

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  15. MissSocialite7
    October 21, 2009 | 1:16 am

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  16. ppenguin
    October 21, 2009 | 1:22 am

    Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does: Too many companies are missing out on effective social media use by getting.. http://bit.ly/GDB8b

  17. 2helppeople
    October 21, 2009 | 1:27 am

    Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does http://bit.ly/WaF28

  18. diana6801
    October 21, 2009 | 1:43 am

    Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does: Too many companies are missing out on effective social media use by getting.. http://tinyurl.com/yztk8jp

  19. Zimmermitch
    October 21, 2009 | 1:59 am

    Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does: Too many companies are missing out on effective social media use by getting.. http://bit.ly/2s2izx

  20. Zimmermitch
    October 21, 2009 | 2:00 am

    Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does: Too many companies are missing out on effective social media use by getting.. http://bit.ly/3ZeJbl

  21. Katrina_Adams
    October 21, 2009 | 2:01 am

    Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does: Too many companies are missing out on effective social media use by getting.. http://bit.ly/3ZeJbl

  22. rebeccahappy
    October 20, 2009 | 10:28 pm

    Funny to read this..Are there people who are laying claim to ownership? I beleive to do business you need to have an exchange of sorts with individuals and it starts with a social interaction. Social media is just another way of being social. Human beings are social beings by nature. They will always find ways of connecting for transaction. Your categories describe how certain departments may choose to use it but behind the departments lay people who will also be social just in passing so may cross over into other departments as well.
    I suppose with new tools businesses have to see where they want to invest their resources. Initially internet access was very limited but now most businesses can't exist without it. I am sure that the same will come to be as we all get used to what these new tools can do for us.

  23. Mark Van Baale
    October 20, 2009 | 10:30 pm

    Danny, The topic of “who owns social media?” has been around for so long. Everyone has their own thoughts of who should own it, but I agree with your viewpoint. No one owns social media. It would be like saying who owns TV? Who owns radio? No one does. Social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc. are platforms that enable conversations between people. No one owns how a person uses social media tools. Until companies start getting a clue that you cannot limit ownership of social media to one department or group, they will never get on board or understand the true value of it.

  24. Jenn Mattern
    October 20, 2009 | 10:36 pm

    I think the issue is that people are still confusing tools with functions. Social media relations? Definitely falls under the PR umbrella, with a bit of support from customer service for the one-on-one as you mentioned. Interested in social media marketing? Then absolutely go with your marketing folks. Want to find ways to take advantage of these SM audiences through advertising? Then ask your ad guys.

    The problem is when we see companies jumping into social media just to say they're jumping into social media — no clear objective or direction is when we start to see the brain fog regarding who to consult (or who to pay).

  25. Danny Brown
    October 20, 2009 | 10:58 pm

    There's a lot of “ownership claims” from businesses that are looking to move into the space but are still trying to control their message, Rebecca. Sure, you can control how part of the message is portrayed (your side) but once you put something in public, it's no longer yours. The belief that “well, if Department X handles it because they did the previous incarnation” is still holding so many well-intentioned businesses back.

  26. Emma_Wattson
    October 21, 2009 | 4:00 am

    Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does: Too many companies are missing out on effective social media use by getting.. http://bit.ly/2n1nOh

  27. Arvil_Lavigne
    October 21, 2009 | 4:01 am

    Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does: Too many companies are missing out on effective social media use by getting.. http://bit.ly/13Lg27

  28. Danny Brown
    October 20, 2009 | 11:01 pm

    It's funny you use radio and TV as two examples there, Mark – probably the two key candidates for “old” media practices (along with print), with their broadcast medium. The problem is, like you say, this is just limiting their appeal and reach, and once you place limits on something it's hard to not lose control through too much control.

  29. Danny Brown
    October 20, 2009 | 11:03 pm

    Great points Jenn – and a lot can be put down to crappy consultants that are advising businesses how to get involved…

  30. Megan_FoxGirls
    October 21, 2009 | 4:07 am

    Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does: Too many companies are missing out on effective social media use by getting.. http://bit.ly/2n1nOh

  31. rebeccahappy
    October 20, 2009 | 11:14 pm

    I work at a fairly large charity and we are bottle-necked with this kind of mindset. We are often very fear focused. Of course this is couched in bureaucratic jargon. For me I think it is too bad that we have to battle over these little things rather than embracing the new life that is brought about.

  32. Jenn Mattern
    October 20, 2009 | 11:19 pm

    I really feel your pain Rebecca. The politics of it all is precisely why I got out of nonprofit work and decided to go out on my own. The insanity and fights over every itty bitty thing were just ridiculous… not a very efficient way to cut costs and make sure enough of the funds were actually going to the people we were supposed to be helping. But I digress….

  33. tacanderson
    October 20, 2009 | 11:40 pm
  34. digiwedo
    October 21, 2009 | 4:49 am

    More on the who owns social media debate – we all do http://bit.ly/3kGRmO

  35. justinparks
    October 21, 2009 | 7:52 am

    RE: @DannyBrown I cant remember ever buying the rights to social media… damn, I missed the boat on that one. "Own… http://disq.us/23kee

  36. wchingya
    October 21, 2009 | 7:56 am

    Reading: Who Owns social media? No-one Does by @dannybrown~ http://bit.ly/3kGRmO

  37. gacconsultants
    October 21, 2009 | 9:03 am

    RT @DannyBrown Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does | danny brown http://bit.ly/32CgLJ

  38. dannybrown
    October 21, 2009 | 9:18 am

    RE: @steveseager Hey there Steve, Ha, I was going to use a similar image for my post – spooky ;-) Agreed – where… http://disq.us/23o9k

  39. dannybrown
    October 21, 2009 | 9:23 am

    RE: @StoryAssistant Great question Matt. At Maritz Canada, part of my role in socializing the company is "educating" t… http://disq.us/23oic

  40. legalninjaKris
    October 21, 2009 | 9:28 am

    RT @HennArtOnline: Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does http://bit.ly/3kGRmO via @dannybrown

  41. SteveAkinsSEO
    October 21, 2009 | 9:30 am

    RT @HennArtOnline: Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does http://bit.ly/3kGRmO via @dannybrown

  42. dannybrown
    October 21, 2009 | 9:34 am

    RE: @justinparks Ah, now this is why I love blog comments over a Twitter convo – you can really open up on some great … http://disq.us/23oz6

  43. joltsocialmedia
    October 21, 2009 | 9:39 am

    Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does http://bit.ly/16gmLb #socialmedia

  44. Jamie Favreau
    October 21, 2009 | 10:13 am

    I have to agree. Social Media goes over multiple platforms and some should have the part they are best at doing.

  45. Joe Hafner
    October 21, 2009 | 10:52 am

    Hey Danny – good post and an interesting discussion.

    Your post headline caught my attention from a different angle. It seems like there has been an increase in the whining from social media elitists about how the social space is developing. Some very well respected social media practitioners seem to be getting overly worked up about the snake-oil peddlers attracted to the “social media guru” title. To me, that is akin to whining about corruption in politics.

    More on topic with your post, I believe that governance is key to un-owning the message. Companies should provide employees with fences around the use of social tools. This allows each silo or dept to interact with the messaging as appropriate for their specific discipline. This is the approach that one of my clients is currently taking and it seems to be working. There are tweeks along the way, but to date it is coming together nicely.

  46. dannybrown
    October 21, 2009 | 10:58 am

    RE: @ochojoe Hey there Joe, Nice analogy between politics and social media – I guess when any platform becomes "mai… http://disq.us/23u08

  47. SteveSeager
    October 21, 2009 | 7:39 am

    Nice post Danny…and great comment from Jenn too. Just blogged on the very same topic after a client conversation yesterday. http://tiny.cc/KsEO1

    I totally agree. But there are two separate issues.

    1. The 'rules of engagement' in social media. I do think PR have the edge on others in the understanding of what it means to be 'social'.

    However,

    2. The way you use the channel (to achieve what business goals) should determine 'ownership'. Social media channels shouldn't float in a company without direction. Someone proactively needs to take responsibility.

    I j

  48. Matt Batt
    October 21, 2009 | 7:44 am

    Love this topic as it is one that I hear with every organization I work with. You've hit it on the head by saying many departments should own a piece of it. When ever I've been asked that question I typically say…your advocates or quoting Seth Godin your Tribe. But technically speaking internal responsibility absolutely should be spread throughout your organization.

    Here is my follow-up question…are we doing a good enough job advocating and educating the general business world about the value of social media or this new & powerful word of mouth approach? Yes, all of us communications, PR and marketing folks are figuring it all out but as usual we sit in our silos and advocate. No offense but more than not thats often what we do in our industry. Personally, I think its time we did some advocating with the c-suite, the VP of sales, the director of HR, etc.

    If no one owns social media within the organization…what can we do to make sure everyone outside of “marketing” understands and embraces its power?

  49. Justin Parks
    Twitter:
    October 21, 2009 | 7:52 am

    I cant remember ever buying the rights to social media… damn, I missed the boat on that one.

    “Owned” is possibly a misnomer on this occasion Danny. Controlled might be a better description, and the issue most companies are facing is this exact lack of control and consequently , lack of responsibility when engaging in social media.

    As you mentioned, what Mark Van Baale said about TV, radio and print not being owned is interesting as actually, they are under a strict control regime, whether its legal, company policy or the broadcasters policy, someone somewhere in those organisations has the final say on the words and message that are broadcast so I would disagree and say it is owned, just not by us.

    Social media is not the same. If you want to write it you can, tell your friends and associates about something, you can, make a video and send it out there, go right ahead and its this that companies are seriously struggling to comprehend. Lack of consistent and maintained control and regulation.

    They can either address it and understand it, hence they can adapt and work alongside it, or they can ignore it, stick their heads in the sand, brush it of as a fad and on their own heads be it.

    No single department can control the use of social media, its up to business to take a fresh look at what's going on and basically, get smart about it, first and foremost before anyone can start claiming rights to utilising it internally.

    God almighty I can go on, can't I. :)

  50. Jayme Soulati
    October 21, 2009 | 8:45 am

    So great to get your view, Danny. Have been tweeting this very question of late as it's been posed in ad trades and elsewhere on social media platforms. As a PR pro, it's shades of the integrated marcom fiasco of the late '80s/'90s when the intent was golden and the reality never saw the light of day. Considered, usually, the ugly step child in the mix, PR is a critical quotient to this question. There's enough of a piece for us all. ~Jayme Soulati (http://www.soulati.com)

  51. Danny Brown
    October 21, 2009 | 9:11 am

    Ha, great minds indeed Tac ;-)

    Spot-on post and if anyone does “own/control” social media for businesses, it's the consumers that define how you act in the space.

  52. Jenn Mattern
    October 21, 2009 | 9:12 am

    “The way you use the channel (to achieve what business goals) should determine 'ownership'. Social media channels shouldn't float in a company without direction. Someone proactively needs to take responsibility.”

    I'd say the ultimate goal would be to educate management enough on SM issues to make them capable of taking responsibility — delegating appropriate tasks and uses of social media channels to appropriate departments throughout an organization.

  53. SusanMontgomery
    October 21, 2009 | 2:12 pm

    RT @tweetmeme Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does | danny brown http://retwt.me/1dd5H

  54. Danny Brown
    October 21, 2009 | 9:18 am

    Hey there Steve,

    Ha, I was going to use a similar image for my post – spooky ;-)

    Agreed – wherever the organization needs to be is who ultimately has “control” of social media. Work alongside a robust social policy and you're pretty much good to go and leading the way – just don't get caught up in politics about who owns cross-culture social media. Instead, make it happen and make it collaborative.

    I'm not sure if I'd agree on the “PR have the edge on others” thought – I come across plenty PR owners and agencies where that's anything but the case. There are obviously exceptions to the rule, but I often find that much of PR is reactionary as opposed to pro-action. It is changing, mind you, so maybe in six months time I'll be looking at it differently. :)

    Cheers!

  55. Danny Brown
    October 21, 2009 | 9:23 am

    Great question Matt. At Maritz Canada, part of my role in socializing the company is “educating” the VP's, the ELT's and other executives as to the true benefits and metrics of social. Showing where it's needed, where it can be more effective, how it can work with existing business plans, how to “re-sell” to clients, etc.

    To spread the message more, we need to involve the company story and its employees – we'll only get the sea change if the mindset changes, and to do that it all needs to relate. Real-life examples, how the company can offer the same but on their “terms”, achievable goals and time-scales.

    I believe companies genuinely want to get into this space – we just need to make sure we're holding their hands properly and showing them how the path is tread, not why it needs to be journeyed.

  56. Danny Brown
    October 21, 2009 | 9:34 am

    Ah, now this is why I love blog comments over a Twitter convo – you can really open up on some great views and let it roll :)

    Possibly a misnomer, and I agree where you're coming from (though if something is owned, you control how it's presented so maybe a mix of both?).

    I've often wondered about the single department – or, more specifically, single team. But it needs a key person from each sector – so, customer service, finance, legal, PR, marketing, creative, advertising, HR, etc. Each person would be a senior employee from that sector and know all the ins and outs of how that department works, so can make judgment calls on social media feasibility per project. Then, go back to their respective departments, crack out the strategy, and regroup and move on from there.

    But is that too simple or in danger of becoming convoluted then?

  57. Jamie Favreau
    October 21, 2009 | 10:13 am

    I have to agree. Social Media goes over multiple platforms and some should have the part they are best at doing.

  58. JAHeinlein
    October 21, 2009 | 3:20 pm

    RT @DannyBrown Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does | danny brown http://bit.ly/32CgLJ

  59. rachelvelarde
    October 21, 2009 | 3:48 pm

    Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does http://ff.im/-afaaI

  60. Joe Hafner
    October 21, 2009 | 10:52 am

    Hey Danny – good post and an interesting discussion.

    Your post headline caught my attention from a different angle. It seems like there has been an increase in the whining from social media elitists about how the social space is developing. Some very well respected social media practitioners seem to be getting overly worked up about the snake-oil peddlers attracted to the “social media guru” title. To me, that is akin to whining about corruption in politics.

    More on topic with your post, I believe that governance is key to un-owning the message. Companies should provide employees with fences around the use of social tools. This allows each silo or dept to interact with the messaging as appropriate for their specific discipline. This is the approach that one of my clients is currently taking and it seems to be working. There are tweeks along the way, but to date it is coming together nicely.

  61. Danny Brown
    October 21, 2009 | 10:58 am

    Hey there Joe,

    Nice analogy between politics and social media – I guess when any platform becomes “mainstream” there are going to be those who feel it's “their baby”. Which seems to go against the whole “being social” mantra… ;-)

    Initializing a social policy is one of the key areas that so many businesses fail on (and, to be fair, a few consultants seem to skip over…). Sure, the platform is ope (and don't try and restrict it), but there still needs to be a proactive uniformed message along with the open one.

  62. johnhaydon
    Twitter:
    October 21, 2009 | 11:21 am

    Danny – Human Resources owns a part of social media as well. If create an environment that produces happy, empowered employees (like at Zappos or Netflix), they'll be saying good things about the company on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

  63. bostonmarketer
    October 21, 2009 | 4:30 pm

    Who owns social media? No one, says @dannybrown. But, someone DOES need to lead it. http://bit.ly/1u0eKw

  64. Rachel Levy
    October 21, 2009 | 5:13 pm

    Possibly. It will depend on how the company is run. When I worked at Kraft,
    Sales and Customer Service basically had a dotted line into Marketing, as
    Marketing was considered the brand owner. Not every company is like that
    though.

  65. johnhaydon
    October 21, 2009 | 6:03 pm

    Got it.

  66. Rachel Levy
    October 21, 2009 | 4:38 pm

    I agree completely. As long as we don't confuse “own” with “lead.” I do think someone has to LEAD social media. And, being that it concerns the outward facing reputation of the company, I do think the Marketing or PR would be best to lead the process. You?

  67. Danny Brown
    October 21, 2009 | 5:02 pm

    For sure, Rachel – there definitely needs to be some form of guidance otherwise it could soon fall into the crazy pit! ;-)

    Having said that, if it's down to the “outward facing reputation of the company”, you could point at external sales, or customer service, who're both visible to the incoming consumer. Marketing and PR are strong contenders, but I'm not sure either should be leading the process – an amalgamation of core reputation faces/sectors instead, perhaps?

  68. Danny Brown
    October 21, 2009 | 5:03 pm

    Definitely John, and that's one of the first things to make sure you get right – be a people strategist company first and foremost and then start from there.

  69. Rachel Levy
    October 21, 2009 | 5:13 pm

    Possibly. It will depend on how the company is run. When I worked at Kraft,
    Sales and Customer Service basically had a dotted line into Marketing, as
    Marketing was considered the brand owner. Not every company is like that
    though.

  70. MsBettyEaton
    October 21, 2009 | 10:14 pm

    Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does http://bit.ly/1B9fkF

  71. johnhaydon
    Twitter:
    October 21, 2009 | 6:03 pm

    Got it.

  72. Jeffhurt
    October 23, 2009 | 6:05 pm

    Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does by @dannybrown http://ow.ly/wbdv [So true!]

  73. Mandy_Vavrinak
    October 23, 2009 | 8:19 pm

    Who Owns Social Media? No-one Does http://tinyurl.com/ykj9le4 (@dannybrown nails it)

  74. MSchechter
    October 23, 2009 | 11:15 pm

    RE: @DannyBrown Totally agree with everything you are saying, but I think Rachel makes an essential point that while e… http://disq.us/29yyk

  75. Michael Schechter
    October 23, 2009 | 11:15 pm

    Totally agree with everything you are saying, but I think Rachel makes an essential point that while everyone needs to be involved and have ownership. Someone or a small team to coordinate the efforts.

    The other problem is smaller organizations where those departments don't even want to be a part of the SM efforts, none the less own it.

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