If you were like me, you took some time off last week from many of your regular activities. Of course, given the way things work these days, engaging with your friends via social media probably wasn’t one of them. Which raises a question (the answer to which is forthcoming!): how do businesses maintain their social media presence during down time? After all, as I tell my clients, social media is not a “set it and forget it operation. It requires constant monitoring and support if you are going to participate with your customers (or fans) – they expect their friends to converse and so must you.
So how do companies do it?
We have a bit of answer courtesy of the folks over at the Smart Blog on Social Media:
In this week’s poll, we asked: How is your company coping with your social media point person taking time off for the holidays? The results:
- Our social media efforts go dark when our primary contact is away: 35.87%
- Our social media person doesn’t get to take vacations: 17.39%
- We have a regular social media team that picks up the slack when one member is out: 13.04%
- We don’t use social media: 13.04%
- Our social media efforts fall to an alternate staffer: 10.87%
- Our social media efforts fall to more than one alternate staffer: 9.78%
Over a third go dark and I’ll bet they don’t leave an away message. It seems to me that only about 20% or so get it – you need to have enough staff to support your efforts regardless. Having supervised a staff that had to work out coverage during holidays (the night and weekend people were regularly scheduled), I know it’s not easy or pleasant. However, telling your social media person they can’t take vacation isn’t the answer – that’s why we get staffers embarrassing us on Twitter, or worse.
As my folks used to remind me, if you’re going to do something, do it right. That poll is a reminder that many companies aren’t there yet in social. The conversation won’t stop – your engagement can’t either.
Consult Keith 