I agree we do need a social media strategist for now although in time it should be in the DNA of every PR or communication specialists. However, i just did a post on “Crisis Management: is social media the way to go?” and i think a social media strategist would be really useful in a such a case.

I signed up just a while ago to retrieve some interesting documents I found there. Kat was quick to drop me a mail, welcoming my usage and slight sharing of the changes to come for them. Best of all, it wasn’t one of those template mail I have received. Not surprisingly, it gave me that feeling of “oh, I’m being noticed and brought into the family the very minute I stepped in…”

A strategist can often propose a lot of ideas for adoption, due to their indepth studies and observations. It will come down to the point whether the recommendations are executed. Afterall, Social Media isn’t about putting something online and that’s it.

While dyed-in-the-wool advocates of social media may disagree with me, I believe that one still needs to integrate “old” marketing and PR strategies with the new and dizzying world of social media. You cannot expect to sell something in any space – real or virtual – without first securing the trust of your customer, and making him or her go through the psychological process involved in the buying decision. Similarly, one needs to be clear about the benefits offered by one’s product, its price point, the services and “value added” that comes with it, as well as the channels that are used to distribute it.

Finally, I think that there has been an over-emphasis on theory and strategy and an under-emphasis on implementation and results in the new media arena. You may be surprised that the best guys to get the word out there in the social media networks – at least in Singapore – may be the most amateurish, most nonsensical and least intellectual bloggers in the business. However, they have tonnes of raving fans. And that’s what counts ultimately isn’t it?

I agree with the point that the social media strategy role is a very specialised one. While it’s a tad too early to say whether such specialist roles will cease to exist, I believe that just like the evolving nature of the internet, such roles will also evolve over time whether in an integrative fashion to cover the other aspects of communications; or into something else altogether.

As a consumer, I look around at the many brands/products/services I encounter, and wish so many of them had a way for me to actually interact with them.

I think especially for companies dealing with the younger age groups, they need to move to social media. And not in the way that many are approaching it with right now, ie trying to swoop in and expect an immediate reaction. I think the building of relationships and community takes a much longer time, something with companies may not have the patience for.

One of the big questions I have is whether corporations would bother paying someone to fulfill this role.

Rather than focus on technologies (that come and go) let’s focus on customers.

If we’re meeting customers online, helping them and talking with them, we’ll need dedicated roles to handle this relationship –just as we would in person.

So the need for online communications will certainly occur, and key roles will be needed.

BTW the link to Kevin should be social media STRATEGIST, not socialist.

BTW: I miss singapore