Neither do you.  You wouldn’t believe how many times I hear “Oh, you’re the social media guys” or “Oh, your team does social media”. The first thing I think people need to realize is that social media is a tool, it’s really that simple.  Your job is not social media. Don’t get me wrong, social media plays a huge role in my job.  My job is to deliver content that helps customers.  To do this, I create content on Dell TechCenter around Dell solutions and then amplify that content through social channels.  Social media has also helped in communicating directly with customers and I would even say create friendships.  But still, I use this social media tool to help me with my job….it’s not what I do.

Some people would argue, “well, what about community managers or social media strategists?”.  I would say that your “job” would be to create a strategy on you/your company would utilize social to amplify or generate interest in what you do. Same goes for the job of community manager.  Your job is to be the bridge between the customer and your company. Some would say it would be even more along the lines of customer service or PR.  However, you use social as a channel to communicate with the customer and this helps you in your community manager role.

We need to make sure that people understand that you don’t simply “do” social media. You work WITH social media to help you in your career.  Understanding social media tools and knowing how to work with this technology can greatly enhance whatever career you have chosen.

Please leave comments and tell me what you think!