By Scott Westerman
I recently found the new FordTaurus presence on Twitter. In a heartbeat, you can tell that it’s a bot, populated by a PR type. This surprised me.
Since my hero, Scott Monty, has become a poster boy for enlightened corporate social media engagement. I initiated the following conversation.
MSUScottW: @FordTaurus take a lesson from your own@ScottMonty: a little less sales pitch, a little more humanity. Hope you guys do well on Twitter!4:44pm, Jul 17 from Osfoora HD
ScottMonty: @MSUScottW That’s excellent advice Scott, but @FordTaurus is on an automated feed until we figure out the staffing for it.5:43pm, Jul 17 from Web
MSUScottW: @ScottMonty let me provide you with an MSU intern! Write wsw@msu.edu and I will make it happen. We love Ford and are glad to help.5:55pm, Jul 17 from Twitter for iPhone
ScottMonty: @MSUScottW I appreciate it, bit we don’t assign interns to our Twitter accounts.6:03pm, Jul 17 from UberTwitter
So let’s talk about Interns and what value they might add to your communications strategy.
First, the scary stuff:
- Interns are young. They don’t have the maturity or experience to be allowed to speak for an important public brand.
- Interns are temporary. The whole concept of an internship is a short-lived-relationship and just when we get em trained, they are gone.
- Interns are un-predictable. Being Gen-Y’s, they have different attitudes and career objectives. Their loyalty is questionable and there is the risk that they may say something -really- embarrassing.
- Interns are typically poorly paid, if at all, so we don’t have the iron-fist of an employment relationship to hold over them as a hammer to get them to behave.
- Interns just plain make HR nervous. They are in a grey area between employees and non-employees and “statistics show” that they may cause more problems than full fledged team members.
All of the above is BS.
Great internship programs are the ultimate test-drive-before-you-buy program. For the company, it’s an opportunity to pre-screen team players in the real world environment of our corporate cultures. And for the intern, a well designed program becomes a real resume item that can enhance your personal brand.
So, Scott… Here are some suggestions on how you might be able to take advantage of interns in Ford’s social media communications.
- Define what you need – Create specific job descriptions for what you expect each of your interns to do. They should NOT include getting coffee or running errands.
- Hire with care – Treat all internships exactly as you would hiring a full time employee. Do the background checks and give em all the tests you require.
- Fully train them before turning them loose – If social media is your space, create a best in class L&D system to bring them up to speed on the social media culture of the company, the ethical and legal ramifications and the style points of social media messaging. I love how my hero, Tony Hsieh at @Zappos, has found a way to share their legendary customer service culture with a broader audience and is earning incremental revenue at the same time.
- Include them – in your staff meetings, brainstorming and in all communications loops. Seek their input. Teach them how to effectively argue their point, and help them learn when it’s time to salute and follow the agreed upon game plan.
- Coach them – Like all employees, they will screw up. That’s normal. Encourage them to “fail forward” and learn without fear. Give them the benefit of your experience. Hold them accountable for what they say about your company, just as you would anybody else on your communications team.
- Celebrate them – In the late 1970s the cable television industry began to be heavily populated by Spartans. We had a great professor at MSU who helped kids get into the major companies. And since he prepared them well, they did well. Their companies returned the favor by saying how great Michigan State kids were, and as a result, more got hired. Today, some of those names, people like Clark Bunting and Susan Packard, are the visionaries that have guided their companies to new heights of achievement and shareholder value. All of this can start when your intern walks in the door. If they do good things, cheer it from the rooftops. Help them find permanent gigs, if not with your company then elsewhere. Social Media is the hottest thing around and we need trained, talented, enthusiastic people out there to be part of the rising tide that will hopefully raise all boats.
- Fight for them – Social media is about finding and encouraging product evangelists wherever they may be. The threat of “public relations debacles” and class action lawsuits has been and always will be part of our world. Hear your corporate fear mongers out, but remember that at one point in your history, someone with a great idea did what everybody else told him was crazy.
What you will get:
- A fanatically loyal team member who will do their best to support the team and the brand.
- An educated spokesperson who understands your broader messaging strategy.
- An expert on a key market that your company probably isn’t serving nearly as effectively as you could, working in a space that connects directly with that market.
- An important additional voice who can share valuable insights.
- A strong candidate, already trained, coached and ready, for an opening you may have for future full time employment.
- A lifelong believe in you, your culture and your company.
I guess if you don’t define you interns in these terms or can’t provide them with the grounding, training and coaching they need, don’t give them the keys to your social media machine.
The reality is that the kind of people you are looking for will likely talk about your product anyway. You just won’t have the same influence.
We who came first to this social media platform have some serious battle scars from our fights to drag our companies into this profitable space. It was a long hard road to get to where we are and there are still forces within all of our organizations who would prefer the arrogance of a more closed communications system.
On top of that, some of us, have become stars in our own right; well paid go-to guys who spend a lot of time listening to the people who introduce us at conferences tell others how smart we are.
That’s a seductive comfort zone we need to avoid, or we will end up being the people that the next generation of communicators fight against.
So I challenge you to continue to stretch and innovate. As you think about where your social media outreach is, and how you’d like to take it to the next level… break the paradigms, turn the prism.
As JFK said, “To those whom much is given, much is expected.”
Welcome to that place.
Feedback welcome to scott@spartanology.com or to @MSUScottW on twitter.
Check out our blog: alumni.msu.edu/blog to see how we give our kids the keys.
Scott, thanks for pushing, but it’s not going to happen. We are responsible for a global brand, and we need to be completely buttoned up about everything we utter, no matter what the platform. For that reason, we don’t put interns in front of cameras or reporters to act as public spokespeople either. To suggest that we treat social media any less seriously devalues its role.
Scott Monty
Global Digital Communications
Ford Motor Company
Scott,
You hit the nail on the head. I couldn’t agree more. Having been on both sides of the spectrum (intern & now hiring interns) I can see why an employer would be apprehensive. It’s the job of the employer to provide the guidance, training and have confidence in the intern. They can be especially helpful if the companies product is sold to a Gen Y audience because they are Gen Y.
Not to mention it’s great experience for the student.
Thanks!
-Brett
I believe in giving all employees, including interns, the keys to the social media machinery. I believe in authentic transparency, trust, and sincere dialogue. Everyone at the company has a role to play, and may contribute to a more robust dialogue – they may even discover opportunities for brand extensions, new products, new channels, new audiences, service issues, etc.
Trust employees and they will live up to your trust in them. Give them some training, mentor them, monitor them, give them some rope and see where it goes. I am sure there will be many surprises – most of them very positive.
Gather the interns ona regular basis to share lesson learned, discuss areas of concern, etc.
I consider anyone using social media to be engaged on the frontline of the brand battlefield. This is a great place to learn about marketing warfare. They will learn more, more quickly. They will gain insights into consumers – their triggers and inhibitors. In the end, everyone will win.
This is a great post Scott! I couldn’t agree more, although I may be biased since I am still an intern myself. However, through multiple experiences I have realized that being an intern I get to bring in fresh new ideas to the table and often it has been in the role of a social media evangelist. Albeit it’s often a difficult sell, but I have repeatedly gotten the opportunity to explain and explore it and my employers have gained from it. Sometimes companies need interns to jump start an engine for them (after proper training on what the engine is of course).
Seems to me that there are a series of questions here:
- Should a company have an automated feed? (It depends, and adjust expectations downward)
- Should a company use interns to conduct/create its social media content? (Put that way, no– but that doesn’t mean they are not smart, creative, nor should it mean they can’t work on it at all). But I see Scott’s answer as coming from the PoV as someone needs to be in charge of that channel and accountable,m and that has to be staffed before you put interns (or junior staff, define that as you will) on it
- Is a human intern better than a bot account? Maybe. But I still like Scott’s answer to this
Disclosure– Scott’s a friend, but if I thought he was wrong I would say so.
(For example, Scott you are totally wrong about some of your casting choices for the “social media movie” in your latest blog post. So there).
Completely agree, I went on a rant about this a couple weeks back: http://nickinglis.com/blog/item/73-your-interns-suck-at-marketing
Thanks so much for this post, Scott. As a PR student and Millenial kid, I’ve heard the argument over whether or not we as interns should be given access to a company’s social media accounts.
The most common reason I’ve heard against the issue is “Sure, they’re on Facebook and can tweet, but they don’t understand the strategy behind it.” So teach us! I am lucky to have had two internships that I have allowed me to be involved in social media outreach. Throughout both I’ve kept open communication with my supervisor to make sure I’m reaching out in the manner that properly reflects the company.
The best trade off I’ve found in these situations is when I’m working for someone who, while a seasoned professional, is not familiar with social media. I have been able to set up the Twitter, Facebook, etc accounts and explain the gist of the platforms to my supervisor. In turn they discussed with me the proper messaging and direction for each tool. To me, what it all comes down to is communication and guidance.
Scott, some great advice on Interns and your Social Media Accounts. We made some mistakes with our Interns, and now have very specific rules/guidelines they must use when working on our Social media Accounts.
Thanks for some great tips.
I believe 100% that interns should be given valuable work. The whole “getting coffee” cliche is a waste for both parties, and I agree with the statement that and internship experience can be the “ultimate test-drive-before-you-buy program.”
However, I do not believe that they should be in a situation where they are the public voice of a brand/service/company. I don’t believe that acting on behalf of the company is something that an intern should be doing. I don’t think it’s something that a new employee should be doing either. That’s something that has to be earned once the person in question demonstrates that they understand not only the medium they are using, but also brand they are representing, and more importantly, the community.
This is a tough one. Ford is in the very lucky position to have a guy like Scott at the helm. Most companies are scared of the space, and barely know what they are doing, let alone have the ability to train interns and trust them with the brand.
That said, I see Scott in a unique position. He is extremely talented, and has solid support up to the CEO. On one hand, I completely understand your point, on the other, Ford is a brand that has risen through the carnage of the recession and reinvented itself as the other car companies flounder. So there is a lot to lose if the campaigns are not managed properly.
Scott is also someone I look up to and respect greatly. That said, I do not follow industry leaders blindly, but it is difficult for me to question his strategy when Scott has been able to accomplish so much in an American industry that was left for dead only a few years ago.
Thanks for writing this great article. I am printing this off and confident it will be a topic I cover more and more with peers, clients, and as my business grows into working with larger companies.
You have a new subscriber!!!!
LOVE IT!
Harrison
There are many aspects of the post that bother me:
“we don’t assign interns to our Twitter accounts”
- that’s a pretty blanket statement. I’ve worked with Interns who would, with proper training make excellent personalities behind a Twitter account. Not to mention that it could very well become a full-time position at an entry level salary.
“@FordTaurus is on an automated feed until we figure out the staffing for it”
- Scott should know better than this. SoMe done poorly is more damaging than SoMe done well is helpful. It’s also goes completely against the proper process for Social Media: plan first, execute second.
I don’t necessarily agree that the concerns around interns are BS. They are mostly legitimate (although, who cares what HR thinks?) but can be easily worked out if your company sets up an intern program that includes training in social media. I don’t see the difference between using interns to man the social media posts than using consumers to generate content and blog on your behalf. That’s working out pretty well for P&G.
But, Scott’s response is not too surprising. We’re talking about a major brand here. Most major brands are still praying every night that social media will disappear so they can go back to focusing on TV. Not only is Ford a major brand but it’s a fairly old school, conservative one. I’m sure there are few at the executive level at Ford who could listen to you say “let’s train the interns to man our social media accounts” without choking on on their scotch and water!
I’ve been thinking about this one for some time.
I think the idea of turning over your social media to an intern is no better or no worse than turning it over to an experience “old hand.”
I think your point no. 5, “coach them,” is the best one. We all make mistakes, and through coaching, we can learn from them and do better next time.
At the end of the day, social media is all about communications, in my view. A well-trained intern or a well-trained “veteran” will do the job just fine as long as they understand the differences between social media and traditional PR, and can communicate clearly.
The interns we’ve had in our little company have shocked us, but for all the right reasons as you’ve highlighted in your post. They instantly become ‘double-baggers’ (someone who goes beyond the call of duty) and their love and passion for what they do far outweighs, outshines any mishap that may or may not occur during their reign. And if you train them well, give them the wings to take flight, they become your business’ best advocate. And a social literate one at that!
Great post! In my experience as an intern, I want to learn and want to be challenged! It’s when I get bored that my work ethic and quality starts to slip. When employers dedicated time to their interns, interns will put the same dedication into their work. (*most of the time
)
Scott,
Excellent article on how interns can do more than just get coffee and menial paperwork. I’m glad you put it out there. Interns want responsibility, they’re innovative, ambitious, and eager to make an impression. And, hey, we all screw up from time to time. Good coaching can ensure the same screw-up won’t happen again.
Your insight has been very helpful and I plan to share this with my network. If you have a moment, I’d encourage you to check out my blog, Campus to Career: http://campustocareer.wordpress.com. It’s for job seekers of all kinds.
Thanks again. Keep up the great work.
Kirk
Great article, not sure I agree…I don’t think you will stop interns from being on Social Media, but handing them the keys to a brand account is interesting. At Steelcase, we have a mix amongst our brands, so keep an eye out for who handles it better.
Commenters, be clear about which Scott you are referring to.
Interns are great for searching and brainstorming for new content to post and for finding influencers in the field, but they shouldn’t post themselves on behalf of a brand or company. Even giving interns pre-approved content to post can be a little scary as their attention to detail is much lower … plus I find that by the time I compose each tweet, I might as well load it myself so that I know it will go out as intended.
Thanks for the debate!
Scott,
Great article! As an intern and Gen Y myself, I definitely appreciate it when my bosses encourage me to have a voice in company meetings and bring new ideas to to the table. I am there to learn so I will bust my brain to contribute.
I agree with what you said about responsibility, training and trusting interns, but I also see why bigger/older brands like Ford are uncomfortable with handing interns the “key” to their social media outlets since one little mistake could cause a lot of damage. They do have to make sure everything is perfect before it goes out to the public. However, I have seen smaller companies give most social media responsibility to interns and have them update statuses etc.
On a brighter side, more and more companies are definitely opening up their doors to the voices of interns as they understand that we are the future and listening to our opinions are the best way to understand and reach Gen Ys (people who are “equipped with 200 billion dollars in buyer power per year”)
@Doug Haslam “Is a human intern better than a bot account?” Yes! Bots more or less defies the point of social media as it doesnt listen, engage and create conversation!
Thanks for a great read!!
When I headed up PR for Amway’s U.S. business, we did not entrust the steering wheel behind brands to interns. However, we created special accounts and blogs where they could share what they were doing and what was happening — from their perspective — because I agree it’s a unique perspective that is valuable to consumers.
I don’t believe there ever should be automated accounts. The case needs to be made for it to be part of the duties of PR (or marketing) staff — someone who already is paid to know a brand/organization’s story, selling points, issues, etc. — and equipped to engage in the dialog about that brand/organization. That can’t be an intern, although interns can be part of the process.
Interns can monitor. Interns can possibly do “follow back” messages that are not automated but are personalized to the tweeter on the other end. But once the conversation gets into Q&A session, it’s time to bring in those who have more knowledge, are more mature, and can be held more accountable.
Again, I’m a BIG supporter of interns. At Amway, we relied upon Interns to do very valuable work because we never had appropriate staff to do all that we were charged to do. Having an intern write a news release that is going to be edited, however, is a little different than responding real time via social media.
Well put, Scott. I couldn’t agree more. We entrust our PR interns with the keys to our blogs and other outposts. That’s not so say we leave our interns to roam online freely and unfettered. There are checks and balances as well as a trust system in place. Our interns may walk in green, but we value their input and we put them through the paces.
A balanced internship is the foundation for a fruitful career. We owe it to future employers to release our interns into the wild that are cross-trained and well-versed in all areas of PR, and this very much includes social media. As you suggested, we invite them to our strategy sessions, enabe them to engage with various online stakeholders and encourage them to experiment and think creatively.
We even run our interns through online crisis training as we do any of our permanent staff. Chances are we’d activate the senior PR staff and online community managers during such times. Still, allowing measured issue exposure to the interns provides them invaluable training and lessons that will better prepare them for future endeavors.
Dino Baskovic
Manager, Public Relations
Amway Corporation
send me an email on your latest….
I believe that a solid and well-trained intern can definitely have some social media responsibility. However, placing full social media responsibility upon the shoulders of the lowest-paid member of an organization seems a bit careless (stupid). Are businesses still underestimating the power of dialgoue with their customers? If they are not already, five years from now the person in charge of social media within an organization will be one of the highest paid and most important members of every organization.
I think it’s more an issue of “learning” vs. “earning” the SoMe role at any company. The larger the brand the more critical those public facing roles become, and as Scott Monty states, it’s no place for an intern.
Interns are by nature learning the ropes and I wouldn’t risk my company’s public perception on someone who is in a learning role. However, I do think interns can add great value when engaging in social media as “interns working at a company they like”. Those kinds of tweets and Facebook updates go far in recruiting good people in the future, and adding some personality to the business side of things.
When I am engaging with a large or prominent brand online, I expect a professional on the other side. Don’t be fooled into thinking a 20 year old can hide behind 140 characters, the tone is hard to miss. In the same way a PR pipeline feed is a turn off in social media, so is an inexperienced person at the other end of your social interaction. Let the interns focus on learning, and let social media be handled by someone with experience.
Also speaking for a global brand — and publicly traded company — we would never let an intern do anything considered “material” information. There are some great research projects we have our interns help with regarding social media, but I have to agree with many of the comments above about having someone experienced with the brand and tools do this. I’m not willing to take that kind of risk with someone that is only here for a summer (or two). I would also add that if we want executives to take social media serious as a strategic endeavor — and no longer as an experiment — then assigning an intern isn’t the right approach. All that being said internships do need to provide a valuable experience in order to to be worthwhile, and that should provide seeing *how* and *why* everything is done, including social media. But from a risk perspective giving someone so young, so inexperienced so much responsibility is reckless to both the brand and the intern.
I think it depends on where your intern has studied and who their teacher was
I am quite confident that many of the students who graduated from my course in Humber’s post-grad level public relations program are ahead of the curve when it comes to their thinking about social media. They have a lot to contribute.
Having said that, for a variety of reasons, I think Scott is taking the right position for Ford.