Why it doesn’t matter who ‘owns’ social media

When social media first emerged, brands were skeptical, but companies started to pay attention as social media’s influence grew.

The convergence of technology and the rise of the empowered consumer created the perfect wave for social media to ride into prominence. Soon after came the battle for internal ownership of social media management. Did it fall under HR since employees were using it or marketing since it could be used as a branding vehicle? Was it customer service’s domain since consumers were reaching brands via social with product or service related requests? In more than 60 percent of companies today, PR departments are responsible for social media.

Rightly so. After all, the Public Relations Society of America defines public relations as “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”