By Mary Beth West, APR

In my “Part 1” post on the topic of hiring an intern to manage social media, I talked about the enthusiasm many students show for taking on social media management tasks for their internship employers . . . and employers’ equal enthusiasm for handing over the reins to someone (anyone!) who seems to know what they’re doing. 

This case especially arises when the employer is a very small business or non-profit organization.

I also talked about the flip side to this approach:  students getting in over their head and being unfairly placed in a position of accountability for a communications platform that can be – to put it mildly – a bit unmanageable in certain circumstances.

Danielle DuPree, a PRSSA student leader from Utica College, posted an interesting observation in response: 

“In Web 2.0 where college students, in particular, PRSSA students are savvy social media users – we still require direction from employers and internship supervisors. Once the initial excitement of managing an online communication outlet settles, an effective strategy should be implemented on a daily or weekly basis with review from the supervisor. On-site supervisors do not have to play the “watch dog” role, but monitoring the clarity, tone and accuracy of online messages is helpful. When interns embark on an organizational lead role like a social media manager, supervisors should offer support and constructive feedback to create a healthier learning experience which also creates room for creativity and stronger reception from their audience.”

Well-said.  Employers should not forget the role they need to undertake in providing a true learning experience. When it comes to social media in that regard, here are some tips:

• Be collaborative.  Don’t set interns adrift with a “go handle it” mandate and assume it’s just a permanent turnkey process.  Students need the kind of feedback such as Danielle mentioned, along with a larger strategic understanding of why social media is a logical tool for communicating and building relationships with target audiences.  Students need to understand the ultimate end-game and be able to keep that context in mind throughout the social media management process. 
• Provide a framework and ground rules.  How often should blog, Facebook and/or Twitter posts be updated?  What categories of content are routinely needed?  What’s the appropriate “voice” that should be used on behalf of the company (i.e. highly formal / professional, or more informal / conversational)?  What should the procedure be if a controversial post is made by a third party?  These and many other practices should be addressed early in the process, with the employer thinking through and clearly communicating their needs and expectations to the intern.
• Learn from the student.  Any employer can be a better manager of their social media intern if they will take the time to learn some of the technical aspects of social media from the students themselves.  It may involve just taking 15 minutes a week for a quick tutorial.  The end result for the manager is a better concept of how social media tools operate – and how to manage the message, in turn.