Last week I posted about one of my major social media weaknesses: how to leverage Facebook and MySpace. I still have limited knowledge, however an interesting discussion chrystalized, boiling down to the “exit strategy” for the Murphy-Goode Wine Country Lifestyle correspondent.
I posed this question: “what tools are you going to leave the MG team with so that they can continue with the journey they now find themself on?”
To which Hardy (Goodetobefirst) responded:
The only tool you should be considering leaving them with is YOU (no I’m not calling anyone a tool ; ) This is a six month contract, but it should not be seen as temporary employment. The employee who is successful in this position will become indispensable. They become the online face, voice, and representation of MG.
Hardy then took the question and did something very savvy, he turned it into a post on his blog: What will you leave behind at Murphy-Goode in Six Months? I could not disagree with him more.
You see, I take social media seriously, myself not so much. And if I were to be employed by Murphy-Goode I would go at it just like I have on my blog and twitter during this campaign: pulling out the best in everyone who lets me do this. I am having a great time and sure, I am “branding” myself in the process but if we are honest, this blog is not about me, nor would the Murphy-Goode Wine Country Lifestyle Correspondent job be.
Essentially my work with the JK or MG clan would be to highlight these people and transfer the existing brand to the social media. Just like a news anchor person would also be a conduit of noteworthy happenings in the community or world at large, so I would become a conduit of information concerning all things Murphy-Goode. Yeah, anchor people have personalities and they do shine through their work, but in essence they are not the news, they present it.
Murphy-Goode can expect me to come and get to know the troops, the process and learn loads: I would transfer my “news” in proper manner to the various social network channels taking great care to ensure that — along with my own “profile” which obviously would naturally appear — the MG profile shines stronger. After six months, the “characters” at MG would have connections and relationships within those networks as well as have been taught by myself how to use this media to continue writing their own story in my absence.
When I move out, they will know how to leverage everything I know how to leverage. You know my weeknesses to date: FB, MS, but they would have a solid understanding of blogging and twitter and I would implement upon arrival corporate basis so that these can be run by multiple users (spreading the weight of carrying the load once I am gone) and naturally putting automation processes in place to lighten the whole transition and further web2.0 savvyness of MG.
That is what I am thinking. Yes, my name would then become somewhat branded to MG, but how short sighted would that be to leave it at that? I would prefer to see my job as illuminating the individual characters at MG than pushing my face in the forefront…
Perhaps that is just my maternal instinct? I dunno, but that is what I envision my job for Murphy-Goode to be.
Do you have an exit strategy?
Andy's Goode Life Blog 
Andy,
Thanks for the link to my post.
Anchor people aren’t the news, but they are who the audience builds a relationship with.
The focus of the MGWCLC should be 100% on the people, the story, and the lifestyle of MG- but that story is communicated via the MGWCLC. If that person is successful, they should only be planning for further success for MG, for wine, and for Sonoma- and not what they should be leaving behind.
I think there is a difference between a MGWCL-C (correspondent). MGWCL-C (consultant). The hire should have skills in both, but they should be good enough and successful enough in their position that they don’t want to let them go.
What is the saying? Success is a journey and not a destination…
Great post Andy. To quote you “I…see my job (as Lifestyle Corespondent) as illuminating the individual characters at MG than pushing my face in the forefront”. Agree agree agree…
I was just reading Dirk Shaw’s Are you promoting the company’s brand or your personal brand? and although he approaches the same issue (branding — personal vs business) from a completely different focal point, I found his closing comments to ring true with me:
It rings true because my personal brand will always be part of the social media work I do: but if I am out saying “look at me”, “vote for me”, “buy this from me”, then this reflects my personal brand (and will also rub off on the business brand I am representing).
If I see my responsibility formost in the “hustle” (as Mike put it), in the nitty-gritty work and a professional ethic in doing my best for my employer, then I will also be positively impacting my personal brand while placing the business brand up front.
My personal brand I will take with me when my job is over, the business brand should stand stronger for the efforts I put behind it.
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Andy, I agree with you. Perhaps it’s because I’m a social media trainer – I’ve always been a trainer – but I see it as something I would do in this job as well. I may not be holding formal classes, but I’d be imparting knowledge that would remain after I left. Informal learning is all the rage in my field right now. It makes a lasting impact.
Okay, if they wanted ME to stay, I couldn’t argue that. Yay California! But in truth, it’s the knowledge I could share (and from my perspective, gain) that I’d want to leave behind.
I also love your comment above about personal branding. I’ve always felt that the best social media folks – like Jason Falls for instance – leverage their personal brand to best benefit their company. It works, when done correctly.
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Thanks for the post, I am just about to implement WordPress on our site.
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