The first person in social networks. Interview

Interview with Mikhail Kokosov for the journal "Media News in the Media Business"

Many today have their own pages on social networks, and in the same way, many do not always think about their content (sometimes, of course, completely in vain, but now not about that). Well, we are ordinary people, we are excusable, and as for the top management of companies? What can they afford? Understanding. 

Does the director need a page? 

Should the head of the company have his own a page on the social network (in one or in several)? Why? What purpose should it pursue? What tasks to solve? 

Marketing in social networks over the past few years is a steadily (and fairly quickly) growing trend. Therefore, sooner or later it will still be necessary to have a page if the company does not want to stay “in the last century”. Another question is whether the page should be personal, or a sufficiently general company profile? 

In B2B, this question can be answered unambiguously - you need a personal page! If only because in this segment the business niche is often very narrow and all the key players in the market know each other. Personal contacts in B2B are often the main generator of sales, and a personal page on a social network will be a great help in this matter. 

For companies working in B2C, a personal page can also be interesting. Especially if the leader is a well-known person: social networks give an extra point of contact with the audience, which will be glad of the opportunity (albeit virtual) to “be friends” with the celebrity. 

In any case, the presence of the leader in social networks adds a personal, personal to the look company and makes its image more friendly to the audience. 

What are the trends? 

What is the current trend: who leads the management pages today (himself, company employees, hired agency)? 

If the company is engaged in B2B, the leader often leads the page itself, since it can be used as a direct channel of lead generation. And vice versa, if a company promotes mass services in social networks (for example, using a video blog), the manager delegates this work, if only because good production requires a good production plan, content plan and preparation of materials, as well as competent SMM promotion. And in this case, it does not matter that the page is being run on behalf of the head, and not the company as a whole. 

What to publish? 

What content must be present on the page, and which - by no means? 

Here the general principle of SMM works - the division of content into sales, information and entertainment. It is difficult to talk about prohibitions; it's clear that not all the details that a manager could share should be made public. 

Are there any problems? 

Can there be some kind of post or photo on the head's page in the social network to damage the reputation and activities of the company? 

These may be moments connected with the personal convictions of the leader and at the same time causing resonance among a wide audience. For example, political topics. 

If Leodev did not practice a variety of provocations as a way to attract subscribers, a conflict with Navalny could hurt him; in fact, the result was broadcast on the channel and a good PR effect. 

© Mikhail Kokosov. 
The full material can be found in the journal “Media News” (No. 10, 2017)

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