The document discusses how companies can establish a cross-functional digital council to effectively manage their digital strategies and operations. The council should include representatives from departments like PR, marketing, legal and IT. It would define the company's approach to digital media, provide legal guidance, establish roles and responsibilities, and benchmark/measure digital efforts to ensure they align with business objectives. Having a central council allows a company to digitize its skills, empower employees, and stay ahead of changing regulations in social and digital media.

1. September 2009
OP-ED Build the right internal team to manage digital
While social media has created many new opportunities the FDA regulations and the company’s guidance – as they
for companies to connect with their audiences, it has also relate to social media engagement -- for managing things like
presented significant internal communications, legal, resource, adverse events, fair balance, privacy and beyond. In addition,
and operational hurdles. In addition, there are evolving FTC every company needs to train its employees on the company
and FDA regulations that make it even more challenging for rules of engagement for transparency and copyright.
PR, marketing and corporate communications professionals Establish roles and responsibilities: Because digital
to stay ahead, let alone innovate. crosses all disciplines, the roles of PR, marketing, corporate
To successfully adapt to the ever changing landscape, communications, and public affairs have blurred. The council
companies should establish a cross-functional digital council can help align disciplines and their digital efforts by identifying
to centralize the ongoing management and deployment of its areas of overlap and strength. For example, the most common
strategy, policies, standards, and ongoing digital training. A area of overlap is digital monitoring, while the most important
council would enable the company to “digitize” the skill set is search.
– and mindset – of their people while empowering them to Understand the company vision and social media strategy:
effectively execute the company’s overall vision and strategy. Successful companies develop guidance so all digital efforts
Here’s how a digital council can operate: ladder up to the company’s overall strategy. That’s why it’s
Appoint digital leadership: To achieve consensus on key critical to have senior executives from each discipline on the
areas like strategy and best practices, have each operational council who are passionate and knowledgeable of the company
function appoint a representative to the council. This should and its goals and culture.
include representatives from PR, but also marketing, corporate Benchmark and measure: The council can also provide
communications, legal, safety, HR, and IT. Typically, there are the organization with standards for benchmarking and
10 to 15 members. measuring digital efforts so that every component of every
Define the landscape: For the purpose of organizational digital program is measurable, and links back to strategy and
clarity, agree upon the company definition of the new landscape business objectives.
and then select and consistently use one umbrella term when The ongoing collaboration of a cross-functional digital
discussing the combination of technology, communications, council in managing a company’s digital knowledge base
and interaction. Examples include: digital media, social media, will help ensure that the organization is on the pulse of the
interactive media, new media, and online communications. rapidly evolving social media environment, and potentially
Legal guidance: The council will be responsible for ahead of the competition. Finally, all employees will have an
reviewing current policies and creating new ones to legally approved framework to strategically deploy digital initiatives
engage and monitor digital channel activity. For example, that successfully nurture relationships with key stakeholders.
healthcare companies must be sure all disciplines understand Rachelle Spero is EVP, digital media, Cohn & Wolfe
www.cohnwolfe.com
Reprinted from September 2009