After my initial meeting, I was asked to write a job description for a Social Media Strategist position. Thanks to help from @sheila_dee, I submitted one, along with this letter.

David, please see the attached Social Media Strategist description. It’s fairly broad, as I wrote it thinking more of it as an entire department, rather than one position.

It is very important that this position be able to float from department to department, with full access to projects in the works and sales executive’s contacts. This position should have very, very little to do with the PR department, as it is about listening to highly-connected parents, educators and students on THEIR level.

If our foray into social media looks like just another PR ploy, people will see through that. Our OUTGOING communication should definitely be handled by the PR department, but this position is a behind the scenes type of interaction.

I realize that this position requires a tremendous leap of faith and a lot more trust than many positions. While corporations certainly have had issues with this in the past, it’s extremely important that we are active in this field in the proper way. There are already people out there talking about us on blogs, on Twitter and in Wikis and we haven’t been listening.

Typical ROI in this type of industry doesn’t exist yet, making it tough to define success in financial terms immediately. This is our chance to SET the market rather than catch up.

If we do this properly, listen well and are honest in working with those educators, parents and students that are already talking about this, Pearson becomes less of a textbook/digital software publishers and more of a partner in education.

I’d be happy to share more of my thoughts with you on this plan. Kathy mentioned you having time on Monday and I’d like to speak with you then if so. This industry is my absolute life goal and I would very much like to assist Pearson in growing beyond its current physical boundaries.

NOTE–what do you think?