Last week at the San Mateo Marriot, HP’s The Next Bench brought together some of the top social media strategists to talk about their experiences and share best practices. Led by moderator Tony “Frosty” Welch,  Steve Rubel, Richard Brewer-Hay, Michael Brito, and Angela LoSasso discussed how companies are finding success through participation in the social web.

The event was attended by both experienced marketers and newcomers alike. Each speaker brought their own unique experiences and approach to social participation. I have included some of the highlights below.

Steve Rubel describes Twitter as “a sushi boat moving at 100 mph. You’re likely to miss a lot of the good stuff.” Instead of focusing on a particular tool, he encourages businesses to go where their customers are. He compares companies participating in social media to a financial investment portfolio; some investments may pan out, and others won’t. You can find Steve’s take on the evening on his Posterous.

Angela LoSasso runs social media and community efforts for HP’s Imaging and Printing Group. She feels that she is in the storytelling business, and looks forward to the time that 300,000 HP employees are empowered social media advocates.

When cultivating bloggers for Intel, Michael Brito says that he finds people who are passionate about social media, and have the bandwidth to participate. One-to-one interaction between a representative of the brand and consumer is the goal. Corporate blogging is a serious commitment; unless it’s built into the job expectations, it usually wont work. Michael shared pictures from the event here.

As the lead blogger for ebay, Richard Brewer-Hay has some great insights into maintaining a personal identity while blogging for a corporation. In response to feedback from the community, he replaced his own picture on the blog’s Twitter account with a branded logo. While personal touches are critical, it’s important to be identified as being united with the brand.

For a final question, Frosty asked the panelists whether they thought the social media ‘experts’ will still have jobs in five years, when social media participation is ubiquitous.

Michael and Richard both felt that their jobs were to educate others in their corporations, eventually eliminating their place in the company.

Steve offered a more encouraging rebuttal, “As sitting on the cutting edge, I can’t see how you guys will be dinosaurs in five years. It’s about evolution.”

Here’s to evolving.

Tagged as: Events, social media