A social media strategy, hmmm wasn’t it the thing Monty Python and Indiana Jones were looking for? Maybe it was shrubbery. I am not saying I have found one but I have been working on some suggestions for figuring out what our social media strategy should be. If you don’t mind I thought I would share them here.
Define your goals. Yeah it may sound like a no brainer but we all get caught up some times looking for the forest among the trees. They can be pretty broad goals too, things like brand awareness or getting more followers.
Figure out what outlets/services are available to you and which ones to focus on. Don’t spread yourself too thin. Right now I am suggesting to go with the big names unless there is a specific point to going with a particular service. Facebook, twitter, blogs, flickr, YouTube for sure. Looking for more of a business twist throw in linkedin. You can always add more but for me I would concentrate on those.
Next figure out your style of engagement. Mashable had a nice primer on engagement styles (http://mashable.com/2010/08/11/customer-engagement-style/). One thing I have noticed about engagement styles is that they easily evolve and shift over time. One moment you can be the voice of God, the next on the same level as your fans and then back to the voice of God when a story/feature/whatever is released. Although a lot of people might think you will need to settle into a particular style of engagement I actually think you don’t. As people we don’t have one way of speaking, sometimes we are quiet and introspective in our opinions, sometimes we are loud and boisterous,sarcastic, emphatic, etc. From a social media strategy position you should be aware of these different styles of engagement and figure out the best time to use them. Above all be genuine in your voice and then you will know when to be the paperboy who distributes the news and when to be a reporter asking the questions.
Now what? I’ve got my accounts lined up, I understand how to speak with fans and users, so what is next? There is plenty of advise on the best ways to market on twitter or facebook or youtube or linkedin or whatever. Now is the time to do some serious reading. Only you know how some of these tactics might fit into your corporate culture or what part of what services make sense in your larger business plan. Read, research, digest and then come to a conclusion. We do a a lot of research on cost, ROI, ROE (Return On Engagement), resource allocation and any other number of items that go into a traditional business plan. Social media is simply an extension of that plan, it is one channel among many for reaching fans and users. Just as much thought should go into this process as the remainder of your business plan.
After doing all that research and filtering out what you believe is the best approach for your company you should be left with tangible goals, services and overall approach to social media. This may be why I see a social media strategy as a bit of a holy grail, each company’s needs and finish line is different from the next. There is no magic bullet that will hit every target but realizing that and picking the tools and approach which may hit a majority of the targets is certainly something we should be capable of.
Believe me, I wish I could say do this, this and this on this service, this service and that one and all of your communication and marketing needs will be met but I can’t. After doing research you might find that using facebook really doesn’t line up with your target audience but catering to a small but influential crowd on a message board or nyng community does. I will say once you start don’t give up. Social media is a lot more about slow growth and nurturing an audience and less about instant gratification. Most of us don’t get married the same day we meet a prospective spouse, we take time and grow the relationship until we are willing to make a lifelong commitment. Social media might be looked at the same way, grow a followship, interact and feel out the relationship between your company and your audience. At some point you will both be willing to walk down the aisle.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this, so please let me know.
