Friday, 21 October 2011

10 Things To Do Before You Write Your Social Media Strategy


1 - What you are trying to achieve: What are your goals? Is it more fans on
Facebook, retaining existing e-newsletter subscribers or launching a new
product or service? This defines the plan so you need to be clear at the
outset.

2 - What's in it for the audience: If you want to capture attention you stand
much more chance if you provide some added value; this doesn't necessarily
mean monetary value (unless you have an amazing discount to offer). How
about giving tips, advice or providing links to a worthwhile website or piece of
video which will be useful to recipients. Getting something for nothing works
in all walks of life - and especially online!

3 - Relationship building: If you expect to sell directly from the campaign you
might be disappointed. It's all about building links, and developing trust and
understanding with your audience. The more they see and like what you're
saying as a business, the more likely they are to buy from you in the future.
Social media is a slow burn - patience is imperative.

4 - Branding: Whichever social media vehicle you're using ensure it is branded
with your logo and colours, etc. It may well travel as recipients share it with
others so it's important every viewer knows where it's come from and where
to find you.

5 - Words count: Social media is no different from any other form of
marketing - it still needs to reflect your company message and the way you
talk to your target audience. Perhaps you can afford to be a little more
informal, but don't be over radical - people who already know you will baulk if
you're too out of character!

6 - Plan of action: Don't launch any campaign until you've got a plan of how
it will run, including timings and schedules for the entire process. You can't
start something with a big bang and then let it fizzle out because you've not
thought through the next step - unless you want to lose followers that is.
7 - A strategy: Pick a social media tool and stick to it. Don't try to run a
campaign across all the platforms; it weakens the story, confuses people, and
becomes difficult and unwieldy to manage.

8 - Don't overdo it: Bombarding people with messages can be overkill and
simply annoy them. It could also be construed as spam if you're not careful.
A regular reminder with a fresh campaign message will enlighten them and
keep you in their thoughts without becoming an annoyance.

9 - ROI: Measurement is vital. You need to know which tool works most
effectively for you, ready for your next campaign. Make sure you use Google
Analytics or other relevant measuring tools to keep tabs on your activity.

10 - Give it time: Resource is key. If you're considering a social media
campaign the chances are you already acknowledge its value and the time
needed to work on it to ensure maximum benefit. This is essential. If you
want it to be effective and achieve what you set out to, in Point 1 above,
you need to allocate proper resource to it.

If you've got other tips to throw into the mix, from your recent campaign
experience, let us know, we'd love to hear from you…..
Media Matters www.mediamatters-pr.co.uk




http://SocialBusinessToday.net - The Best in Social Business

No comments: