Creating an effective Social Media Strategy

Every business needs to take a strategic approach to incorporating social media into their PR and marketing plans; however it can be very easy to get lost in the social media world. Jumping on the social networking bandwagon is very tempting, but don’t get in a rush to do so! Starting to tweet, post and blog without a well-defined strategy, or add comments on different blog or article can leave you questioning your efforts. Before you start your journey into the social media world, take time to create a social media strategy to ensure your efforts are not going to waste.
Follow these tips to help you stay on track:

1. A company has to collaborate internally to successfully integrate social media tools into their marketing mix. Make sure everyone is on board with the same plan, because execution is going to be much easier to reach your predetermined goals.

2. Get the ‘OK’ from upper management to begin the integration of social media into the company’s marketing and culture. Be sure to check if there are social media policies that you need to be aware of.

3. Before a company starts with its social efforts, there needs to be a mutual understanding across the company in regards to:

- Who will be maintaining the social networking sites?
- How much time will be allocated towards creating and editing content being posted on the sites?
- What are the corporate policies (if any) in regards to publishing company-related content?

4. Construct and create measurable goals; determine what you want to accomplish with your social media efforts before you start your campaign. What message do you want to get across to your community? From those efforts, create your next plan of attack and a new set of goals.

5. Be prepared to listen to customers, provide timely feedback, opinions and suggestions. Social media is not a one-way street, it is a community. You are not using social networking just to talk to customers; you are there to interact with them.

6. Be patient. Creating an active online social community is a lot of work and a very timely process. This is something that is not going to happen overnight. Once your community starts to have a voice, listen, listen, and listen! They are involved in YOUR community because they believe in your product/service. What changes and improvements can you make from listening to them? This is a perfect example on how to build customer trust and loyalty. You are supporting your followers, and in return, they will support you.

7. Measure your success. Determine your key metrics BEFORE you get started. Focus on metrics that you can measure. Some examples include financial outcomes, non-financial outcomes, return on engagement, return on participation, return on trust, etc. (the lesson here is to focus first on metrics that truly matter for your business).

These beginning tips will help you organize a social media strategy and get you on the right path to creating your interactive online community!