Developing a Social Media Strategy? Do Your Homework.

POSTED IN Blog | TAGS : social media, social media marketing plan, social media strategy
1.09.2009

Lately, I’ve seen a number of companies jump into social media without a basic understanding of what they’re getting into and honestly, it’s really annoying. No, I’m not going to become a fan of your company on facebook. I love your products, but becoming a fan doesn’t really do anything for me. I’m only going to follow you on twitter if I get something out of it. Oh yeah, and your company blog sucks.

Before you start using social media, you have to understand why this makes sense for your business and you have to understand how your company can use this as a tool.

Start by doing your homework. Don’t do what everyone else does and say “we should be on facebook, twitter, linkedin and we need a blog.” Take the time to understand each of these tools on your own. Get started on twitter and spend some time with it. Write your own personal blog and develop a readership. Read other people’s blogs and comment. Most importantly, spend time listening to what customers are saying. Use tools like google alerts and twitter search to help you listen.

Once you feel comfortable with the tools that are available, determine which tools are the best fit for your company, brand, or product. What is the purpose of the tool? Why do you need a facebook fan page? How are we going to use this twitter account? What are we going to write about in this blog? Understand the purpose of each tool. If you don’t, you’ll only waste time and unintentionally turn off potential customers from buying your products. Companies that are successfully using social media have a clear purpose for each tool.

Lastly, make sure you have enough people to support the effort. This is important. By using the tools on your own, you understand the amount of time it takes to make them work. Be realistic. What can you accomplish on your own? How much help will you need to accomplish your objectives? Will you have to hire someone to do this work? Are there people at work that could help? Do they have the time to help? There’s nothing more annoying than a company that is present in social media but fails to deliver.

If you’re really interested in adopting social media, take the time to understand it. I know it’s trendy and everyone else is doing it, but make sure you do it right. Otherwise, you’ll look like a chump.