…by ensuring you have a social media marketing strategy.
Recently I was having a conversation about Social Media with a friend of mine who we’ll call MT. It went something like this….
MT: “So, we’ve decided to get into this Social Media thing.”
Me: “Really? That’s great! Why?”
MT: “Well, we think it’s an opportunity to broaden our reach.We’re going to be launching our latest product soon. Think of all those new customers we can reach with our ads. If we advertise on all the main Social Media sites, it’s a good way to get more exposure about the company too. Besides, everyone’s either doing it or saying that we should do it. It’s about time we got stuck in. I’m beginning to feel we’re getting left behind in this Social Media stuff.”
Me: (trying to hide my alarm) Hmmm, yes it could be an opportunity. So what’s your plan?”
MT: “Oh, we thought we’d start with Facebook and MySpace. You know, get on to all the big sites first, see what sticks. Then build on that. What do you think?”
Me: “Well, that’s IS one approach. But how about this one…?”And I went on to make some other suggestions.
It’s great that business people are excited about Social Media, even better when they can clearly see the opportunities it could open up for them in terms of business. In my view, the more the merrier. Better than the other extreme where Social Media and Social Media marketing are seen as an irrelevant, time-wasting passing fad. However, carried away by visions of millions of new eyeballs on their latest ad, it’s possible to get caught in the “overwhelm” and excitement of this evolving medium, technology and all. And that’s very easy to do when seemingly everyone is saying “You really need to have a blog…” or “Isn’t your business on MySpace yet?
It becomes a case of “Me Too!” Too many companies are “MeToos.” You really don’t want to be another.
“How many eyeballs can we get viewing our latest ad on Facebook” or “how can we advertise on the main Social Media sites,” are the wrong questions. For one thing, they come from a traditional marketing mind-set and show little understanding of the essence of social media marketing. For another, they are lacking the most crucial element of your social media efforts.
Your Social Media Marketing strategy, or plan.
In this post, I suggested that you need a Social Media Marketing plan, and the key things it should contain. I’ll go even further and say this:
Without a social media strategy it’s impossible to ask the right questions for your situation.
And without the right questions, it’s impossible to get the right answers and understand why they are right for you. And without the right answers for your specific business, you’ll never know if you’ve selected the right tools – or even if you’re on the right path. Social Media isn’t a magic bullet. And not every tool works for every business. Some might not work at all for yours, and some may be perfect, still others may be overlooked or ignored.
That’s why I am passionate about marketers having their own Social Media Marketing strategy… it’s the only way to control the overwhelm, ask the right questions and get the answers you need for your company when it comes to Social Media… not what worked for someone else.
Not only will a Social Media strategy save you from jumping on every new Social Media bandwagon that happens along (a sure way to get overwhelmed and and frustrated because there are plenty) it will save you time, reduce your risk and help you determine – and get – the results you want. This doesn’t mean you won’t make mistakes (you will) or that you’ll be needlessly stuck with one thing… but it does mean you’re more likely to learn what works for you, how and why it works. If something fails you find out why. You will be more selective. You’ll anticipate and test better, you’ll target more accurately and you’ll allocate resources more efficiently, and know what returns to expect. And this is music to a CEO’s (or CFO’s) ears and essential to your business case.
You are making a business case for your Social Media Marketing, right?.
Back to my friend MT… I suggested they could consider another way… and first needed to be able to fully answer some key questions. These questions form the basis of any strategy and you are probably already familiar with them. They are:
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Why?
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What?
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Who?
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How?
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When?
I’ll be discussing my take on how to apply them in my future posts.
In the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts… your gem of insight might help others who are looking.
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Good writing. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed my Google News Reader..
Matt Hanson
I felt like reading my own words here! I have included the “me too” mentality in various presentations and pitches. It reminds me of the 90s when everyone was asking for websites or streaming videos. In order to keep up with the Joneses, too many companies forget to ask “is this the right wagon?” before jumping onto it.
@Evelyn So: Yes – sometimes because they are caught up in the “pitch” and presentation. Don’t forget it’s often pitched as being The Thing to do. Right Now! Very easy to feel overwhelmed very quickly.