Developing a Social Media Strategy can be challenging today with so many options out there. I present here some of the building blocks that go into a strategy (I’ll cover social media tactics in another blog).
When it comes to developing social media strategies, there are two types of companies – those with a significant brand and those without. You’ll often hear case studies on the successful use of social media in business – Dell, Domino’s, Ford, Zappos, Starbucks… And yet these companies had solid brands to begin with. So for small businesses, a bit of a brand refresh might be in order.
Establish your brand identity
If you haven’t already, I would highly recommend ordering Marty Neumeier’s book ZAG. It will certainly help you identify what sets you apart. If you don’t clarify your uniqueness, you’re making it hard for prospective buyers to choose between you and every other clone business. There are no shortage of problems to solve in the world and I truly believe there’s a business out there for everyone.
Speaking of problems.. Before even addressing your product or solution, you have to answer what problem do you solve. I’m meeting many people who are following their passions, only to discover that potential customers simply don’t share in them. Passion’s great, but passion doesn’t always solve a problem. There’s a name for a business that consistently makes no money (other than bankrupt) – a hobby. Hobbies are cool, but they don’t pay the bills…
How you express your brand is important. People are very sensitive to authenticity and if they detect it’s lacking, then trust is lost. In addition to the voice you use in writing, consider video, as this is a far more effective means of making a connection.
Homework: As mentioned earlier, read ZAG, it’s a quick and enjoyable read. Also consider The Brand Gap.
Recommendations: When you get this right, you may very well discover that what you thought you were selling, isn’t what you’re actually selling at all. For example, you thought you were selling coffee, but what you’re actually selling is the ability for people to launch a new refreshing day. It’s not about you, it’s about them. And don’t be afraid to keep refining this until it clicks.
Everything going forward in this post will need to be in alignment with your brand identity.
Social Media Presence
Before stepping out onto the social media stage, you need to be aware that your brand has several personifications – you, your employees, and your company name. For many people, these are one and the same – they only blog, tweet, and buzz under their company name . And that’s fine, but for larger organizations, keeping these separate might be wise, as your company’s identity may be managed by a team. Also keep in mind that many people aren’t interested in interacting with a company brand and only follow or connect with real people.
I belong to well over 50 social media sites, but I only participate daily on 5. I need to know how all these sites work, but there are only so many hours in a day. Every social network has it’s own niche and personality. Find one that fits with you and your brand, then commit – and most importantly, enjoy. If it feels like a chore, you’re doing something terribly wrong – don’t leave the best part of yourself at the door.
Even if you plan on participating on one site, you’ll still need to register your brand on all the major platforms to secure it. A service like NameChk should make your life easier, but don’t feel obligated to sign up at every site!
There’s no need to play the numbers game. Statements like I have 50,000+ LinkedIn connections or I have 1,000,000 Twitter followers are meaningless if those connections aren’t real relationships. 100 dedicated, true Facebook Fans are always more powerful than 10,000 superficial ones. Do not equate reach and relationships with connections and email databases. Magnify your relationship capital, and then, multiply your relationships.
Homework: Read The Cluetrain Manifesto – markets are conversations. Go to MLPF and converse with some real people.
Recommendations: To start, join one and only one social media site and participate daily. Graduate to two or more once you get the hang of it. People like responsiveness, so spreading yourself thin won’t serve your purpose. Also make sure you’re conveying your brand consistently as to avoid confusion. Choose your connections carefully. Don’t connect to spammers, but be perfectly willing to connect with strangers. Remember, strangers are just friends we haven’t met yet. Numbers count for nothing when no one cares about your message.
Participation
This is the “secret” of viral marketing and word of mouth – people share ideas that are worth sharing – those that are interesting, innovative, funny, provocative, or exceptional in one way or another. Everything else is mostly noise. It’s often subjective and always in the eye of the beholder – a brand is only real when shared. Advertising is not dead, it’s just an art form, the bar of which has been raised significantly.
The execution of a social media strategy takes place in the intersection of attraction and contribution - you need to give to get. This forms the dynamic where people relate to each other, share information, and delight in surprising insights (ideas worth sharing). Active listening is a really important skill to have in this medium and those who master it will do very well.
Homework: Read every book ever published by Seth Godin. Read my blog on Precessional Business Models.
Recommendations: Consider your audience carefully, when coming up with ideas. A provocation-based selling approach can work well in this environment if you’re actually raising valid and original concerns for your market. If not, then you risk being quickly categorized as yet another noise-maker. And an even better approach – don’t try selling at all. Just listen, contribute, share, and participate – after getting to know and trust you, people will come to you with their problems and concerns. And it’s at that point you’ll realize that you’ve planted the brand seed.
Don’t forget to measure
Metrics can be categorized in three broad groups: measuring things that are going on out in the marketplace, measuring things going on internally, and measuring the interactions in between. There are an increasing number of social search/social monitoring tools available to help you assess what people are talking about and the problems they share. There are also a number of tools for measuring SEO/keyword demand, what issues people are actively engaged in and what’s bringing them to your website.
Evaluate your progress towards your business goals and then optimize your brand, presence, and participation. A strategy always has to be linked with business goals, such as increasing revenues, in order to know if it’s effective. But remember, it’s less about your sales pipeline and more about lining up with your customer’s buying cycle.
Homework: All measurement requires a measuring tool: setup Google Alerts for your company name; read my blog on Social CRM; use Google Insights to measure demand.
Recommendations: The four steps I’ve described – branding, presence, participation, measurement – are an ongoing cycle. Measurement is essential to being able to continuously improve on your social media efforts.
Did you find this blog an idea worth sharing? What challenges are you experiencing with social media strategy?
