Know-How Exchange : Social Media

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Dear Alex,

What is the best social media marketing strategy?

Well, that rather depends on what you want to do, where you want to do it, what you'll be marketing it, to whom you'll be marketing it, why, and with what desired outcome?

The thing to remember about social media is that it's d=first and foremost SOCIAL.

This means people are not looking to it with the intention of buying anything. SM is more about building relationships.

If you walk up to someone at a party and glide straight into a sales pitch you'll bore that person to death. So talk to that person about the things that are important to them, or about the things that interest them, or that might intrigue them because the subject is cool, or interesting, or appealing in some way.

With me?

What are the best approaches, tools, and sites? Hard to say. But a "Golden Triangle of Social Media" might be:

Use Twitter to drive traffic to Facebook.

Use Youtube videos on Facebook to drive traffic to your blog.

Use your blog to enhance relationships, and use this foundation to drive traffic to a sales page (and your sales page can be blog-based or a static Web page).

The video you put on YouTube can also be promoted via Twitter and from your blog, so that everything interlinks. The goal is to create an integrated message where each element reinforces the content of the next and vice versa.

But above and beyond EVERYTHING else, you must come across as totally transparent, as hiding nothing, and as having NO HIDDEN AGENDA.

People must see you as you, this means you must be yourself.
No act. No nonsense. No funky B.S. that hoodwinks people.

Just be you. And keep being you. No matter what. Create your own style. This then becomes your brand. It becomes what people will seek out.

Not everyone will like it. But you're not catering to everyone. In fact, i'd go as far as to say screw "everyone". You're NOT catering to EVERYONE. You're catering to the select few who like you for what you are and for what you offer.

If you'd like further advice off forum, please feel free to click on my name above and send me an e-mail.

Better yet, go to my modest blog and sign up for "The Marketeer"*, my weekly newsletter.

I hope this helps.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA
Follow me on www.twitter.com @GaryBloomer

* P.S. My newsletter is free!

Alex,

Are you sure you even need a social media strategy? The first step is to listen (i.e. monitor). Are your customers using social media to talk about your products, services, company, etc.?

If the answer is yes, then you need a plan. And that plan should include a goal (only 1), measurable objectives, strategies and tactics.

Your measurable objectives will tell you what strategies and tactics will are best suited to meet your goal. Otherwise, you'll just keep spinning your wheels.

You can't just implement what others have done because they might a) have different goals/objectives or b) winging it. Make sense?

If you are a MarketingProfs Premium Plus member, I suggest checking out our Social Media Summer Series...it might really help you with your social media plans.

If not, start with spending your time searching on how to write a proper plan. I have some slides decks that might help you: https://www.slideshare.net/bethharte

P.S. Management loves plans, especially if you can show them how an investment in social media (i.e. it's not free) will provide a return on investment. :)

Hope this helps,
Beth

Beth Harte
Community Manager, MarketingProfs
@bethharte

Hi Alex,

Here is my check list for social media strategy

Forrester call it as POST strategy

Profiles - What is your TG doing online
Objectives - What is your obj of the campaign- listening, Sales, awareness etc
Strategy - What is your strategy, it depends on above factors
Technology - What tools you have planned to use for targeting, Twitter, Facebook etc

Here you find more tips on social media strategy

https://blogs.position2.com/how-to-effectively-connect-with-your-target-aud...

Thanks,
Mary

Alex,

After you've determined whether social media really fits your overall communications and business strategy (see Beth's answer) you need to:

Go where your customers are
Build a profile or presence
Listen for relevant conversations/mentions
Join in convos to learn, share and become part of digital fabric of the communities that already exist
Use your experience gained to drive efforts to engage... what content you create, how you share it, where you share it
Be honest about who you are and what you do
Be mindful of the communities that already exist
Be responsive (per Juliet)
Be long-term in your view
Recognize that social media isn't free... time is money... be committed to the program once you begin.

Best of luck :)
--
Mandy Vavrinak
@mandy_vavrinak on Twitter