Before one engages in any form of marketing, it’s important to have a plan. If you jump, land with both feet on the ground.
In spite of what you hear, social media is not a fit for every business. Applying a tactical plan rather than joining a faddish, digital bandwagon is a wise course of action.
Zack Swire, CEO of SWIRE, a marketing communications agency, says it well:
“Many companies just go out there and get on Facebook. They say, ‘I’ll put an intern on that.’ But you have to know whether or not it’s a natural extension of your brand,” says Swire. “Do you have a business plan around your social-media strategy? Are you using Twitter as a customer-service tool? You can’t do it all, and you have to do it right, and you have to allocate people and resources to it.”
Zack is correct. In addition to learning and testing the social media frontier, it’s important to develop a plan. For starters, ask yourself the following questions:
- Is social media a fit for your business model?
- Why use Facebook vs. Twitter vs. some other platform?
- Is social media a natural extension of your brand?
- What’s your long-term plan and why?
- How can I integrate E-mail marketing as a branch of your social media strategy?
- Can you match manpower with available resources?
- Do you have the time for social media?
- What are your objectives for each social media platform?
- What are your long-term goals for your social media campaigns?
Your thoughts?
Stuart Atkins
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