The shotgun approach in social media marketing is a bad idea. Jumping on top of every new social network and trying to maximize every new opportunity without a clear sense of direction is a waste of time. It’s bad marketing and it’s bad tactics. At the end of the day, what have you accomplished that benefits your bottom line? Sure, you have a 30+ new “Fans” and 100+ new “Followers.” But so? Are those Fans and Followers readily identifiable as people who are likely to buy from you now or in the future (be honest)?
Before you launch that social media project or campaign, remember, start with the basics:
- How are you going to make money?
- Who is going to buy from you?
- Where are your prospective buyers hanging out (both on-line and off-)?
- What kind of content do they respond to? What kind of questions are they asking that you can provide answers to?
- What’s working for you RIGHT now?
Once you’ve answered some of these questions, you can work on putting systems in place. But you still have to ask a few more things:
- How are we going to measure/track your progress?
- What marketing materials are already in place and what do you need to create?
- How will you capture and create new business from the information that you gather from prospects? How will you manage and grow your database?
- Who will play an active role in these processes? (Just you or will you hire an assistant? If you’re hiring, what systems do you need to create to monitor progress and hold them accountable?)
- How are you going to education yourself (now and over time) to be successful in using social media in a business sense?
You don’t become an overnight success using social media in your daily business practice. It takes a good deal of effort and strategy over an extended period of time. But lay the right foundation and put the right systems in place and you’ll probably have successes sooner than later.
What am I missing? Is there something you would add in running your own social media campaign?
[Flickr Photo by: Stefan Baudy]
Good list of questions, Ricardo. I'd suggest incorporating,from the Forrester POST strategy, consideration of your customers' social computing behaviors – do they actually use social media, if so how, which tools/platforms etc, and have the results of that research in mind when you are choosing the tools/platforms for you or your client.
Des: Great recommendation! No sense in utilizing a technology or spending time on a forum if your potential customers aren't interacting there.
For those of you not familiar with the Forrester POST Strategy, here's an article from their site:
http://www.forrester.com/Consulting/POST
Hi Ricardo
Social Media Marketing is a bit of a black hole to me, good to hear you say…
“Jumping on top of every new social network and trying to maximize every new opportunity without a clear sense of direction is a waste of time”
I've been tempted to do just that but perhaps now I'll think it through and start slowly.
When a potential client asks me how many followers I can get them and how fast, I know that we need to have a serious talk. Great post!
Starter Steps. Start by defining your objectives, identify where your potential customers are spending their time “on-line” and then identify the tools that are appropriate for helping you accomplish your goals.
Sometimes, it's easier said than done so it's ok to ask questions. Sometimes, it's easy to get caught up in what's shiny and new, just remember to focus on your objectives.
Thanks for the comment Keith and thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you here again soon and let me know how it goes… 🙂
Hiya Vered! Thanks 🙂
I agree by the way, high follower counts with little influence, mean nothing.
Thanks for the reply Ricardo.
As you say “it's easy to get caught up in what's shiny and new” and the net is full of shiny and new.
Very Nice Information …..
Keep it Up
Jacob