[This article was first published on Social Media Today on April 7 2011 ]
You have a great product or service and you want to share it with the world. Social media can help you do that. There are communities already living online that need what you have to offer. The trick is to find them and engage them in a way that they are comfortable with. Before you run into their virtual space and start telling them all about your company, it’s a good idea to have a rock solid social media plan.
Here are a few things to consider:
1. Develop a Great Message
It does not matter how amazing your product or service is if you can’t articulate what it is you are offering in 15 seconds or less your potential customers will most likely pass you by. Short and concise sentences are a must. Simple and snappy logos and graphics are also key. The goal is easy dissemination of your inspiring and original message. The result of achieving that social media goal is a burgeoning base of loyal customers.
2. Make it Easily Sharable
Thought leaders and game changers love to be the first people to tell their networks about the new and innovative product/service you have to offer. Make your info subscribable, sharable and Re-Tweetable (take a look at this list of Twitter tools). This will give you more of a chance of being picked up by one of these active engagers and passed to their squadron of loyal followers. Once you’re in with them, you’ll have access to a whole new level of rich demographics to look at.
3. Give People an Incentive
Want your audience to stop in your digital neighborhood and stay for a while? Give them a reason to do so. This could include an engaging competition (think photo or video submissions), free e-book or webinar, or a discount on your services. There are also a litany of ways you can make your site or social media presence more interactive including using Facebook pages, games as well as a creative use of effective Twitter tools. In this fast paced world, people have increasingly short attention spans, so again, keeping it snappy is a good idea.
4. Know What You Want to Achieve
This is imperative during the Return of Investment (ROI) determination and reevaluation phase. Speaking of metrics, this could be a number of Facebook ‘likes’, the consistency of page views, an in-depth analysis of your analytics software or something else. Just make sure that you are working as productively as you can without being distracted.
5. Know What Tools You’ll Need to Achieve
There are several tools out there, some free and some not, that will help you measure ROI on SMM endeavors. Try free ones like Google Alert or SocialMention or paid for but very powerful Radian6 or Trendrr and determine which one will serve you or your organization the best.
Above all, remember that the digital world is incredibly malleable and frequently changing. Be ready and willing to reassess and change your current social media plan on a regular basis. The 24 hour news cycle and hyper attentive blog rolls depend on and create the need to be nimble. Keep this in mind and you’ll be way ahead of the curve.
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