The Importance of Strategy & Implementation in Social Media

Strategy is very important with regard to social media marketing. I know that the first urge, when we hear about so many people/companies out there being successful in social media, is to go out and jump online and start mimicking those successful companies. Of course to replicate success is always a good idea, but that cannot be your only strategy. As overwhelming &/or time consuming as it may seem, it is very important to have a clear marketing plan for your business and for social media to be included in it. Even better if you have a social media specific marketing plan that complements your already existing marketing plan, yet works separately from it as needed.

The majority of social media experts, including myself, will tell you that a social media marketing plan and a strategy for executing that play are the two most important details for anyone desiring to be successful online. I have multiple clients past and present whom I've consulted for in the area of social media and I can tell you that those who have a plan & are working through a set strategy with which to execute their plan are the most successful and/or are moving forward in the fastest most successful manner. The clients who have no plan at all, who have a plan but allow themselves to be distracted by every attractive idea, who have no strategy with which to execute their plan or who are not sticking to that strategy are the least successful and the most stressed. It makes more sense not only for your business, but also for your peace of mind, that you go forward only with a plan and a strategy.

5 THINGS TO INCLUDE IN YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY & IMPLEMENTATION:

1. BLOGGING - plan how frequently you will post to your blog(s), what your topics are during particular marketing phases (already in your marketing plan), then stick to that schedule.
2. TWEETING - plan what you are going to tweet about & when you are going to tweet it, then stick with that schedule either via directly tweeting or auto-tweeting your tweets as you move forward during particular marketing phases.
3. WRITING - (a bit different than blogging) - plan whether you will be posting articles, blogs, press releases, tweets, Facebook posts, Linkedin posts, articles to your email list or all of the above, plan where exactly all those posts will go, plan the frequency of the posts and then sit down to plan your personal writing schedule. Make sure you include proper time with which to write so that you can be sure to post to all these sources in a timely manner & so that you have plenty of content on hand for anything that may come up.
4. ARTICLES - plan how frequently you will post articles, what your topics are during particular marketing phases, where you will post them, then stick to that schedule.
5. GROUPS - plan which groups you will participate on via LinkedIn &/or Facebook, what topics you will be focusing on during particular marketing phases, join or create those groups as necessary, then stick with that schedule.

These are just a few of the many things you should consider when creating your social media marketing plan. If you don't have a marketing plan for your business or a social media marketing strategy to complement that plan, I'd suggest you get started creating both. There are plenty of great marketing companies out there that can assist you in creating a marketing plan and help you along the way. Of course, I can assist you in creating your social media marketing strategy &/or training regarding how to perform some of the tasks that relate to your strategy. If you need services be sure to email me via the contact me link in my profile page.

Nothing Comes From Nothing

Last week I put out a post that was all about good things coming to those who wait. What does that mean? Do we have to do anything? Should I just sit around on FaceBook watching and waiting for someone to justify my presence? If what you put out comes back to you & good things come to those who wait and nothing comes from nothing then what the heck can I expect?

When I first started in social media, I created an account on all the various forums and then sat there wondering what to do next. At first my friends and family located me and friended/followed me and then that was about it. At some point (after observing what the other monkeys in the forest were doing) I started talking about whatever it was that I was thinking. I began speaking about what was important and then the people who cared about the same things came around to have discussions about it all. At that point I had created a following and a ranking but it was merely a presence. I had to do a lot more talking and a lot more believing and a lot more talking about what exactly it was I believed before anything monetary came of it and even that took 2-3 years. So you see, good things do come to those who wait, but there's something to be said about waiting for a response rather than waiting for a savior. We are all the savior we've been looking for - our savior exists within us and what we put out comes back. So let's discuss what you're putting out there into the social media universe.

MOST IMPORTANT - you must have & be actively working, a defined social media plan/strategy that defines your target audience, places you in the appropriate social media platform in which to reach that audience, gives you insight to the key topics that audience cares about & how they want to hear about it, and that enables you to have a timeline of what should be going out... and when.

INTERACTION - after putting your social media strategy into action the second most important thing, is your interaction with your target audience. Your inputs, comments and advice to your target audience are what is going to draw them in over time, in turn leading to increased conversations, added value and the eventual request for services.

If you're looking for a quick win - rethink why you're using social media. There's an old, but well known, saying in the urban community "don't start nothing, won't be nothing" and that saying however lacking in grammar, makes its point perfectly. Work your social media platforms with a defined strategy and good things will come.

Because I'm addicted to smiles and fun, I'll end this post with a video link to Billy Preston singing Nothing From Nothing - perhaps you remember it (if you're as old or older than I) or perhaps you can have a listen to something old but new to you, and have something to bop your head over while sitting at your computer wondering about your social media plan.