Hard to believe it used to be fairly simple when developing a Social Media Marketing Strategy. We had one or two social communities that “really” mattered. Today however, there are over 300 social networking sites excluding those focused purely on dating. Now not all of these social networking sites are relevant to a Digital Brand Presence…but it does stop and make you think.
Step One – Audit the noise to determine the tone and sentiment of existing brand conversations. If you’re not prepared for potential Public Relations nightmares, don’t execute the strategy.
Where do you want to be is the first question that comes into my mind. Most clients tell me they want the basics, Facebook, Twitter, and maybe LinkedIn for their sales force and oh yeah, the talent acquisition folks (recruiters). It used to be we had mountainous obstacles to overcome with the ROI challenge. Now…not so much, because you know…everybody’s doing it.
In the end though…someone in the organization will want to know why you’ve spent $1000s on Social Media Strategies. What makes the Fans/Followers/Likes/Tweeps so important. How do you place a value on this? Well that’s where the Digital Strategist comes into the picture.
A competent Digital Brand Strategist will be prepared to first perform an online reputation audit. With the completed audit they should present the findings, provide baseline metrics for future measurement strategy as well as a Destination (participation) Roadmap.
Don’t go building out your Social Brand Strategy alone…connect with a trusted Digital Brand Strategist, one that’s competent in both digital marketing and social marketing.