It’s not uncommon for businesses, of all sizes, to have a social media presence. However, in my experience, having a well planned, carefully thought out strategy attached to that presence is far less common. There are many reasons for this, but the result is the same: Wasted opportunity. Not having a clear, focused social media strategy results in the Facebook pages and Twitter accounts belonging to thousands of brands and businesses to go largely unnoticed. Do not make this mistake as you contemplate adding a social media presence to your business or brand.
Here’s a mistake many business owners make: They set up an account for their business on some social media platform (Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, etc.) and then….not much else happens. Why? Because this is as far as the planning went. There was no, “and then” added to the strategy and, as a result, nothing more happens. The profile just kind of sits there, it’s updated sporadically, it collects a few fans and followers, and then it just goes silent. The business owner might then be inclined to shake her head in disgust, thinking that social media has failed her and her business. Just a waste of time. However, a closer examination will reveal that it wasn’t the social media platform that failed, it was the plan that failed.
So, as I said before, don’t let this happen to you. Take the time to ensure that your social media efforts aren’t flying blind, destined to achieve nothing. Here are some questions that you should ask yourself when fleshing out your social media efforts. As you answer these questions, you move from a rough idea to a strategy.
- Why should my business have a social media presence?
- Which social media platform(s) best suits my business?
- How much time am I willing/able to devote to this per day, per week, per month?
- What type of social media strategy do my competitors have?
- How do I want to use social media (find new customers, build relationships with existing ones, build my brand identity, etc.)?
- What are my criteria for success and how do I measure this?
These are just a few of the questions your social media plan should look to answer. It’s also important to keep in mind that once you have a social media strategy in place and are working at executing it, it is also critically important that you monitor its progress. Have a plan, but be willing to adapt. Identify what’s working, what’s not working, and where your areas of opportunity lie. Tracking your results and monitoring the data will allow you to make informed decisions and greatly increase the power and effectiveness of your social media efforts. These are the efforts that will lead to a a successful social media strategy and, ultimately, a stronger business.
Laser Burn Media can help your business develop and execute your social media strategy. Our social media professionals specialize in working with small and medium sized businesses and can work with you to develop a custom based solution for your online marketing needs. We can work with any budget and will sit down with you, answer all of your questions, address all of your concerns, and provide industry-leading customer service throughout. Laser Burn Media would be honored to work with you to help make your business stronger. All you have to do is ask.
-Dan Cheek
LaserBurnMedia.com
dan@laserburnmedia.com
Twitter.com/LaserBurnMedia
(570)795-9467
