Like many B2B marketers, chances are good that one of your new year's resolutions may be to do more with social media in 2012. However, two weeks into the year, chances are also really good that you're probably starting the feel the pressures of your other marketing responsibilities and your steely resolve to blog weekly, tweet daily, etc. may be starting to soften.
You may even already be behind on your content generation plans. Before your new year's resolution is completely forgotten, best to take a few steps to correct the situation.
So what's a Marketer do to ensure they stick to their new year's resolutions? Here are a few suggestions:
Be specific about your goal. Saying that you want to be more social is way too general. For example, you could resolve to make your team blog one of the top 10 blogs on an industry or subject-matter aggregator site.
Set a realistic goal. Make sure you set a goal that is achievable and sustainable. Keep in mind that even with a full-time, dedicated social media analyst doing all the right things, it is still going to take time - perhaps even a year - before you're having regular and meaningful conversations with your target audience, and are truly a social business.
Establish a plan to reach your goal. Planning ahead is underrated - it's also a means to success. You wouldn't go on a vacation without having an idea of where you're going or baggage in tow. So why would you leave our social media efforts to chance? Say things like, "I'm going to blog at least 1x a week" and block time off in your schedule to write.
Set a reasonable time frame to reach your goal. Start with something modest (i.e., a quarter) and go from there. Social businesses are not created overnight - content generation takes time, as does creating relationships via social networks.
Enlist the support of others. Don't try to do everything yourself. Unless you're running a one-man operation, you should ask everyone to get involved in helping to transform your company into a social business. And if your CEO says he's too busy to blog, then ask him for budget to hire a ghostwriter.
Recognize that you will make mistakes. Slipups are a part of the process - don't use them as an excuse to give up. If you fall behind on your blogging, don't beat yourself up about it - just starting writing!
These are just a few tips to help you stick to your new year's resolution. How are you doing with your new year's resolutions? What's working? What's not?