Imagine you didn't know any social media platforms.
Yes that's right. You've just emerged into 2010 and been told there's a great new way of building your business called social media.
Would you instantly say 'What are the platforms? I must have a presence on all of them.'
I doubt it. In the old days you didn't rush out and book space in every publication before thinking about what you were trying to achieve. But with Social Media many companies seem to adopt just this approach.
"We need to be on Twitter", "We want a Facebook page", "Get a blog up"
Quickly followed by
"I want n000 followers, fans, likes, comments"
It's almost as if the very mention of social media lobotomises the rational part of the brain.
So let's become the 'what is this' stranger to this strange new social media world. Where do we start?
Content and Community - it's just the start, but it's not new.
Most people who have avoided the lemming-plunge start to focus on the traditional Content and Community aspects. "What do we want to say?""Who do we want to listen to, and act upon, this message?" It's no different from a traditional campaign. We look at the content and decide on the best way to relay it; we look at the audience and decide how they are best reached.
Social Media - emphasising the difference.
But if that's all it does then why introduce it into the mix at all. Because it is more than a channel to market. And this is where businesses need to start when they embark on social media. They need to decide what it is they want to achieve and then the best way to achieve this. In my experience there are four basic reasons to step into social media; some businesses will embrace all (or need to embrace all), others will only do one or two. Moving on from the social media Cs, I'd like to introduce the social media Es.
Educate: Sometimes it's simply about getting a message out to anyone who might listen/stumble upon it. After all, we shouldn't forget that some randomness is what makes social media different.Defining your audience helps determine your platform, but you should allow a little where your audience defines you.
Entertain: Perhaps it's about creating a wow factor to be recognised in an alternative way to the traditional market perception. Social Media lends itself to allowing your brand to be represented in a little bit more quirky way than before. It's possibly the hardest Element to plan for though - incorporate it if you want that little bit of intrigue, but be thoughtful as to the risks as well as the upsides.
Examine: Social Media is a great way to follow market trends, competitor activity and customer interests. I'd recommend that people started the examine activity before their own - not only to see what's going on, but how other businesses are behaving (and I don't just mean counting how many followers each has).
Engage: To many the raison d'etre of social marketing. It's what everyone claims to be doing but how many are doing it well? Look at a typical Facebook fan page: many of the messages are more in the Educate category than the Engage. Businesses which offer a reason for their customers to engage (from the simple incentive to the shared experience) are attracting more fans and ultimately more business. So before deciding that engagement is your aim, consider the work that goes behind it. And then execute to engage.
Yes the 5th E isn't a category but a call. Execute. Execute according to what you want to achieve and then the place to execute will drop out more naturally.
So, stop thinking of the platform. Stop thinking that social media is just a channel to market. Start thinking differently and realise its wider potential. Use these Es to help you plan. Then you can decide on the best of the available channels: Youtube is clearly a great way to entertain, but it can also be your education route. Linkedin may seem to be your education route but may be the best way to engage with your targets. But above all, don't execute first and wonder why nothing is happening. If you can keep your head when many are losing theirs you'll probably be a social media success story.
