Now, who are the first people these folks should meet with? The IT department? Marketing? Communications?
Yes.
Maybe this wasn't the answer you were hoping for, but it's the right one.
A truly effective media strategy bridges all of these verticals to create not only a clear, consistent online presence for your brand but also a carefully executed communications plan.
Let's break it down:
IT
Your IT department is not only in charge of making sure your computers and networking function, but also establishing proper usage policies and network safety and integrity. The very nature of social media with its sharing of links, videos and other content on password-protected sites creates a security issue.
IT needs to be involved from the outset to ensure that digital marketing practices adhere to network standards and policies. If your company is blocking sites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, your social media plan is already hamstrung.
Marketing
Your marketing team, whether they are internal or external through a PR firm or ad agency, has set branding standards for your company. Social media activities should adhere to these standards, and all planning for digital should involve these parties.
A major goal of marketing campaigns is establishing a clear and consistent brand identity. This identity must be maintained across all verticals in order to maintain its integrity and effectiveness. Getting buy-in from the marketing team from the beginning mitigates surprises down the road.
Communications
Your company communicates information not just via marketing but also via media outlets and, depending on the industry, via public safety and/or crisis communications channels. Like it or not, people expect all official means of communication (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) to be reflective of and responsive to these types of information dissemination.
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Matt Chandler is the Vice President of Content Strategy at Raidious