Crafting Your Social Media Marketing Plan

Posted on | April 8, 2010 | No Comments

During the Tempe Chamber’s 2010 Social Media Training Series, we will be hosting several expert presenters who will teach attendees how to use the most dynamic tools to ensure success. Our first session is “Crafting Your Social Media Marketing Plan” presented by Keane Creative founder Russ Perry.

Social Media: Have a Plan, Develop a Strategy 

Social Media is having a profound effect on the nature of business, consumer behavior, and the way companies communicate their messages. As of March 2010, 79% of global Fortune 500 companies are using social networking websites in some capacity (1). Social media now accounts for 11 percent of all time spent online in the United States (2), which makes it one of the web’s most engaging activities. The current king of social networking is Facebook, with visits from 112 million unique visitors in December 2009 (up over 105% from one year prior).

As more people spend more time engaging on social media sites, the potential ROI of pursuing a social media brand strategy grows exponentially for businesses. Social sites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn allow companies to target desirable “influencers,” thought leaders, and potential business partners in order to communicate with them directly. However, participating in social media without a strategy is like purchasing advertising with no marketing plan. 

It’s important to realize that people have been talking about brands for as long as brands have existed but now the conversations are moving online. While the most important benefit of social media is that it allows brands to directly communicate with customers, this communication requires just as much strategic planning as any other element of the marketing mix. And because social media sites are, by their nature, so public and visible, a carefully-crafted strategy and plan of action is vital to success. Mistakes, gaffes, and poorly-executed efforts are not well-tolerated within online communities. The most important thing for brands to keep in mind when using social media for marketing purposes is the brand’s objective. What does the brand want to accomplish by having a presence on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn? Should the company get a YouTube channel? Is a blog necessary? When the brand clearly understands its objectives or goals, it is much easier to align social activities to support these objectives.

While social media is an effective and typically low-cost way to engage with consumers, sites like Facebook and Twitter are merely tools that help a company implement a larger strategy and should be used with purpose. In the end a deliberate and carefully established social media strategy can directly impact sales and word-of-mouth publicity, while also helping Search Engine Optimization and driving traffic to company websites. But just as with traditional marketing, failure to participate or poor execution can lead to a negative impact that extends far beyond the tweets and into the harsh realities of lost consumer insight and loyalty. 

Russ Perry | russperry@keanecreative.com
www.keanecreative.com
707-722-RUSS – cell
602-904-6478 – office
877-YO-KEANE – toll free

1.       http://www.freshnetworks.com/blog/2010/02/how-the-global-fortune-100-are-using-social-media-some-statistics/
2.       “The comScore 2009 U.S. Digital Year in Review”

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