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Focus On a Social Media Plan or Fall Behind The Curve
July 26, 2011
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When there is a clear purpose of why you’re using social media, backed by a comprehensive plan, you feel more in control. It provides a deeper sense of what you can accomplish within the digital and social space. Radio, however is making the social space more difficult than it has to be because few broadcasters have a plan.
Radio recognizes social media must be part of the brand’s expression but it pretty much stops there.
There’s a lack of concentrated attention on which channels are appropriate to monetize, on which to create unique experiences, and on which contributes to increasing website metrics. There’s just a bunch of random, well-meaning people doing random things on all of these platforms without a whole lot of strategic focus.
What’s frustrating is radio’s scattered approach to social media is apparently not exclusive to our industry. eMarketer shared a study last week from
Jive Software and Penn, Schoen & Berland, which found while 78% of U.S. executives surveyed understand that a “well-crafted social media plan is a vital part of the marketing mix,” only 27% listed social business as a top strategic priority.Nearly half of the executives (47%) admit a social plan is necessary but just not a strategic priority, while nearly one-fifth (19%) say a social business strategy is simply not necessary.
Of the leading priorities in marketing, customer acquisition and retention, profitability and branding typically rank among the more important aspects. How is it then that these social sites (that indeed contribute to the above-mentioned goals) often get overlooked or are just basically “toyed around with” rather than being used strategically?
What if someone told you that many of these social sites are effective gateways to your own website and with proper execution will increase your metrics and build on your brand’s authority? Would you still barge into these sites with no plan or would you find someone to help you create a purpose and plan that would be designed to increase your effectiveness?
“Many companies may be using social media marketing, but those that choose not to focus on a strategy risk falling behind the curve in integrating social media with their overall marketing goals. Recognizing the importance of strategy alone isn’t enough; companies should start implementing a plan.” -eMarketer
It is time to find resources either within your company or from the outside that can help bring these scattered forces together in one room. The goal is to craft an umbrella strategy where everyone is in collective agreement as to the purpose of each channel and how it fits into your plan.
The first step is deciding what your customers (or listeners) want out of your social media presence. From there, you can define your own company/station goals. I hear questions ranging from “What do we put in a company social media policy?” to “How do we even monitor what’s being said online?” and “How do we gauge our effectiveness on these platforms?”
Those questions are easy to answer when a purpose and a plan have been put in place. If you don’t know what you truly want out of social media, how can you gauge its success?
As always, it’s fun to read your comments in the section below. Please let me know if in fact your company has a plan that deserves to be showcased.
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