The Value of Social Influence, Part II (Getting Started with Social Media)

Oct 28, 2011     No Comments    Posted under: Journal, Online Ethos

“We need a social media strategy.”

Many conversations with clients start just this way.  And they are right. Having a strategy will make all the difference in managing social media. But it can be a daunting task for any organization to know just where to begin to create that strategy. As a result,  many don’t ask  the question and instead charge forward without a plan or avoid social media altogether. Neither approach is likely to be satisfying for the organization or the audience.

I won’t tell you there is a perfect recipe for creating a strategy, but the following is a sound model for most organizations to start with.

Step 1: Set up your own content outlet

You can’t become part of the social crowd if you don’t create content. If you want your organization to be  visible in social media and search engines, then you must create content—ideally, good content. Establish a central location to publish content which is relevant to your audience.  There are many ways to do this. Most notably you can add new content to your existing website on a regular basis. If your website doesn’t have a strong information architecture to support new content, is difficult to edit, or in a state of creative flux, consider using a site like WordPress.com or Tumblr for regular content creation. Both are easy to set up, have configurable themes for search engine optimization and social media, and offer a no to low-cost alternative to creating content. Keep in mind that content comes in many forms – articles, photos, and videos just to name a few. Keep your definition of content broad and relevant to your brand.

Step 2: Create a proactive editorial plan

An editorial plan will help you create content regularly and consistently. Think about your area of expertise. Without question there are thought provoking pieces, how-to exercises, explanations, case-studies, videos, and podcasts which can demonstrate your leadership in your market space. This is where, and how, you form viewpoints that you hope will become leading opinions or promote the vision of your organization.

One way to produce an editorial calendar if you are truly stuck is to ask some key questions inside your organization. Maybe your product sales or enrollment figures are low, donations not exceeding expectations, or any number of goals just not where you would like them to be. Ask your staff: “Why?”. Record all the answers you get and rank them in order of importance. Start creating content that addresses those issues and areas of concerns and get it out to your social network.

Step 3: Create a reactive editorial plan

To be relevant and create relevant content you need to know what’s happening in your industry. Set up search queries for related industry terms and follow other industry leaders on their social media channels. When you see stories which are popular or part of the industry conversation, respond with short posts quickly and then add a comment on the source material with a link back to your post.

TweetDeck or HootSuite are two excellent tools which can help you keep an eye on several social media channels at once.

Step 4: Pick the “right” social networks and set up your social profiles

Don’t pick social media sites based on the size of the network. Other communities may be smaller but more effective for your organization. It’s reasonable to start with one or two social networks, rather than trying to take the entire social media world by storm all at once. Eventually, you will want to have accounts and identities on most, if not all,  major social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. You might also consider YouTube if you are creating video content, and Flickr or SmugMug for photos. When setting up your account, strive for consistency and use the same username for all identities. This will alleviate confusion for you and your audience.

There are endless social media outlets and many niche oriented sites. Once you are comfortable with your social media strategy it’s worth exploring other outlets which might be consistent with your services or brand.

Step 5: Find out which of your supporters are already on social networks

Survey your audience and find out who has accounts on the social networks you belong to (you might even find some networks you never thought of belonging to). Send them a personalized e-mail inviting them to like or recommend your page or to join your group.

Step 6: Prepare to lose control

Breathe deeply. There is no way you can vet every word from every person who passes through your social network. This is something you need to be comfortable with right way. You can set up an approval process for ‘comments’ that people post, but if you go this route make sure the approval process is reasonable and fast. In most cases, the power of the “social police” is real.  If someone says something about you or your brand which is inaccurate, others are likely to defend your position. And if they don’t, you may need to evaluate the truth, or perceived truth in the statement and proactively work to address it.

Step 7: Communicate with your social network friends on a regular basis

Stick to your editorial plans and update your social media presence with new content regularly. Don’t be ‘static.’ Be dynamic.

Step 8: Devote staff time to making your social networking effort a success

Assign a staff person to manage requests, post comments on other people’s pages, and invite others to become friends. Don’t let your presence become stagnant. You might want to look around your organization or community for someone who has experience with social networking. It might be a staff member, an intern, or a volunteer. Get that person involved and use their expertise.

Step 9: Offer content to well-trafficked media outlets

When you start creating content, no one is going to know you exist. You may be a large brand, but you may not be known as a voice in your industry. You can change your editorial anonymity by volunteering to produce or share content on other well-known industry sites. Approach the sites and ask to contribute. Ask for a link back to your site. Look for people who are peers or experts in your industry. Ask to write stories about them, follow them through your social media channels. In short, be social so others know you exist.

Step 10: Activate your social network supporters

Eventually you will want to start turning your ‘friends’ into clients,  donors, and volunteers. Make sure your social pages always feature opportunities to get involved.  Be specific when you do ask your network to do something for your organization. And always let people know what happened at an event or with a campaign even if they did not participate. They might get involved the next time.

Setting up and maintaining a social media strategy takes ongoing work—and lots of it. You need to make your social media strategy a part of your ultimate marketing, branding, content, and customer service process. None of this will happen overnight, but you need to start somewhere. Think of social networking as an investment in the future. Those you engage with today are your customers, donors and supporters of tomorrow. Get into the game now and learn to use social media. It’s okay to make mistakes along the way. It’s ultimately how you learn.

What are you waiting for? Get social!

This article is part of a series on social media. Read Part I and Part III.

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