I often share how much my direct marketing background influences how I approach social media marketing. It has given me a framework from which to view social media marketing as a discipline. Yes, I know that social media is about being authentic, yet being authentic doesn’t mean you have to show up without a plan or strategy. Yet this is exactly what most companies do.
To be an effective social media marketer, you must:
- First get clear on your goals
- Deliver messages that are designed to inspire responses that align with your goals
- Understand what kinds of messages produce the results you want
These 3 keys require you think ahead before you deliver your messages and that you look back to see what they produced. Showing up to play in the game is not enough. Just because the tools are free doesn’t mean you can afford to waste your energies messaging at random.
How to avoid random messaging:
- Develop a messaging plan
- Develop a messaging schedule
If that sounds like too much effort and structure, then you’re not taking your social media marketing seriously. Believe me, a little disclipine sees the difference between a swing and a miss and a home run. Which would you prefer?
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As Sun Tzu said so well “strategy without tactic is the slowest route to victory, tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat”. The bottom line is that social media isn’t simple, isn’t free. It’s complex, time consuming if you want to do it well thus the need to put context around the actions. I wouldn’t forget targeting (goes along with the goals). SM is zillions of niche communities and understanding which one to go after (one or many) is critical because that’s where people socializes online.
Very well put, Laurent. You are absolutely correct to remind me not to forget about targeting, as that is indeed crucial.