Social Media Strategy

The next book that I have started reading is Share This, which focuses on social media and the different aspects involved with it.  One thing that intrigued me as I began reading the book, was the tips it gave revolving around a social media strategy.  Starting something new can be very challenging, and many times deciding where to begin can be the biggest struggle.  There are so many different platforms and avenues that can be chosen to jump-start a social media strategy.

One tip that was discussed was the importance of having a team in place who can help kick-start the utilization of social media.  These chosen individuals will need to be able to prioritize and give input whenever needed to use social media to its highest potential.  Social media will encompass numerous people and departments in a business.  You never know what will get posted through social media channels.  People can post complaints, suggestions, and even slanderous content.  By having a social media team, the business will be able to comment on these responses and deal with the situations accordingly.  Personally, I think a team of individuals is vital in order to properly use social media.  You never know what customers, competitors, or even employees will post.  By being prepared and thinking about these situations, one will be able to respond in a timely fashion.

Another tip that was brought up through the reading was choosing a goal.  I really didn’t think about this much before reading this section.  By choosing a goal, you can focus your social media strategy allowing you to figure out the best way to complete a task.  Goals can include awareness, sales, or loyalty.  The goal that a company chooses will depend on what it hopes to achieve by utilizing social media.  This can range from reaching more people to gaining higher sales.  Many times a company will want to achieve many goals and ambitions.  However, each goal is different and specific.  Because of this, focusing on one goal at a time is ideal and should lead to a greater success.  By thinking about the use of social media and creating a strategy, businesses will be able to use social media to their advantage.