Do You Need A Social Media Strategy Audit?


by Barbara Williams - Date: 2010-05-26 - Word Count: 629 Share This!

According to a recent survey by R2integrated (R2i), 65% of the respondents stated that their organizations have not increased revenue or profited using social media. On the flip side it was suggested that companies using social media profitably are more likely to:

- possess defined social media strategies,

- have dedicated social media managers,

- and follow social media thought-leaders.

Defined social media strategy:

Not all strategies are created equal. A strategy based on extensive research, listening to the online conversations and analysis will be much more relevant that one dreamed up in a brain storming session by well meaning employees. There is an online conversation going on and wise marketers will want to know what is being said and by whom before jumping into the conversation.

Once you know the content of the conversations and what the consumers' interests and/or complaint areas are, you can develop keywords and content to address these issues. When you know who the influential bloggers are, you can develop a blogger relations program for them-all of which would form part of your social media strategy.

Dedicated social media managers:

Without dedicated resources to execute the strategy, it surly will fail. Agencies can be a big help in the research, strategy development and especially employee training. But at the end of the day, the consumer doesn't want to be in conversation with a PR or social media agency. They want to engage with real company people with real information, not "corporate speak" that has been sanitized for public consumption. Erin Brockovich would have loved to have today's social media tools when she was trying to generate interest in her community and right some major wrongs.

Staff dedicated to social media can:

- Deliver the content: this includes deciding on what kind of social media platforms will be used to reach out to the target audiences - text, images, audio and video.

- Engage with your consumers using social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook to facilitate the conversations and to continually add user-generated content about your brand.

- Can measure the success of the campaign by tracking and adjusting to ensure a successful campaign.

Follow social media thought-leaders:

Social media marketing is not a static activity-it is a living, breathing conversation that is ever evolving and developing into tools and techniques that both businesses and non-profits can utilize to be in real communication with their employees, prospects and customers.

A great way to stay on top of it all is to follow some of the social media thought leaders. Here are a few you can start with:

- David Meerman Scott: Marketing strategist and bestselling author, "The New Rules of Marketing & PR." Follow him on Twitter: @dmscott

- Lee Odden: One of 25 online marketing experts featured in "Online Marketing Heroes," @LeeOdden

- Brian Solis: Author of "Engage", cofounder of the Social Media Club and is an original member of the Media 2.0 Workgroup. @briansolis

- Sally Falkow: My business partner, one of the first PR bloggers and winner of PR Trainer of the Year for her Social Media Bootcamps. @sallyfalkow

- Guy Kawasaki: Author of some nine books and always seems to be one step ahead of the curve. @GuyKawasaki

If your social media marketing is not getting results, then do an audit to get to the bottom of the problem. Social media does work and if it is not working for your business, then you have something that can and should be fixed. Hopefully this article will guide you on how to create and manage a winning social media strategy.

About Expansion Plus

Expansion Plus is a full service social media, digital PR, organic search, and Internet marketing agency located in Pasadena, California. Expansion Plus was an early adopter of these new technologies while leveraging the principals' multi decades of experience in marketing, public relations, sales and management. For more information about a social media strategy, visit our web site today expansionplus.com

Related Tags: public relations, social media, social media marketing, social media strategy, social media audit, digital pr, social media thought leaders

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