Social networks and social media sites are popular destinations for all types of internet users seeking unique, unfiltered, engaging content. Many companies are experimenting with creating a presence on these sites in order to connect with customers and create brand advocates.

Unfortunately, most advertisers are doing it wrong. Social sites are not a one-way megaphone like traditional media and public relations. It’s a dialogue, a conversation between people.

Before You Dive In

Just because everybody else seems to be on Facebook and Twitter doesn’t mean you should jump into the deep end. Have you considered engaging other communities online where your target audience might be active instead of going with the flow?

Start with the basics by answering these questions:

• What are you trying to accomplish? Establish objectives to track your progress against business goals.
• How do you define success? What quantifiable metrics will you use to determine success or learn from failure?
• Who are you trying to reach? Identify your audience online, where they congregate and the types of conversations they are having about your industry, your products and your company.
• What’s in it for them? Create relationships built on mutual value.
• What can you offer that they can’t get elsewhere? Put yourself in your customers’ shoes.

You Need a Strategy

We can help you navigate murky waters and identify the best opportunities to engage your target audience online. There are no clearly defined rules for playing in this space, other than respect the community and contribute something useful.

As experienced online marketers, we know that even well-intentioned companies can end up with a PR nightmare when the marketing message becomes more important than the relationship.

We play by those rules and can help your business develop strategies for:

• Brand Creation & Awareness Building
• Reputation Management
• Driving traffic to your site

The Three Components of a Social Media Campaign

Social media strategies typically incorporate some combination of the following approaches at various stages in the campaign:

• Monitor ongoing conversations and communities for mentions of your brand or products.
• Respond to questions, comments, critiques, ideas, or suggestions where you can offer value.
• Contribute unique, valuable, resourceful content to social media and social networking sites.

Knowing the who, when, where, and how is where the rubber hits the road. We can help you develop a sustainable, measurable social media strategy to help accomplish your business objectives.