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Smashing Social Media Plans for businesses, companies and corporations

Social media is not Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. These are websites that facilitate social media. Social implies people or community and the word media pertains to communication. Replacing the two words, we can always think of social media as community message/s. When the definition has been understood properly, the phrase social media can now be used to serve a bigger purpose.

For business owners, companies and corporations; one thing is for sure – there is a lot of fuss about social media. A few important questions need to be answered before starting any social media plan.

1. Why do we need social media?

2. Who do we expect to participate in our Social Media?

3. What kind of messages can we send?

4. What kind of interactions do we want to encourage and what do we stay away from?

5.  Who will market and manage our social media?

6. Do we have a few short term goals and a few long term goals.

In most cases these days, the business, company or corporation that just got into social media for the heck of it because everyone else was doing it probably answered the above this way :

1. Why do we need social media? The competitor is using it or everyones into it.

2. Who do we expect to participate in our Social Media? Our customers

3. What kind of messages can we send? Promotional material and company updates

4. What kind of interactions do we want to encourage and what do we stay away from?We want everyone to like our posts and not say anything bad about us

5.  Who will market and manage our social media? John or Jane who has an extra hour or so to squeeze in daily

6. Do we have a few short term goals and a few long term goals? Not sure – we will learn and find out what we can do.

Would have been better if:

1. Why do we need social media?

Social media is “community message”. The worlds market is a niche market these days. Communities and niche go well together. We have customers, buyers, sellers, re-sellers, employees, trainees, interns and sub-contractors. I guess we need to talk more often and communicate more often with my immediate community if we want to grow.

Facebook users spend more time on Facebook than any other site. Mobile users use twitter more than they use SMS. There is some serious referral  activity in LinkedIn. A billion videos are watched daily in YouTube. – This is why we need social media. The people are out there, spending time on these websites daily. What an opportunity to communicate.

2. Who do we expect to participate in our Social Media?

Your entire business community can participate. In social media you aren’t thinking profits, you are thinking of messages and interaction. The organizational philosophy, character and morals all come to play in social media. When you are invited to a formal dinner, what would you rather talk about, values of the company or the latest discounts you are willing to give. But this doesn’t mean that you cannot have fun.

Communities love humor that’s in good taste.

3. What kind of messages can we send?

Messages for your social media can be virtually anything, it can be about the employee of the month, the donation received at your counter, the occasional interesting and relevant links you found at the internet. Can be events, surveys, polls and so much more..

4. What kind of interactions do we want to encourage and what do we stay away from?

You cannot force an interaction, but you can leave some incentives. Interactions only come from first maximizing your circle of contacts and then sending messages thats worth the read. They must be clever, enticing and well written. You want to stay away from comments that can sabotage your social media plan. Make sure you have your “moderate comments” options on for manual and not automatic.

5.  Who will market and manage our social media?

Hire someone full time. Your social media marketer does more than just copy paste links. They are the communicators and writers who are committed to put you atop a pedestal for your community to admire.

6. Do we have a few short term goals and a few long term goals.

Short term goals can be to have every department communicate with the social marketer, let them have direct communication from the HR, to the President. Let every department have their own unique story.

Long term goals can be to participate in social work in your community and to cover those stories, join philanthropic societies and occasionally throw in an event.

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