Social Media or Social Media for Business?
In business, social media is becoming a lot like email – every company should have it. Yet businesses are still coming to terms with social media and are often neglectful of the all-important infrastructure, both organisational and technical, created to support it.
So how can an organisation (no matter what size) approach social media and how can their planning, processes, and outcomes develop to embrace this form of marketing.
Perhaps the first key element is to review your business goals –“How can social media marketing be aligned with these?” The second element should focus on ensuring that the business has organisational alignment and support for the execution of any of those social media elements.
So what are the basic stages for Social Media Transformation within any business?
1. The Planning – we listen and learn!
Listen to your customers to learn about their social behaviour. Use a few test projects to be able to prioritize social efforts. Develop internal systems and resources to prepare for the execution.
2. The Presence – stake your claim!
Reflect upon the fact that this will be a journey for your business and an evolutionary strategy as new tools develop or tools change their mechanics however the key elements within this space is the fact that business should accept that a presence is social media will encompass both formal and informal. Key elements will be amplify existing marketing efforts, to support clients in pre and post transaction issues and ensuring you maintain alignment with your business objectives.
3. Engagement – As the dialog develops, the relationship deepens.
At this stage, social media becomes a critical element in relationship building and it is no longer viewed as an “add on”. It can be utilised to engage and build communities, speed the path to purchase or alignment with a business service (create that warm market), provide support for direct engagement with people, establish mood and market opportunities.
4. Formalized and co-ordinated initiatives
A focus on ensuring the social media infrastructure supports a growing social network / base. There is an executive sponsor (or champion) identified within the business, the social media team has organisational wide governance (represented across the organisation or business).
The social media coaches at Net Branding are providers of affordable, integrated and comprehensive social media solutions and training. To Contact US
