photo by Yandle
The ongoing conversation regarding social media reminds me of every previous conversation I’ve ever had concerning marketing and communications. Today the questions are:
“Should I be on Twitter?”
“Do I need to blog?”
“Should I set up a Facebook fan page for my organization?”
“Is it time to overhaul my website?”
In the old days (which ended just a few years ago), the conversation went like this:
Client: I think we need a newsletter
Me: You’re a moron.
OK, maybe it didn’t go exactly like that. Maybe that “moron” line was just in my head. The difference I see between then and now is that, for the moment, most people really don’t know what they should be doing in social media. Those same people had no problem telling me that they needed a newsletter. Or an ad campaign. A direct mail piece. A brochure. Etc. And I have no doubt that we’ll quickly reach the stage where clients again state, with confidence, exactly which social media tool they need.
My irritation lies in the fact that asking what tool you need is never the first question to ask. Try answering these questions first:
- What’s my goal? What am I trying to accomplish?
- Who am I trying to reach? Who are they, where are they, where’s the best place to reach them?
- What’s my message? What am I trying to communicate to my target audience(s)?
- What objectives will help me reach my goal?
- What are the potential barriers to achieving my objectives? For example, will I have the support of management?
- What’s a good strategy for pursuing my objectives?
- What resources (staff, money, volunteers) are available to me?
And finally, given the answers to all these questions, what tools make the most sense?
Anything short of answering these questions will result in an ill-formed communications initiative that, if not doomed to failure, will be nowhere near as effective as if you had taken the time to consider all these issues.
If you can answer these questions, then the answers to all your social media questions will become a bit easier to find.
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{ 4 comments }
I still think we need a newsletter.
You’re hilarious. HILARIOUS! Tip to others: Never tell coworkers you have a blog.
Back to basics, or maybe everyone should have started with the basics. Thanks for the blog!
Thanks, Viviana. I think the proliferation of people in social media who don’t know the basics is one of the downsides of the democratization of information that comes with these new tools and technologies. Fortunately, there are a number of people online who are sharing their knowledge in this area. All anyone who cares need do is ask.
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