Getting out of the gate quickly is what most organizations want to do, but in social media the gate is not so obvious. In this weeks top digital marketing story, Sean Carton provides a list of questions you should ask yourself before you get into the social media race.
Social Media strategy checklist
Before jumping into the social media bandwagon you should think about strategy first says Sean Carton. There isn’t anything new about thinking strategy first, it’s just that the ROI on social media is very tricky. Nonetheless the checklist of questions he provides helps gets you prepared for uncharted territory.
Key takeaway: this checklist provides good guidelines, be honest with yourself and remember that no strategy is set in stone.
Creating Your Social Media Plan
Lisa Barone of Outspoken Media says that before you get your feet into social media it’s important to know who you are and what you stand for.
There are a lot of companies helping clients navigate their way through ‘social media’ waters and they all suggest the same things: start by listening (who’s talking), define the outcome (what do you want to accomplish?), pick your spots (where is your audience), promote (spread your message), nurture (build community) and knowing what the score is (metrics).
Key takeaway: Ask yourself what you stand for, how you choose to behave is telling of what your strategy should be.
SEO Best practices are bunk
Adam Audette argues that following ‘best practices’ in SEO delivers no competitive advantage in internet marketing.
While I agree with his point that best practices become ‘they way things are done’, he doesn’t really provide any specific alternatives other than just be creative.
What exactly is radical SEO?
To build on his argument I think that, while SEO helps determine search engine positions, the game has shifted to social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. People are now using socnets to find the things they’re looking for, they provide trust from peers, immediacy and relevancy in ways that search results cannot.
Key takeaway: Optimize your website taking into account ‘best practices’ but also optimize for social media. The game has changed and the field of play has shifted to social properties where you yield greater influence.
Out on the edge
Brands come and go, only the one’s that go from the edge to the mainstream and back stay relevant argues the branding firm BlackCoffe through a graphic.
Key takeaway: staying relevant depends on being able to go from the edge to the mainstream and back to edge. It’s a process of reinvention. How are you reinventing your brand? What activities are you doing so your brand stays relevant?
Becoming A Social Business Is Your Next Big Challenge
“A social business is one that has products and services but prioritizes connecting with people, and facilitating connections between people, in an environment that is conducive to the company’s success.”
Designing your organization to be social is nothing new, in one way or another all businesses have been social, the only difference now is that connecting organizations with customers through the internet has shown that being social has it rewards. Customers loyalty, intimacy and creating a complete brand experience where your customer is at the center is what ‘being social’ really means.
Key takeaway: understand that ‘being social’ is just jargon for being customer focused. Master the tools that let you be even more customer focused and use them to your advantage.
Primetime On Facebook Is Monday To Wednesday
On what days are user more likely to click on your posted links on Facebook?
Marketing firm Virtue says users click on links in Facebook fan pages 10% of the time on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and 9% of the time on Mondays, with much lower rates later in the week.
Key takeaway: Take this with a grain of salt, I suggest to test it out. Focus on publishing more content on these days and then check the fan page analytics for results.
Continue Reading
