3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Venture Across Multiple Social Media Channels
Lots of social media consultants and professionals insist that you need to be active and visible on all social media channels. On one hand, I agree. It’s important to be visible.We can find common ground with that general idea.
However, more than anything else, I think that it’s too easy for those of us in the industry bubble to forget that there is a lot of work that needs to be done that isn’t social media and frankly, time is very scarce for most of us. Even if ultimately a company or brand should be everywhere all the time, the truth is, it takes resources. Those resources are often stretched, prodded, poked, and pressured in ways that go beyond a reasonable expectation of performance. Sometimes, you have to make hard choices and new sales and direct current customer support will almost always take precedence.
So, here’s the deal – before you decide to venture across multiple social media channels, ask yourself these 3 questions:
Question #1- How much time do you have to devote to your social media efforts?
Your brand is probably best supported with a fewer number of quality implementations on social than a bunch of half-baked ones. In some markets that might not be true, but generally speaking, it is. Choose your channels based on your goals, where your target outreach audience hangs out, and the skill set within your organization.
Do your best to be where your tribe is and know beyond a shadow of a doubt what your purpose is in being there. This type of clarity will help a lot. Don’t assume, either, that you know, unless you’ve spend a good amount of time researching or reviewing other 3rd party research. I am a big fan of intuition but data really is powerful, so go get some. Confirm your hunches on where your customer is and what he/she is actually doing on social. Just because they are on Facebook doesn’t mean they want to engage with you – they could easily just be wanting to connect to their grandkids. Find out.
Question #2 – Are you committed to content creation and curation…or not?
Great social, especially if you are working toward thought leadership designation in your industry, needs a fantastic content strategy underneath it to give it legs. Someone has to invest their time and treasure into that process.
Original content, interviews, videos, podcasts, blog posts, and more need to flow and need to have your brand’s unique voice and spin on it. Just posting links of other people’s stuff won’t work for long, unless you’re a news outlet maybe. Heck, even news outlets want to be the original informer of breaking news, so even they value original content.
Aggregation can work in some industries, but it won’t work like original ideas that distinguish you as a leader. Understand the ominous content monster that will need to be fed and prepare yourself to do it or decide consciously that you aren’t going to. Either way, it will have consequences to the quality of your social media program.
Question #3 – How does your social media outreach complement your current company sales outreach?
I know that social media is not just a sales channel. I am a digital reputation strategist, so I completely get the need for a digital footprint that enhances positioning as a thought leader. I make my living doing it. I think that everything that everyone does in a company contributes to sales if the culture is aligned properly, so I don’t think the direct line salespeople are the only ones who are important, either. But, I also know this – you have to keep the lights on.
Social media may or may not give you immediate sales results but that doesn’t make it any less important. It takes time and devotion and focus. If you devise strategies that clearly demonstrate a support of the ultimate sales process, then you will be more likely to continue to get the financial backing and c-Suite support you need to keep funded.
Staying funded while your social media efforts really gain traction is the way to prove the case. You have to keep your own department’s lights on too and that takes proper mission alignment. Stay conscious of this.
Go forth and implement soundly!
Hard reality hurts to run up against. Hopefully, by being both pragmatic and creative (and throw in some hopeful while you’re at it), you will be on your way to a solid social media implementation. Start with a channel or two, know why you’re there, and keep at it. This works and you know it, and it’s only a matter of time before everyone else does too. Go knock ‘em dead, tiger!
[graphic by turkletom]
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Published: April 9, 2012 By:
Amen, Vicki. I say it’s better to be effective in only a few, and build a loyal following with real engagement than try to spread yourself too thin, simply to be a part of every channel. It’s all about finding out where your audience is, and targeting those tools. And remembering they’re just that — tools! Thanks for a great post!
Sorry for the delay in responding, Nancy. Thank you for dropping by – yes, it’s about a loyal following and real engagement. It’s so easy to forget that when we are looking to build our social media footprint. Tools are only as useful as the clever minds that put them to work. Like you…
Vicki
Thank you for this. I keep reading that, as a communicator, I’d be doing my employer a disservice by not joining all the chatter. I went to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn (two pages there), and now G+… with some prodding to join Pinterest.
I keep asking where the value is for our organization — a tax-supported policy research organization. I mean, really… can I find our ideal audience at Pinterest? How do you post a photo of a research report or a seminar?
Gradually, I’m learning how to put my hook into the water, watch if any fish react, and then hanging out where I get the most nibbles. Right now, that’s Facebook and Twitter… and even that requires a lot of attention and coddling. LinkedIn attracts a very specialized audience for us… primarily people who already know us and want to keep up with our work. Twitter has been great for connecting with news people. And Facebook is where we have discussions and a bit of fun with our quizzes and non-scientific surveys.
While I do post to G+ and LinkedIn, I give them the attention that does not outweigh the payback. For other companies, those metrics might be completely different from ours. But we know what works best for us, and anything else is just a drain on our energy and time.
Glad you found some relief and validation in my post, Donna. I think it’s a common problem and frankly, a relic of the “numbers game” to think that more is better. In some cases, it is. In most cases (and especially social, generally speaking) numbers don’t tell the whole story.
You do have my interest piqued though – Pinterest for a policy research org – hmmm…there is an angle there, but it would likely require a bit more personal touch than your org is comfy with. I do enjoy the creativity of social so you just never know. I’d stick with your nibbling fish concept for now and expand as you are able and as it makes sense. You sound on top of it.
Thanks for dropping by and contributing to the conversation – much appreciated!
Vicki @Smartwoman Flaugher
Vicki, I’m glad I found this site. I have a couple questions and if this post is not the place to ask them let me know.
For a Non Profit organization with mainly volunteer workforce and small operating groups, how do you suggest getting the most out of integration across social media and websites? With the newness of some social media outlets (like Pinterest) is there a point of diminishing returns that might take from more established outlets and not yield much in respect to benefits. Also, is there a chart anywhere that might outline the value of each to allow comparison like Pinterest versus Flickr that would help those with limited resources pursue what makes more sense based on what they want to achieve.
Thanks
Laura (Townsend Lions Club Social Media Coordinator/Webmaster)
I think what you are asking is exactly what so many people struggle with, Laura. How to integrate effectively across platforms. To me, it’s about where your audience is, first and foremost. Next, it’s where the audience that you wish you had is hanging out. Last, it’s about time and resources – automating the right things, keeping the human touch on the other things, and finding a balance with that which works with your available skill/talent pool, budget, and intended purpose. I am happy to speak more with you about it any time, Laura.
Vicki