Social media programs can be incredibly successful, abysmal, or somewhere in-between. There are brands that demonstrate clear success, and most do solid work, oftentimes with limited budgets and resources. Some, however, failed to get off the ground, leaving in their wake inactive accounts, poorly managed content, and outdated visual identities.
Are you the marketing leader of an organization; the person who makes the strategic and budgetary decisions that impact the social media program? Are you seeing the value of social? If it’s not working, ask yourself the following:
Is social media truly integrated into our marketing strategy?
Social media is not a stand-alone activity, just as your website doesn’t stand alone, nor does your e-mail marketing or advertising work independently. More so than most marketing vehicles, social media supports everything you’re doing, including real-life marketing efforts like events. When developing a marketing strategy, consider all of the tools and how they work together. Your social media strategist should be a part of this process, from planning to content strategy development to measurement and iteration.
But not just marketing.
Just as importantly, organizations should consider how social media impacts other parts of the organization, such as sales (if separate from marketing), and customer service. Are there policies and procedures in place to ensure that activity in these areas is managed well on social media? Does your team have the skills to understand the implications, from a human perspective as well as through a technology lens?
Have I provided clear goals to my social media team?
“Make it go viral!” While exciting, having content go viral is both rare and not always positive. Vanity metrics, such as the number of followers, likes, and upvotes are helpful but do not always translate to business value.
Instead, your social media team should understand which business goals they are trying to support or achieve. If you are trying to raise awareness about your brand, your team would be focused on perhaps increasing views of a brand video on social, which results in more traffic to a landing page on your website. Another example would be to remove friction in the sales process. Social media could support this by offering information to prospects in real time
Are we investing in our team?
Do you have the right mix of talent on your social media team, with members who can develop strategy, maintain your community, and measure the results? Do they have access to internal stakeholders to immerse themselves in the business to be better spokespeople? Do they have access to professional development to keep up with rapidly changing technology and ethical considerations?
Wait – do you even have a social media team?
If there is only one person managing social media for your organization, does that person have adequate support from other areas of your marketing organization? From agency partners? Social media management is a 24/7 job, and it isn’t realistic for one person to oversee it completely. Technology solutions can only bridge that gap to a point. Consider broadening your team to cover this important marketing function adequately – and quickly.
Conversely, a completely decentralized social media team is also not ideal. A successful team will have one person with overall responsibility for the program. That person will have a high-level view of the program and how it integrates with the rest of the marketing functions in an organization. He or she can mobilize the team if there is a specific issue that needs addressing. Ultimately, though, one person will make high-level decisions in this area and report back to you.
Do we have a social media strategy for our organization?
It’s a part of your marketing strategy, but social media’s capabilities and challenges require a separate and comprehensive strategy. Defining your voice on social media, setting platform-specific goals, developing processes and measuring it ensures that you are not wasting time on tactics that don’t work or creating content for an audience that isn’t there to consume it.
Have we invested enough in our budget?
This question is two-fold: First, have you set aside money for the technology your team needs to use to maximize this channel – such as a social CMS like Sprinklr or Talkwalker, or an influencer software product like Traackr? Next, have you earmarked budget for social media advertising?
Social media used to be “free” in that you could grow organically with an investment in your team to manage it, and in content creation. Today, organic growth on social media is difficult without some investment in paid social. The amount is dependent on your goals, your overall budget, and where your audience is consuming information.
That isn’t to say that organic efforts don’t need to happen – they do, as they are the foundation of your social media program. But organic alone? Be prepared for a longer process, with considerable effort in content strategy.
Am I invested in it?
The most important piece of this puzzle is you, the CMO. If you understand the power that social media can bring to your organization, and you support it through your advocacy and your financial investment, it’s more likely to succeed. If your program isn’t meeting your expectations, chances are that something is missing – perhaps something we’ve covered here. You can have the greatest impact on the success or failure of your social media program.
Socially Professional offers social media marketing consulting to large organizations, helping turn fragmented marketing efforts into effective strategies. Is now the right time for you to work with a social media marketing consultant? Set up time to talk about it! E-mail luann.edwards@sociallyprofessional.com to learn more.