Depending on how you define the term strategy, the fact is that there must be key pillars that make it successful. I always love to take the simplest meaning of every word. As a social media and blogging expert, I will define strategy as an approach to a system, mechanism and selected methods. The phenomenon of Social Media remains mysterious to many individuals and business entities as a result they all find it difficult to set up successful strategies. Thank God you are reading this post and this is going to be part of that info that will turn your Social Media strategy from a C-class strategy to an A-class strategy. There is no rocket science involved here because your Success is going to depend on how you place and prioritize the Place, People and Purpose.[related-posts]
If you want to build a house that will last from one generation to another, then you have to intentionally set up a hard, smart and solid foundation. Similarly, businesses that are looking in the direction of building a thick skin social media success need to understand how to design organizational goals, objectives, short term, long term targets around place, people and purpose.
Place/Platform
The place where you establish your presence matters a lot. You cannot afford building your organization on a sinking ground. As a business entity, the choice of the platform on which to establish your social media presence is very fundamental. Various social media platforms are more suitable for some businesses and unsuitable for others. For example, Hotels, restaurants and fashion businesses are more suitable for Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest but not LinkedIn. For the business to be able to identify a viable and suitable platform that will improve your Returns on Investment (ROI), its crucial to fully understand which platform best supports your industry. You can tell or make a choice of platforms by bench marking on other brands and organizations in your industry that have registered success on certain platforms and then be able to make an informed choice. Do not make a mistake of establishing your brand on every platform because you will soon become inconsistent on all and your business will slowly but steadily start sinking.
People
Many people I engage with always find it amusing when I tell them the number one rule of Social Media. You are dealing with People who are Human not Robots. Humans have feelings, attitudes, passion, loyalty and without doubt social class status. Once you establish your business on Social Media never forget the number one social rule. Your strategy should be able to guide to always find out the type of people you are targeting and where exactly they are in terms of Social platforms. Consider the following factors, sex, age, region and Social Class status. Sharing, feedback, Likes and ability to form relationships before selling is what makes your social media strategy more human and attractive to many social web lovers.
Purpose
The question your Social Media strategy should answer is “Why are you on social media?” Depending on your answer just ensure the reason correctly rhymes with your overall objectives and goals. Sundry businesses get lost between customer care, marketing, corporate social responsibility and campaign publicity. The fact is besides the core objectives of your strategy, social media can always act as a supportive tool so as to be able to achieve your objectives as a business. Ensure to always cross check your Social Media operations and activities to confirm that you do not disappear within the noise on different social platforms.
