You Better Have a Plan

Katherine Bennett - May 29, 2009

Have you ever been in a good conversation with someone and been interrupted by a dumb comment from a by passer? They had no idea how the conversation came up, but they felt the need to give their opinion and try to influence you one way or the other. You probably thought that the by passer wasn’t too bright. They could have at least listened for a few minutes before commenting. It’s the same way with social media. As a business owner, if you try to jump on social media sites without a plan, just because someone said you should be there- you might get the same response.

Although, there are many social media sites on the internet and more being created every day, one should know they can’t all be approached the same way.  For example: if you have a Twitter account, you’re limited to 140 characters for your tweet. So obliviously, you don’t want to try to type in the company bio in one tweet. A company that uses Twitter well is Zappos. They’ve been able to relate to customers on a social level just by their president tweeting about his daily activities. On Facebook, the story is different. For example: Morevisibility has a Facebook page that posts recent blogs and videos. In the realm of Facebook, a company can present their bio information, mission statement etc., without seeming intrusive to fans.

Whenever, a company is looking to get on a social media site, it must evaluate why. Are they doing this because it’s the latest craze or is their a method to their madness? Each social site is different and has to be evaluated individually. If a company attempts to join a social media site without a strategy, it could backfire. Just like a company employs a strategy to reach its target audience in their advertising; a strategy should also be implemented to reach people on social sites. A key note to remember is that social media is about socializing. On most social sites, your job isn’t to be a salesperson; your job is to be a friend. The best way to do well on a social media site is to learn about the site and it’s “socialites”. Just like Mr. T would say “I pity the fool that doesn’t have a social media plan.”