As a Social Media Consultant for over ten years, I’ve seen just about every kind of mess a company can get into when the don’t know how to manage their social presence. From cringe-worthy posts about suing their former clients to hard sell promotions that caused a mass unliking from their followers.
Each time I’ve gone into a company to debug the situation I ask where they got their plan and what advice they were following? The answers range from watching competitors pages and copying them to collecting downloads and watching webinars, trying to cobble it all together.
There are some great experts out there who give fantastic advice…but most of it is purely tactical. And there are some real problems following tactics first creates:
- It’s not scalable because tactics don’t inform how all the separate profiles, content and messaging work together.
- It isn’t repeatable for long. Once a platform changes an algorithm the tactics being used, often, must also change.
- It makes managing social media a longer and harder process than it needs to be. Not having a strategy means there is no goal, no consistency and no way to correct when results grind to a halt.
This often leads to a sense of spinning wheels getting nowhere with social. I’ve witnessed countless coaches and business owners just give up altogether when this happens.
They just can’t seem to find a path that makes sense to them. A path that is easy to follow, scalable, and gets results. They try and try to get it right, only to end up feeling frustrated and lost.
What we found at [made to order], over and over again, was that there were some very basic steps missing in most social media plans. Once these steps were implemented it not only enabled amazing results, but gave companies a sense of excitement and purpose with their social media. It is a series of steps that we put every single client through when we work with them. It emcompasses everything a social media strategy needs to succeed…and the best part it, it’s incredibly simple.
The right steps, in the right order solves many of the little issues that tie up businesses when it come to their social media and frees them up to play a bigger game and get better results.
The steps are:
- Who are you? This is really critical and an all too often missed step. Why you are there and what do you bring to the table that is meaningful for your community?
- Who are you talking to? It is possible to talk to many different customer groups through social media. But you need to know what they want from you and what value you bring them. Often times we see companies talking at people or using their channels to talk about themselves. This is a huge mistake. Your customers want to know what’s in it for them…not you.
- What are you saying? This is a big mistake that can sabotage your entire social media presence. Photos for the sake of photos or videos posted at the optimal time of day are not the right focus of your content. Pay attention to WHAT you are saying in your photos, videos and blog posts. If it is resonating with your audience (because you really understand their needs) your content will convert.
- What are you selling? Until you have established your WHY and your WHO…sales and promotions through social are going to be a waste of time. Don’t jump ahead here until you’ve laid some groundwork. It will cost you followers.
- How are you growing and managing? This is the place most people want to start. What platforms should I be on? How do I make people like me? These questions are great, but until you have done steps 1-4 you are setting yourself up for a strategy of tactics that won’t get you very far.
I encourage you to review these steps in your social media strategy. Are you missing any of these steps? A few tweaks and changes can make a huge difference in your overall presence. Of course it is always a good idea to get professional help. To really do social right it takes skill and experience. But if you aren’t there yet…follow these steps and you will find relief and STOP the social media struggle.
To this: For more social media insights you can follow Kyra on Twitter at @kyrareed or set up a free strategy session by emailing info – at – markyr (dot) com
kyra reed :: co-founder
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Kyra Reed
Founder, Markyr Digital
I’ve been on the front lines of social media since the beginning and I’ve been fortunate to work with a range of companies and communities, like the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, as the industry has changed and matured. My work pioneering social media has been recognized in the New York Times, Entrepreneur and TechCrunch.
One of my favorite examples of my work was with the iconic Roxy Theater where I was able to create one of the most prominent social media case studies to date. Back in the very beginning of social media, I authored Blog 101, a beginner’s guide to blogging and since then, I’ve guest-lectured at UCLA and USC and have spoken at a number of conferences, including Digital Music Forum West, Blog World, ASCAP Expos and SXSW, and Women In Tech International.
Today my passion is in helping businesses understand the power of social media and how to use it to drive traffic, leads and sales and grow their business.
