Developing a social media strategy Essay Example

highly effective, and utilizing social media helps propel this strategy forward.

Facebook, with over 250 million active users worldwide who spend countless minutes on the platform daily, is a powerhouse for reaching audiences. The majority of these users are not confined to college campuses. Each week, more than one billion pieces of content like blogs, videos, and links are shared online. In July 2009 alone, there were over one million tweets posted per hour on Twitter.

Prominent social media platforms also witness over 100 million views of youth videos each day as a mere fraction of their overall activity. It is crucial for both you and your company to pay attention to the expanding audience in social media. With advancements in technology and real-time social networks like Twitter and Facebook, social network marketing can now reach a global market faster than ever before.

However, speed isn't everything; actively engaging with the audience is equally significant. Embracing and participating in the ongoing growth of social media is crucial for your company's success.In order to effectively leverage the power of the social web in line with your values, it is crucial to strategize. Notable statistics underscore the importance of social media, such as Facebook's 250 million active users and five billion minutes spent on the platform daily. Twitter alone sees over one million posts per hour, and 73% of active online users have read a blog. With over 346 million blog readers worldwide, these numbers emphasize the significance of social media, Web 2.0, and internet statistics (Source: Social Media, Web 2.0 and Internet Stats).

Engaging in conversations online offers an opportunity to listen to current customers, industry experts, prospects, and influencers

while enhancing your business (Debentures Website: http://debentures.Com/2009/01112/social-media-web-internet-numbers-stats/, Retrieved July 25th, 2009). When participating in these discussions, providing valuable content that your audience will share is crucial. Developing relationships with customers and influencers can have a positive impact on your online presence.

Selecting appropriate communication platforms is essential for effectively delivering your message and utilizing user-generated content to promote your products/services. Twitter and Passbooks activity streams mentioned on the Tweediest website (http://www.tweediest.com/twitter-speed-july-27-2009/) are examples of social networking platforms.In order to achieve success in social media, it is crucial to consult reliable sources such as the Tweediest.Com Faceable Statistics and Youth Fact Sheet. A variety of platforms, including blogs, forums, threaded discussions, reviews, comments, videos, webzines, and bedposts all play a role in ongoing online conversations. According to Tom Peters' book Re-imagine! Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age," blogging is an effective marketing tool" due to its concise and frequent nature that enables quick communication of key points based on audience demand. Blogs also attract followers who receive updates similar to other social media platforms. Corporate blogs offer a direct platform for addressing company concerns, communicating consumer benefits, and discussing industry-related matters while establishing credibility by transparently sharing goals and actions. The engagement from fans and experts amplifies the message through interactions with these blogs. Engaging in ongoing conversations and commenting on blogs helps build relationships with other participants and authors alike; thus making your company an active part of the social media landscape. By participating in these conversations with industry experts, product reviewers or influential consumers; you demonstrate dedication and passion for your field. Even older blog articles, including their associated comments, continue to hold value over

time.
Microblogging platforms like Twitter offer real-time communication opportunities, allowing for quick responses to audience queries and concerns. Engaging in these exchanges enables you to influence and guide discussions about your industry and company, promoting and protecting your brand. It is crucial to promptly share reliable information as it spreads rapidly on such platforms. Actively participating in microblogging sites fosters ongoing conversations, redirecting them towards other relevant content. The more user-generated content revolves around your company, the greater social media coverage you will attain.

While microblogging posts may lack comprehensive information, blogs can fulfill this need. However, they typically present only one perspective. In-depth discussions can be found on forums and threaded discussion boards on specialized subject-area dedicated sites or broader social networking platforms.Your website is an ideal platform for hosting conversations and gaining insights into your customers' preferences. Participants in discussions on your website also engage with other social media channels, expanding the reach of the conversation through links back to your forums. Ratings and reviews on both your website and other platforms make ongoing discussions easily accessible to others interested in the same topic. Utilizing social content such as videos, blog posts, and webzines can effectively initiate and guide conversations. Seth Gooding and Tom Peters discuss "blobbing" (April 2009) on the Youth website: http://www.Youth.Com/watch?V=livability. Accessing these resources on different platforms, including mobile devices, and easily sharing interesting content adds value to your social media strategy. Measuring ROI accurately is challenging due to a significant amount of social media activity occurring outside of your website and traditional analytics only providing information about traffic patterns within your site rather than covering the entire conversation surrounding your brand.Paula

Drum, VP of marketing at H Block, defines ROI as "Risk of Ignoring." Regardless of whether the benefits are quantifiable or not, social media and social networks are where individuals primarily communicate online. If your company is inactive on the social web, there is a potential for missed opportunities and revenue loss. Your competitors will reach your desired audience, giving them an advantage over you. Opting out indicates a lack of concern for your customers. Even without your involvement, conversations about your company will still occur. By not engaging, you relinquish control and influence over how people perceive your business. Neglecting these opportunities may result in your audience forgetting about your company when they need to make a decision.

H Block serves as an example of effectively utilizing platforms like Twitter throughout the year to sustain connections with customers instead of solely during tax season. This interaction has aided in establishing H Block as industry experts and influencers. Having social proof - the belief that your company excels in its field - is crucial for future success. When others mention your company in discussions regarding the industry, it fosters trust within their network.Less than 20% of online social network users solely rely on advertisements when making purchasing decisions. Instead, they depend more on the opinions of their peers. These influencers can be found in various places on the social web, such as friends, friends-of-friends, colleagues, and recognized experts who provide trusted recommendations. It is crucial to engage with your audience on social media for effective word-of-mouth marketing and expanding your reach to their extended networks. Participation in online conversations and maintaining relationships with active communicators is

vital. Your colleagues, friends, and followers can help spread your message to a wider audience and provide social proof for your brand.

Search engines now prioritize reputable websites based not only on the number of visits but also how visitors perceive them. Google has even incorporated platforms like Digg and Twitter into their indexing process to personalize search results for users. Social proof plays a significant role in both online and offline marketing because people tend to trust recommendations from friends and user reviews more than critics' reviews.

Developing an effective social media strategy requires having strong social proof. A study conducted by Marketing Sharpe revealed that a majority of respondents trusted recommendations from friends and user reviews over critics' reviews.When choosing technology vendors, tech decision makers prioritize personal experience (58%), followed by word-of-mouth and industry analyst reports (both at 51%). Advertising (17%) and direct marketing (21%) are considered the least important sources of information. It was also discovered that in December 2008, 90% of online holiday shoppers read online customer reviews. According to Industry Statistics, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for every company. Factors such as customer base, product/service, goals, and company makeup all play a role in determining the path to success. The importance of maintaining brand consistency in campaign principles and engagement strategies is emphasized. Engaging with the existing audience on the company's website is highlighted as an effective method of word-of-mouth marketing. Additionally, it is suggested that having a presence on popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter, as well as exploring specialized platforms within the industry can be beneficial.

The Vacationer Website: http://www.Vacationer.com/industrialists.HTML caters to both professional and amateur photography enthusiasts.To effectively

engage more people on core sites, it is important to follow them to other sites they participate on and find additional opportunities for participation.Being authentic is crucial as the public wants to connect with your company rather than an agency.Transparency is essential for your company's involvement in social media. It is important for members of your company to contribute to establishing social proof. Building a presence on social media has two main goals: link building and brand building. While related, these goals have different purposes.

Link building aims to drive traffic to your website by promoting links on the internet. Increasing visitors and improving search engine ranking can be achieved through various strategies, including prioritizing link building sites like Dig, Squid's, Propeller, Del.CIO. Us, and Wobble along with core social media platforms.

On the other hand, brand building focuses on creating consumer awareness and establishing social proof. By approaching social media from this perspective, discussions about your company are encouraged instead of redirecting readers elsewhere.

Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn are avenues for brand building. Industry-focused spaces like Inning network and specialized sites can also be utilized for this purpose.

You can engage in both link building and brand building simultaneously by actively participating in web communities that contribute to your company's online presence while maintaining dedication towards achieving these goals.The size and composition of your social media team will also have an impact on brand-building efforts. It is important to have a presence in both link building and brand building strategies as they contribute to social proof. There are two main types of social media campaigns: finite campaigns with a clear end and more open-ended

campaigns. Social media can be used for targeted campaigns focused on products, services, events, or other aspects of the company. It can also be used for continuous exposure encompassing brand building, customer service, public relations, and specific promotions. In integrated marketing efforts, social media complements traditional methods such as Youth videos, Twitter promotions, dedicated Facebook or Namespace groups, and even a social section on the company's website or microsite. It is crucial to ensure that the campaign leads up to a definite conclusion that your "followers" eagerly anticipate. Integrated campaigns often overlook the significance of social media; however, it plays a crucial role in determining marketing success. Failing to create an engaging social media campaign can alienate your audience.Social media can also be a long-term component of your standalone marketing strategy, requiring ongoing effort and centered around overall brand(s). Actively engaging in various facets of social media is important, such as through youth videos, Twitter accounts, Facebook groups, company blogs, and discussions both on-site and off-site. Building upon past successes and collaborating with others is crucial for launching integrated campaigns, conducting A/B campaign tests, addressing customer service issues promptly, and responding to questions. Implementation can be gradual by focusing on a single product or brand first before expanding or all at once under a main brand. In the latter case, public participants decide which products and services they want to discuss. The integrated marketing campaign has a clear start and end while the social media plan evolves over time with input from participants. Flexibility is vital so that elements can be introduced or removed as needed. Having a responsive team is essential for success in

this ever-changing environment. Budgeting primarily applies to integrated campaigns where social media elements serve as collateral that needs to be created.Implementing social media platforms is a cost-effective strategy that relies heavily on human capital. The decision regarding the size of the team involved in social media marketing is crucial and can be either company-wide or dedicated, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Encouraging participation from all employees brings diversity in experience and expertise to online conversations. A significant online presence can be achieved by having a large percentage of employees actively engaging on platforms like Twitter, for example, H Block's 10% of 100,000 employees. This active engagement promotes brand promotion, consumer education, and customer service while also establishing transparency through social proof from different parts of the company reaching various audiences. However, managing a larger team may reduce control over the conveyed message. It is important for every member of the company to understand the message clearly as messages naturally evolve in the social arena. Marketing or PR departments should handle product announcements and determine their rollout strategies while having company-wide best practices is recommended considering employees' potential engagement in social media outside official channels.