Your social media efforts: focusing on some points

Social media is an important part of the marcomms mix. It’s both an art and a science.Despite the inference of the visual used for this post, there’s no magic in Social Media. It really just requires planning and hard work.

Now, is it a science or an art? The short answer is both.

The science is the body of knowledge already gathered on the use of Social Media. And, importantly, the technology used for marketing communications practitioners who use social media.

Social media is as much a child of the current state of play of technology, as it is to the human need for interaction. While we are way past posting letters and expecting a return note in the mail, we are still reliant on the platform we use for our social media posts. Much like the need for a pen, paper, envelope and stamp for snail mail.

The need for interaction is easy to see. It’s all around us. Just go to any restaurant, bar, cafe, park and so on and you will inevitably see people chatting, interacting, communicating.

Tapping into this human need is the challenge for every marketer interested in using social media to help in his/her marketing communications effort.

First, we should note that there is no shortage of media available. I’m not just talking about the more popular ones, e.g., Facebook, but also less popular ones like the Forum you may have joined to get some answers to a technical problem.

I’m a great fan of the blog. This social medium is probably one of the oldest platforms for this type of communication. And, it is still a relevant medium today.

We have covered some of these media in earlier posts. Our last one highlighted Instagram.

The use of the different media as to which is best suited for your needs is both art and science at work, though I tend to think the art part is more prominent.

Let’s look into your social media needs. First and foremost, you as a marketer must get clear in your mind just what you want to achieve with social media.

Are you after more brand recognition or awareness, increasing sales, developing a more receptive marketplace and so on. Social media is able to do all of these and more. But, before you wring your hands in glee, get your thoughts in order first.

Things to consider include:

• Will this medium help me improve my product/service in a positive light?
• Is this medium an ideal forum for me to present what we have to offer?
• Will I be able to engage my different publics (customer, prospective customer, interested parties, other stakeholders) in a meaningful way?
• Do I have the resources and the motivation to keep this marketing communications effort going?
• What benefits am I after when engaging my viewers/readers?

I included motivation with resources as I’ve found that this sometimes tends to wain with the passage of time.

I’ll cover more points in a future post.