Can we all come together, and agree to stop thinking of social media as a standalone tactic?

In digital media marketing we are constantly surrounded by news of the imminent death of long-standing media platforms. The death of network TV, direct mail, newspapers, magazines, even the corporate website have been weekly points of discussion for years. Recently we have even begun to hear the experts ringing the death knell for Social Media.

Get me one of those

We’ve seen social media platforms rise up in attention as brands sought to use them to build community or individuals used them to build up their personal profiles. Companies were stricken with shiny object syndrome in the mid-2000s as they jumped blindly into corporate blogs,  niche communities or even virtual worlds as ways to connect with their customers. The GMOOT (Get Me One of Those) strategies continued as the same organizations sought to create ‘viral’ campaigns with clips on video sharing sites. In the past two years we’ve seen so-called social media experts push companies to create ‘must-have’  brand presences on Twitter and Facebook.

Have a well thought out strategy

We all understand that without a solid marketing strategy, your organization will be wasting their time and money in any channel. Having a presence on social platforms such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter does not work in isolation. Without a well thought out social media strategy that aligns with your overall business goals, your efforts in social media are doomed to mediocrity or utter failure. Too many times the social media ‘experts’ have focused their clients numbers of fans or followers. The argument of engagement versus numbers is a subject for another post.

Develop a social media strategy that best aligns with your business goals. Choose a platform that suits your message and the audience you are trying to reach. Monitor and measure your efforts not only on your chosen platform but how it translates into activity on your website, call centre or brick and mortar storefront. Establish KPIs such as share of voice, site visits, store visits, leads and sales.

Test and Learn

There should always be a place for innovation in your organization. Test and learn initiatives in emerging media platforms should be just that. Use these efforts to develop expertise and insight. Seek out and partner with companies who understand the platforms and tools. Then graduate them into your marketing strategy as they make sense within your strategy.