Everyone is jumping on the social media bandwagon and then finding out there is a lot to digest. Before you go biting off more than you can chew, here are some things to consider:
- What do you want to accomplish? Determine why you want to utilize social media and whether it is just conversational or marketing a service or product.
- Define your goals and determine how you will measure success. One of the most debated topics with regard to social media is how to measure ROI. One company might wish to raise their Google search ranking while another might measure their success by the number of fans/friends/followers they have.
- Who is in charge? Is it the executive? Staffer? Marketing Department? Intern? Someone needs to head the project and be responsible for the success (or failure). You must have a commitment to make it a priority and become as much a part of your company’s culture as checking email.
- Meet criticisms head-on. You should deal with any non-positive comments in an open and friendly manner. If you want to maintain your integrity within the community you are building, do not delete these less-than-flattering comments or pretend they do not exist. Simply ask the person who posted the negative comment how you can help them and make sure they are helped.
- Does your company have trade secrets? Pharmaceutical reps can be fired if they discuss products or any aspect of their jobs on social media sites. Develop a social media policy to deal with these issues.
Once these items have been discussed, you can begin to formulate a more comprehensive plan of action and you will be one step ahead of the competition.
