It used to be that clients came to us and said, “We need a new brochure.” Then they started saying, “We need a new website.” Now it’s, “We don’t know what to do with our Facebook page. Can you help?” As an integrated marketing strategy firm, we believe that addressing tactics or channels in a vacuum is a mistake. We always counsel our clients to start at the top (with objectives) then work their way down the ladder to target, then identity, and ultimately, tactics.

This is true when developing a long-term, strategic brand platform and marketing plan as well as when developing a social media program. My previous posts in this series covered the WHO, WHAT and WHY of social media. This one covers the HOW, the strategy development process for social marketing.

Social media deserves a well-defined strategy just like any other channel category needs a guiding strategy. Most companies probably have an overarching brand or marketing strategy, but probably also have (or should have) complementary sub-strategies for:

• Paid media placements
• Public relations
• Direct marketing
• Promotions
• Etc., etc., etc.

Social media should be treated like any other channel category and the following steps should be taken (in order) BEFORE undergoing any tactical implementation:

1. Gain consensus among key leaders around a singular objective; what are we trying to accomplish with social media?
2. Develop a detailed target profile; it’s important to understand our primary audience demographically, psychologically, and from an online behavioral standpoint
3. Create a distinct brand position in the social media space; define how you will relate to your target and how will you stand out from your competitors
4. Design a communications plan that will address your objective, most effectively reach your target, and best support your brand identity; in other words, determine which social media outlets, what types of content, and when to post/respond/share

I can’t stress enough how important it is to address each of these items in order before you launch into social media. If you’ve already started your social media endeavors, you can still evaluate your actions using these four guidelines. A sound social media strategy is imperative to put your brand on a path to success. And this strategy should mesh well with the rest of your brand’s marketing program in order to create a seamless experience for your target audience.

That wraps up this brief series on social media. If you haven’t already, please take a few minutes to read more about my additional precautionary guidelines dealing with the WHO, WHAT and WHY of social media.

If you’re interested in an audit of your marketing plan, you can reach Emily at EGriebel@mwcmail.com, or @MWCemily on Twitter.

As a strategic integrated marketing agency, we often work with our clients to develop social media programs to mesh with their overall long-term marketing plans. From our point of view, there are four important aspects involved with creating and running a successful social media program: WHO, WHAT, WHY and HOW. My previous two posts covered the WHO (the resources required) and the WHAT (the tasks surrounding social networking). This post covers the WHY, and it will touch on the behavior of a brand in the social media space.

Many companies are afraid of social media because they can’t control what is said about their brands. But let’s face it–things are being said online about your brand whether you are there to witness them or not. It’s much better to see first-hand how your brand is being discussed rather than sit back and hope it’s all good. With that in mind, here are five warnings we give our clients as they delve into social media:

1. Regularly monitoring online chatter about your brand is imperative; the good news is there are some simple ways to do this
2. Reporting and analysis for social media can’t be ignored, but you can set up a process for this fairly easily and affordably
3. Negative comments will be made about your brand; the key lies in knowing about them and handling them appropriately
4. A crisis communications / crisis management plan is more important than ever in today’s world
5. Positive comments will also be made about your brand; don’t forget to say, “Thank you.”

These are the most important aspects of WHY you need to manage your brand’s social media efforts. The underlying principle of integrated brand marketing is that behavior which a brand exhibits online should seamlessly complement what it does offline. Social media, like any other form of media, can be thought of as an extension of your brand, so establishing the appropriate protocols should come somewhat naturally to you. These are just simple reminders on what some of the most important actions are.

You can read more about the WHO here, the WHAT here, and check back soon for one last post on the HOW cautionary statements regarding social marketing.

If you’re interested in an audit of your marketing plan, you can reach Emily at EGriebel@mwcmail.com, or @MWCemily on Twitter.

We believe that there are four critical components to developing and maintaining a successful social media program: WHO, WHAT, WHY and HOW. My previous post covered the WHO; that is, the resources required. This post touches on the WHAT, meaning the things involved in successful social networking for a brand.

As a strategic integrated marketing agency, we are tasked with helping our clients develop long-term branding efforts through which customers enjoy a seamless experience with their products and services. It’s far from easy. But establishing and running a consistent integrated marketing program is one of the best ways to meet your business goals, and social media can be a critical aspect of your plan. Since social media can impact the target audience in so many different ways, it can be one of the most difficult marketing tactics to manage.

So before you launch into a social media program, we would caution you about the following WHAT factors:

1. Social media is hard, especially at first
2. Planning out content in advance is crucial
3. Obtaining followers doesn’t happen magically
4. You must promote your social media pages elsewhere
5. You’re going to make mistakes, but that’s okay
6. It’s okay to learn from other brands

It’s important to create a solid strategic plan (in advance) for content development and audience-building. But it’s also important that this plan be flexible, allowing for improvisation and optimization along the way. “Finding your groove” in social media takes time, so don’t get discouraged and don’t be afraid to look to others for inspiration.

Remember, before you focus on the WHAT aspects of social media, you need to address the WHO, which you can read more about here. Coming soon: cautionary statements about the WHY and HOW of social marketing.

If you’re interested in an audit of your marketing plan, you can reach Emily at EGriebel@mwcmail.com, or @MWCemily on Twitter.

As an integrated marketing firm we are often asked by prospective clients, “Should we set up a Facebook page?” Our answer is always, “It depends,” followed by a few questions of our own:

• What is your marketing objective?
• Who is your target?
• How would you describe your brand identity?
• How will Facebook work within your integrated marketing plan?

If they can’t satisfactorily answer these questions, we recommend that they work with us to address them before even considering Facebook, or Twitter, or YouTube, or the new-social-media-tool-of-the-day. Only once these questions are adequately addressed can we begin making tactical marketing recommendations (including creative direction, channel placement, content ideas, etc.).

Too many so-called social media “experts” answer the initial question differently. They say something like, “Yes! Definitely. Let’s set up your Facebook page today. We’ll run it for you. It’ll be great and easy to do.” As is often the case with a simplistic answer, it’s probably too good to be true.

Before you determine that social media is an appropriate marketing strategy for your brand, there are some things you need to know. They fall into four categories: WHO, WHAT, WHY and HOW.

This is the first of a four-part series that will cover each of the above categories in turn. As we begin with WHO, we want to examine the resources required to run an effective social media campaign. If you were our client and we decided jointly that social media was right for your brand, we would ensure that you understood:

1. We won’t manage social media for you; ultimately you have to do it yourself
2. Social media requires resources (people and money)
3. It’s a company-wide initiative (not just the “marketing” department)
4. Social media must be integrated into everything you do
5. Someone senior (emphasis on one) must take the lead and be held accountable

As an agent acting on behalf of our clients, we make it a point to ensure they know what they’re getting into with respect to any marketing decisions they make, especially decisions to dive into unfamiliar territory like social media. The WHO is just the beginning; stay tuned for more cautionary statements regarding the WHAT, WHY and HOW.

If you’re interested in an integration audit of your marketing plan, you can reach Emily at EGriebel@mwcmail.com, or @MWCemily on Twitter.

I recently toured Austin-based QuantumDigital, a company that integrates digital technologies with direct mail, print, online and mobile to optimize consumer response. The operation is impressive and filled with the the quiet purr of the latest high-tech, digital printing, routing and shipping machines.

What I found most impressive during the tour, however, was the reception desk. Eric Cosway, EVP/CMO (and our tour guide), introduced us to a charming lady named Dee. Eric proudly announced that when you call QuantumDigital you will always speak with a real person.

I applaud the decision by a company with digital DNA to recognize when an analog solution is still best. Too many organizations these days are enamored with the efficiency and cost savings of an “interactive telephony system”, otherwise known as a telephone tree. Those of us on the other end know that what it really represents is a way to transfer costs and inefficiencies to us as we climb a tree trying to navigate the frustrating thing.

“Telephony” is a fitting word for such a system, given the last two syllables. Cheers to QuantumDigital and every other company that puts people first.