Social media has become a hot word in the world of marketing and is both exciting and presents interesting opportunities however it does not mean we have to throw out measures of accountability and success.

I have been working with social media as a marketing tool for several years but I didn’t get involved because it was cool buzzword but because I had a business need to connect more intimately with customers across the country.

In my current work at Orange Rhino Media I have seen great enthusiasm for social media campaigns stemming from pressure from upper executives, media buzz or a seminar they heard. Enthusiasm is great but unless you have a plan, established goals and measures or benchmarks for success and buy in from the stakeholders, that enthusiasm can quickly dissipate when they don’t know how to measure the success.

Before making the entry to social media there are several questions marketing managers need to ask, especially in a space where they don’t know what to ask for, how to pay for it and are unsure what results they can expect.

The most important question to ask is why you are getting involved in social media?

Are your goals to..

• Learn more and understand what your customers are saying about your brand and your competitors?

• Engage the conversation about your brand and products?
• Connect with your customers and build a community?
• Increase and drive online traffic or sales?

Social media should not be adopted by corporations large or small for its own sake and that is why it is so important to lay out the strategic objectives from the onset.

Sound strategy can only be implemented if the desired results are established from the beginning.

Why are you getting your brand involved in social media?

Photo credit, Jeephead