Mastering The ‘Social’ Behind The ‘Strategy’

“If you fail to plan, You are planning to fail.”  -Benjamin Franklin

We’ve all heard it before: Planning is a good idea.

• Planning gets us from Point A to Point B more effectively.
• Planning provides opportunities for solutions long before problems present themselves.
• Planning affords more options and maps out more avenues than last-minute, off-the-cuff activities ever will.
• Planning gives us a more educated and confident platform to stand on.
• Planning makes good sense.

Effective planning and strategizing are part of any successful endeavor, right?

And, when it comes to social media endeavors, we all know we should have a digital marketing strategy, right?

Here’s something to think about: Strategy, by definition, is “a careful plan or method for achieving a particular goal usually over a long period of time.” Yes, we know… You get it. But, when it comes to social media, we have to employ more than one plan or method, because our social media activities must achieve a variety of goals.

Those goals change through the years, so the strategies we employ can’t be too rigid. They need to have strong, firm foundations, but they also have to be flexible enough to roll with the punches.

The vast, ever-changing social media “machine” is a difficult thing to wrangle. And once we think we understand it, some new trend or feature throws us for a loop. What we knew about social media five years ago is practically irrelevant now, except for purposes of historical reference and learning from our mistakes. The brands that have successfully transitioned with social media’s twists and turns have grown significantly, and there is only more growth to come.

To be sure, consumers are growing, too, and their growth must be considered if we expect our strategies to be successful.

Consumers have a ravenous appetite for information – both given and received. They know more, and expect more, and are always looking for more. Social media feeds consumers’ appetites more quickly, and in more ways than ever. As Jay Baer puts it, “Social has given customers a voice, and business will never be the same.”

That’s a pretty strong statement. And it’s undeniably true.

It can be said that because of social media, anyone can be a writer… a critic… an expert. It’s human nature to want to express ourselves, and social media woos us with lots of opportunities to do so.

Social media has become the widest-reaching form of referral network through which we can broadcast messages, opinions, experiences, and reviews. A single message has the potential to reach dozens of people within minutes, hundreds of people within hours, and possibly even millions of people over time.

Kind of makes you think, doesn’t it?

While your company’s social media strategy has to be established in the interest of accomplishing business goals, now more than ever, it also has to accomplish your customers’ goals.

With that in mind, social media strategy is not a one-hit wonder. No “once-written, twice shy” plan will do. It’s not a file that lives in the back of a drawer somewhere, only to be shuffled through for the benefit of bringing new hires up to speed. Most of all, “social media is not a checklist.”

 “Social media is about fundamentally changing the dynamic between brands and their customers.” -Jay Baer

Through social media, messages can be seen and heard all over the world in an instant. But, it’s not just about the brand. The sum of a company’s messaging must first serve the substance of its customers. (Seriously, take a moment to wrap your head around that thought!)

People follow brands via social media for a variety of reasons, but largely because they want to know the brand better.

Yes, learning about deals and sales is important to them. They also love being part of the “you heard it here, first!” club. They look forward to your images and content, and they enjoy hitting the “Like” and “Share” buttons, too. And when they have something to say, you’d better believe they’re going say it via social media before calling or e-mailing customer service. (Calling and e-mailing are, like, so three years ago!)

People enjoy being part of a brand’s community. They want to feel connected to it, involved in it, and familiar with it. It’s always been that way, but social media has really bolstered those feelings because we can now connect so easily.

That’s great for business, but it takes the right mind set (or, “strategy set”) to cultivate and nurture a thriving community.

“Community is what fills the gap between sales and service. Too many companies still only talk to customers when they are selling or when something goes wrong… But between those two things is this huge gap…” -managingcommunities.com

We can’t just keep pumping out ads and sales pitches; we have to provide ideas and inspiration. People are ALWAYS looking for ideas and inspiration – just one visit to Pinterest will back up that statement all day long.

Once people have ideas, they want to know more. They’re not just interested in how great a product is, they want to discover (and they want to be shown) what the product can do for them. It’s Marketing 101:

• Which goals will the product fulfil?
• What need will the product provide for?
• How many problems will the product solve?

The ideas have to be timely – not just dictated by national holidays or seasonal interests, but on-trend, and relating to world events just as much as personal interests. That’s a lot to accomplish, but it’s not impossible.

Just pulling up Target’s Facebook page, we were able to find some  great examples of what works when “selling” solutions and ideas via social media.

Yes, they’re selling products, but they’re focusing on why customers would want to buy those products in the first place. Simply saying, “Buy this!” isn’t as inviting as showing customers what a product will accomplish for them, or how products will make them feel. “Show and tell” is a better way of building relationships with customers, and better relationships always benefits the bottom line .

Take a look at these friendly posts and the positive messages they send to their audience:

• Great ideas for family time that can be enjoyed anytime.
• Changes things up by using candy instead of game pieces.
• Creates that “something old is new again” feeling that we all love.
• Inspires ideas for other games and other change-ups we can create for other activities.

• We all love a good recipe – especially if it’s easy.
• Great idea for parties and gatherings.
• It’s fun, quirky and cute – kids (of all ages) will love it.
• Sells the ingredients and products used in the recipe and it drives traffic to additional social media channels.

• Appeals to that New Year’s resolution we just made.
• Great visual association that inspires us to stick with it.
• Provides food for thought so we make better choices now and in the future.
• Sells product in a casual, relatable, memorable way.

• Inspires us with a great, pop-out quote.
• Creates happy thoughts about upcoming seasons, sunshine and warm weather.
• Makes us feel good with fresh colors and fun patterns.
• Connects us to the inner circle via a “sneak peek.”

• Appeals to our sense of togetherness and service.
• Strengthens our love of the brand.
• Encourages sharing the brand – great word-of-mouth promo.
• Gives fans the opportunity to be brand ambassadors.
• Sells without selling.

• Fun, happy images that make you smile just looking at them.
• Provides easy, something-for-everyone gift-giving solutions.
• Appeals to all ages and fits within any budget.
• Gets people in the store or online to purchase cards.
• It’s the perfect win/win soft sell because we all know that once we’re in Target, or on their website, we’re leaving with more than we originally came in for (and that’s just fine with us).

Clearly, the purpose behind each and every post is to sell. But there is an emphasis on providing ideas, solutions and positive reactions – and frankly, they make us smile – first. These posts reinforce the fact that we can always count on the Target brand to bring us ideas and keep us inspired.

It’s not just about analytics, it’s about giving people a reason to participate in your brand. It’s not just focusing on the number of fans, it’s prioritizing the customers’ priorities while they’re experiencing your brand. It’s speaking to the senses of community, of belonging, of value, of interest. And speaking to those points in different ways provides reliable, but always unique, something-for-everyone, yet very personal “value” that we all hope to receive from brands that we love.

Want to know more about Mastering The ‘Social’ Behind The ‘Strategy’? Let us help you help your brand!