Social media is something that we hear and think about every single day. It’s important for a variety of reasons, but it’s a moving target so it’s difficult to know how valuable our efforts are. That’s why we need to have social media objectives.
Objectives are they key to effective online brand management, but many brands don’t really know what their objectives are.
So, let’s talk about why your brand is online.
Is your brand online simply to sell? Are your social media platforms meant as forums for your customers to interact? Does your brand interact with customers to build friendships? Or, is it just there as an information resource?
In its infancy, social media was something we all scrambled to add to our marketing play books. Since then, the rules have arguably changed many times over. So, where are we now?
Social media is indirect selling at its finest. We’re online to “soft sell” our brand to the public, and ultimately, that is our main objective.
Through posts, pics and pins, we let people know what we’re doing and how they can engage with us. But if we’re really smart about it, we spend more time building rapport than pitching our latest deals.
Just like people get to know people and become friends over time, customers get to know brands and become “fans” over time. The more people learn about your brand—what makes it tick, why it exists, what it stands for, and how it relates to their own ideologies—the more they’ll engage with your brand, and the more successful your online presence will be.
As a social media manager, you get to determine how people engage with your brand. And that leads directly back to your main objective.
Determining what you want out of your social media presence drives what you do and how your customers use your social media venues.
If you’re selling products online, then your social media accounts must actively drive people to your virtual selling sites. That means every post is an “ad” in itself, and must include clear calls to action that guide people to fill their virtual shopping carts and head straight to your virtual check-outs.
If the goal of your social media venues is to drive people to your brick-and-mortar stores, that’s where “making friends” online is more effective. It’s likely that customers will pass several of your competitors on their way to your physical location. The relationship you build with them online is what helps them choose your brand over others IRL (or “in real life,” as they say).
If your social media sites are resources for your customers, i.e. educational and informational resources, then your roll is more moderator than facilitator. In this scenario, your job is to provide the information customers come to expect from your sites.
Maybe your brand accomplishes all three of these scenarios individually on separate social media channels. If that’s the case, it’s best to have separate teams and separate sets of objectives so the different goals can be met effectively.
Notice that none of these examples include just randomly posting things to create “noise” on your channels that may, or may not, illicit random interactions from followers. Notice also that these scenarios don’t suggest a set, mechanical posting schedule that doesn’t relate to anything happening in real time or interact with followers. The latter is what we call “billboard” media—it’s not social, it’s just displaying.
Every social media account is different for every brand. The main things social media activities and objectives have in common is the fact that they must be interactive and, when needed, reactive. Social media objectives must drive communications and interactions online to accomplish the goals intended for your bottom line.
Need help defining your social media objectives? Get in touch with Filament to get strategic with your social media today.
