Thoughts on crafting a social media strategy

Social media and its impact on today’s businesses can’t be overstated. But devising a strategic response to this disruptive technology/communication channel has proven tricky to many.

We consulted with JV Rufino, Director for Mobile and Social of the Inquirer Group, for some of his thoughts for anyone who wishes to be more active on social media.

It’s important to ask first: why do you want to get on social media? It’s easy to get on the bandwagon and get on social media because everyone is doing it. But if you aren’t clear about your objectives you can’t properly evaluate your efforts and you may end spending a lot of resources without a lot to show for it.

Listening for keywords associated with your brand and guidelines on when to engage will also be needed. You also have to decide if the account needs to be manned 24/7 or only during certain hours.

If, on the other hand, your objective is thought leadership and projection then message crafting and communication plans are important.

Regardless of objective, setting the right tone on social is critical and that is tied intrinsically to your brand. Can your brand pull off a youthful, irreverent tone? Or will doing so come across as “daddy dancing” (a middle-aged guy trying to be hip by letting loose on the dance floor and only succeeding in looking ridiculous).

What’s your team’s skill set? Having a social media account doesn’t make you a social media expert anymore than having a camera makes you a professional photographer.

Regardless of your objective, it is important to have a good working knowledge of how to optimize posts (what to post, when to post it and who to post it to).

It’s tempting to hand control of your accounts to the young guy in the office who posts a lot on social media but is it worth the fallout if he posts on off-brand message or commits the all-too-common mistake of posting a personal post on your official accounts?

How prepared are you to deal with backlash? Social media isn’t a controlled environment. It’s a big room where a lot of conversations are happening. Not all those conversations will go your way.

Your team has to learn to deal with that by amplifying the conversations that do go your way and constructively engaging in those conversations that don’t.

Rufino will hold a workshop with Inquirer Academy titled “Digital Marketing Toolbox” that will help supervisors and managers with marketing experience leverage their skills in the digital world. The first module will be “Using the paid, owned and earned model: Apply these to search, social media and mobile,” which will be held on April 28.

The other modules will be about mobile marketing and native advertising.

The Inquirer Academy is at 4168 Don Chino Roces Ave. corner Ponte St., Makati City. For more information, you may email [email protected], call (632) 834-1557 or 800-8110 and look for Jerald Miguel, or visit the website at www.inquireracademy.com.