In a recent interview with CNET, Gartner research analyst Adam Sarner predicted that 50 percent of social-media campaigns taken on by Fortune 1000 companies will fail. Sarner states that this is in large part due to the fact that companies aren’t engaging with social communities with a mutual benefit in mind – they are not considering ways to serve both the company’s campaign and the audience interacting with it.
Should this deter a company who’s considering ways to leverage social media into its campaigns? Absolutely not. The social media landscape is ever-changing and one that everyone is trying to wrap their heads around. It’s important to understand the basic elements of social media (podcasting, video blog, blogging, photo sharing, and social networking) to determine if this is a viable strategy to incorporate into your next campaign.
Consider the following when deciding if a social media campaign is right for you:
Know your audience
Social communities are typically formed because of a shared interest or goal. Are you looking to reach mothers? College students? Gadget geeks? Find out what social media tools your target audience uses. Mothers may be more prone to sharing photos through photo blogs as opposed to gadget geeks who are interested in social media applications on their mobile phone. Do your research to find out how your target audience is using social media.
Have a clear understanding of the campaign’s goals and objectives
What do you ultimately want to get out of your campaign and how do you want your target audience to engage? Do you want to drive Website traffic? Content uploads or downloads? Do you want your audience to voice their opinion? Understanding the end goal will go a long way to building a sound strategy and help you determine if social media is the right avenue.
Devise a social media campaign that’s transparent and engages the community
Social media is all about transparency and engagement. If your campaign can’t fulfill those two critical elements it’s more than likely it will not be successful. For example, if you have an executive from your company blogging or responding to other blogs they need to identify themselves and avoid aliases or fake names. The whole point is to be seen as an active and thoughtful member of the social community. It’s important to devise a campaign that is compelling for the social community and is upfront about the goals of the campaign.
The bottom line is look at social media through a strategic lens. Throughout the planning process you may find that incorporating social media elements may not be the best course of action to get the results you want. On the flip side, if you feel that social media can really help you drive home a campaign, engage, engage, engage!