First, a big thanks to:
Jeremy Flint (@jeremyflint)
IPSA (@ipsaonline)
Shift Workspace (@ShiftWorkspace)
For hosting this presentation on "
June 4, 2009.

Social Media Clients

So why create a "
social media strategy?

Without a clear direction, "
social media can pull you "
in all directions.

Clear goals and realistic
expectations can help avoid:
Wasted time
Wasted effort
Backlash
Social media fatigue
Missed opportunities

It starts with asking yourself a
few tough questions.

Question 1:
What are you after?

Sales?
Client leads?
Awareness?
Proving your brand?
Buzz?
Thought leadership?

Can you distill your "
social media mission down to"
one sentence?

"Anything that creates positive
lasting memory is customer service."
— Tony Hsieh,
Zappos CEO

Zappos live chat excerpt:
(done entirely in 3rd person)
Timmy: Timmy thanks Jonathan for good help.
Jonathan: Jonathan welcomes Timmy. Can Jonathan
do anything more for Timmy?
Timmy: no that is all timmy needs
Timmy: timmy happy
Jonathan: Good. Does Timmy have an account set
up with Zappos yet?
Jonathan: Jonathan will upgrade Timmy’s account.
Source: Twitter.com/Zappos

“Humanize the Ford brand and put
consumers in touch with Ford
employees."
— Scott Monty,
Ford Motor Co.

"Instill trust in the brand, and
highlight that the people behind the
brand are parents too.”
— Lindsay Lebresco,
Graco

A core philosophy gives you a
daily focus and helps define
your goals.

Question 2:
How will you know "
if it’s working?

Social media gives you a
chance to set metrics that "
suit your philosophy.

Graco’s mission:
Reach 1,000,000 parents online

What can be measured?
Blog posts
Inbound traffic
Reader comments
Clickthroughs
Twitter mentions
Video views
Twitter followers
Channel subscribers
Facebook fans
Video embeds
Links
SlideShare views
RSS subscribers
Tags
Google trends
Diggs
Alexa rankings
Stumbles
Search results
App downloads
Nielsen BuzzMetrics
Podcast subscribers

What about impressions? CPM?
Those still have a place,
especially in winning over "
the old guard.

Measurement tools:
There are lots out there.
My favorite? Google Docs.

Most data can be easily tracked
and graphed with simple
spreadsheets.

Once your scope (and budget)
expands, consider paid monitoring
services such as Radian6.

Question 3:
Who’s responsible for
reaching these goals?

Social media is a murky mix of
PR, marketing, interactive,
customer service and more.
But try to make it everyone’s job,
and it becomes no one’s job.

Now’s the time to "
take ownership, "
take responsibility
and take the credit.

Social media will never be "
a real part of your business "
until it’s included in job
descriptions and expectations.

Set your goals and live by them,
even if they seem arbitrary at first.
Prove to your colleagues that this
is work, not screwing around.

Question 4:
What’s in it for your
customers?

Corporate social media is hollow if
it doesn’t create some sort of
valuable content for the reader.

Provide your customers with
insight, sneak peeks, discounts,
support, a good laugh, etc.
Make yourself worthy of their time
(and, hopefully, their money).

Question 5:
Where do you go from here?

Once you build momentum, "
don’t squander it.
Use your successes to justify
bigger budgets, more staffing and
cooler projects.

And once you’re a blogillionaire,
don’t forget the little people, like…
david.griner@luckie.com
Twitter.com/griner
TheSocialPath.com
SlideShare.net/Griner