COM 310 Milestone One Guidelines and Rubric Social media often reaches multiple departments within an organization such as human resources, legal, marketing, operations, sales, and more. Planning strategically offers an organization a blueprint of sorts that can be communicated to these various stakeholders. These plans help set direction and also help prioritize initiatives while keeping everyone on the same page. Equally important is planning for social media mishaps. It is never more apparent that strategic planning was not done or did not include a contingency plan than when social media engagement snowballs into a public relations disaster. In this assessment, you will explore strategic social media use for an existing organization of your choice. This paper will cover two platforms you feel are relevant to the organization’s goals and detail how these platforms can be used in tandem to reach organizational goals. You will be both creative and strategic and align goals to specific tactics on each platform of your choice. You will also include a plan of action to guide decision making when negative comments make a community toxic or when opportunities present themselves to engage the audience in positive communication. This paper will be informational and is not specifically a social media strategy. Instead, it is meant to inform decision makers and provide them the information they would need to begin creating a strategic social media strategy. For Milestone One, you will provide an overview of social media and how it might be used by businesses. In addition, you will work to uncover specific business goals related to social media use. Research the history of social media and identify best practices regarding the use of social media. This will allow you to set the stage for your clients and help them understand what the use of social media can and cannot do for their business. Using this information, help your clients specify goals related to social media use. These goals will dictate what platforms you choose, what content you share, and what best practices the organization would follow. Identifying the target audience will also ensure the organization uses appropriate platforms and shares appropriate content. Introduce social media to your client and determine business goals in relation to social media use. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed: Social Media Overview: This section will give you the opportunity to research the history of social media and identify best practices regarding the use of social media. This will allow you to set the stage for your clients and help them understand what the use of social media can and cannot do for their business. A. Overview how social media has been used by businesses over the past decade. Support overview with research. B. Summarize established best practices regarding the use of social media by businesses. C. Explain the opportunities and limits of.

1. COM 310 Milestone One Guidelines and Rubric
Social media often reaches multiple departments within an
organization such as human resources, legal, marketing,
operations, sales, and more. Planning strategically offers an
organization a blueprint of sorts that can be communicated to
these various stakeholders. These plans help set direction and
also help prioritize initiatives while keeping everyone on the
same page. Equally important is planning for social media
mishaps. It is never more apparent that strategic planning was
not done or did not include a contingency plan than when social
media engagement snowballs into a public relations disaster.
In this assessment, you will explore strategic social media use
for an existing organization of your choice. This paper will
cover two platforms you feel are relevant to the organization’s
goals and detail how these platforms can be used in tandem to
reach organizational goals. You will be both creative and
strategic and align goals to specific tactics on each platform of
your choice. You will also include a plan of action to guide
decision making when negative comments make a community
toxic or when opportunities present themselves to engage the
audience in positive communication.
This paper will be informational and is not specifically a social
media strategy. Instead, it is meant to inform decision makers
and provide them the information they would need to begin
creating a strategic social media strategy.
For Milestone One, you will provide an overview of social
media and how it might be used by businesses. In addition, you
will work to uncover specific business goals related to social
media use. Research the history of social media and identify
best practices regarding the use of social media. This will allow
you to set the stage for your clients and help them understand

2. what the use of social media can and cannot do for their
business. Using this information, help your clients specify goals
related to social media use. These goals will dictate what
platforms you choose, what content you share, and what best
practices the organization would follow. Identifying the target
audience will also ensure the organization uses appropriate
platforms and shares appropriate content.
Introduce social media to your client and determine business
goals in relation to social media use. Specifically, the following
critical elements
must be addressed:
Social Media Overview:
This section will give you the opportunity to research the
history of social media and identify best practices regarding the
use of social media. This will allow you to set the stage for your
clients and help them understand what the use of social media
can and cannot do for their business.
A. Overview how
social media
has been used by businesses over the past decade. Support
overview with research. B. Summarize established
best practices
regarding the use of social media by businesses.
C. Explain the
opportunities and limits
of social media as a communications tool.
Business Goals:
The purpose of this section is to help the organization uncover
specific goals related to social media use. These goals will
dictate what platforms you choose, what content you share, and

3. what best practices the organization would follow. Identifying
the target audience will also ensure the organization uses
appropriate platforms and shares appropriate content.
A. Analyze the business’s
current state
and identify gaps that you will use social media to address.
Consider how the organization communicates with its target
audience, how well it retains customers, or how frequently it
updates its website.
Select two of the following four goals for the business, based on
the
identified gaps
. Justify your selections.
Drive traffic to website
Increase brand awareness
Connect with customers and clients
Demonstrate expertise
Explain how audience engagement through social media can
help the business
achieve its goals
. Support explanation with examples.

4. Guidelines for Submission:
Your paper must be submitted as a 3- to 4-page Microsoft Word
document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman
font, one-inch margins, and at least three sources cited in APA
format.
Critical Elements
Proficient (100%)
Needs Improvement (75%)
Not Evident (0%)
Value
Social Media Overview: Social Media
Overviews how social media has been used by businesses over
the past decade, supporting overview with research
Overviews how social media has been used by businesses over
the past decade but overview is cursory, verbose, or not
supported by research
Does not overview how social media has been used by
businesses over the past decade
15
Social Media Overview: Best Practices

5. Summarizes established best practices regarding the use of
social media by businesses
Summarizes established best practices regarding the use of
social media by businesses but summary is cursory or is missing
key details
Does not summarize established best practices regarding the use
of social media by businesses
15
Social Media Overview: Opportunities and Limits
Explains the opportunities and limits of social media as a
communications tool
Explains the opportunities and limits of social media as a
communication tool but explanation is cursory or lacks clarity
Does not explain the opportunities and limits of social media as
a communication tool
15
Business Goals: Current State
Analyzes the business’s current state and identifies gaps that
will be addressed using social media
Analyzes the business’s current state and identifies gaps that
will be addressed using social media but analysis is cursory or

6. unclear or gaps are not clearly identified
Does not analyze the business’s current state or identify gaps
that will be addressed using social media
15
Business Goals: Identified Gaps
Selects goals for the business based on the identified gaps and
justifies the selections
Selects goals for the business based on the identified gaps and
justifies the selections but justification is cursory or illogical
Does not select goals for the business based on the identified
gaps
15
Business Goals: Achieve Its Goals
Explains how audience engagement through social media can
help the business achieve its goals supporting explanation with
examples
Explains how audience engagement through social media can
help the business achieve its goals but explanation is cursory or
not supported with examples

7. Does not explain how audience engagement through social
media can help the business achieve its goals
15
Articulation of Response
Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact
readability and articulation of main ideas
Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of
ideas
10
Total
100%