It’s just five working days into the new year, and already we’ve seen discussions and postings from people asking what they should be thinking about for their social media plans this year. So here’s our take:
1. Agency review
If you’re using an agency for advice or campaign work, now might be a good time to have them independently reviewed by someone like us to ensure you’re getting the best advice and the best results. And if you’re not using an agency, 2012 could be the year that you’re going to need one, either to help execute campaigns or to make sure you have the right objectives, resources and metrics in the first place.
2. Benchmarking
There’s a lot of talk – and therefore confusion – around social media measurement, monitoring and management. In addition to all these, one thing that you might want to add to the list for 2012 is benchmarking. By comparing your social media strategy against competitors and/or industry best practices, you may be able to learn why others are more successful and, more importantly, how to improve your own performance.
3. Structure
Is your organisation structured for effective digital/social marketing? Make 2012 the year where you bring those disconnected pockets of excellence together under the most appropriate organisational model for harnessing social media.
4. People
What many organisations grappling with social media for the first time are finding is that having the right people is key. But as well as ensuring that you’ve made provision in your 2012 headcount, make sure you invest time in finding them. There are lots of social media ‘gurus’ out there, but maybe only a handful that have the experience, attitude and aptitude that you need. If you can’t hire outright, think about internal or even external secondments.
5. Skills
Last, but by no means least, don’t forget to include some effective training in your 2012 plan. As you already know, the social media world moves quickly, not only in terms of tools and platforms but also the skills that are required to remain competitive as your peers get their own social media houses in order.
So there you have it: five essential things for your 2012 social media plan. If you want to know how we can help or if you’ve got a different view, we’d love to hear from you.
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