With the introduction of social media, the
ways in which organizations communicate with key stakeholders has
changed dramatically. No longer forced to rely on
the one-way dialogue that for so long dominated, consumers, clients +
employees are now able participate in what is being said about an
organization. In fact, it is encouraged.
Social media will not work unless you are willing to engage your audience. Spouting facts or information non-stop will kill your social media platforms faster than you can shake a fist at. Its in your best interest, as an organization, to listen to what your customers + prospective purchasers have to say. Whether you are selling a product or service, ultimately these are the people who will influence the success of your organization. You have an opportunity to understand your target market intimately if you know the right questions to ask and are willing to truly listen.
How do you do this? Like any successful communications or marketing plan, you need to have a strong, well thought out strategy in place before launching your social media escapades. Knowing where you want to end up will definitely help define the steps you need to put in place to get there. But, if you don’t know what you are doing, it will show. Nobody expects everyone to be a social media expert. But much the same way that I would never apply for (or expect to get) an engineering position, a company whose focus is not social media may want to consider outsourcing or bringing on a new employee whose skill-set and knowledge base focuses on social media strategy. In fact, according to Mark Evans, one of Canada’s leading social media + digital marketing experts, this is one of the biggest mistakes companies make when attempting to integrate social media into their overall marketing and communications plan.
With the right strategy in place and a salient vision to see what it is that you want to achieve, your company has a huge two-way communication resource at its fingertips--literally. So jump off of the proverbial soapbox and start speaking WITH your consumer.
-kt
www.chattersondrive.com
Social media will not work unless you are willing to engage your audience. Spouting facts or information non-stop will kill your social media platforms faster than you can shake a fist at. Its in your best interest, as an organization, to listen to what your customers + prospective purchasers have to say. Whether you are selling a product or service, ultimately these are the people who will influence the success of your organization. You have an opportunity to understand your target market intimately if you know the right questions to ask and are willing to truly listen.
How do you do this? Like any successful communications or marketing plan, you need to have a strong, well thought out strategy in place before launching your social media escapades. Knowing where you want to end up will definitely help define the steps you need to put in place to get there. But, if you don’t know what you are doing, it will show. Nobody expects everyone to be a social media expert. But much the same way that I would never apply for (or expect to get) an engineering position, a company whose focus is not social media may want to consider outsourcing or bringing on a new employee whose skill-set and knowledge base focuses on social media strategy. In fact, according to Mark Evans, one of Canada’s leading social media + digital marketing experts, this is one of the biggest mistakes companies make when attempting to integrate social media into their overall marketing and communications plan.
With the right strategy in place and a salient vision to see what it is that you want to achieve, your company has a huge two-way communication resource at its fingertips--literally. So jump off of the proverbial soapbox and start speaking WITH your consumer.
-kt
www.chattersondrive.com
#passiondrivessuccess
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