“That Tweet Thing:” Creating a social media S.T.R.A.T.E.G.Y. even Baby Boomers can understand
May. 6, 2013 at 08:00 AM | By Veronica Steele | Comment Count
Scenario: You're the Social Media Manager for (fill in the blank). Better known as the expert, guru, maven, or one of the other 181,000 self-proclaimed appellations we social media people like to give ourselves. Your college or university sees you as the all-knowing social media wizard. So why do you feel so lost when given the daunting task of creating a social media strategy?
You're not alone.
From one social media manager to another, here are some best practices for creating an effective social media S.T.R.A.T.E.G.Y that goes beyond “that tweet thing,” producing results (brand awareness, seo, client support, leads, etc.) that even your boss will appreciate.
Success. Rarely does success appear overnight; you have to plan for it. Your social media strategy should begin with baby steps that help build a strong foundation for future campaigns. Success will follow.
Team. It takes a village to create, promote, and maintain quality social media campaigns. It is a HUGE misconception that one person can do it all. Recruiting people across your institution to become community social media managers is the best way for content to be generated and shared. These individuals are responsible for finding and promoting stories from their side of the house.
Resources. Often times we are handed new projects with less than realistic goals and virtually no resources. To this I say, use what you have.
There are plenty of good and reliable resources at low or no cost. It may require research and conversations with other managers but I promise they are out there. One of my personal favorites is Hootsuite. With an easy to navigate interface, this product allows you to connect multiple social media accounts in one profile, schedule posts across platforms, and delivers decent analytics. (I stress decent because most platforms are prone to inaccuracy or offer minimal reporting at little to no cost.)
Another resource that is very valuable and rarely tapped into is interns. College students these days are eager to get their foot in the door at an organization or field like yours. Most universities offer units toward graduation for internships, which means you don’t have to pay them - experience is enough. Plus, their enthusiasm generates creative ideas that can then be implemented - a win for both parties! (Check out this Halem Shake Youtube video one of my students organized.)
Assessment. Every strategy should begin and end with an assessment. Questions such as "who is our target audience," "what social media sites is our audience on," and "what resources do we have in place already," should be considered before diving in to any social media venture.
Assessment is like reading a map; it’s hard to know where you’re going if you don't know where you are or have been. Assess where your school's social media strategy is currently and evaluate how you got there.
Was it a straight shot or a journey with Frodo through the mountains of Mordor? Next, look ahead and see where the strategy should be going and decide on the best route to get there. Once you've reached your destination, assessing the way you got there is the only way to know if goals were reached effectively and efficiently.
Veronica is a social media manager at Concordia University Irvine and will present on social media at Hobsons U. You can register for Veronica's workshop, connect with her on Twitter (@VSteeleTweet), or visit her website to learn more about social media strategy for Higher Education.
blog comments powered by Disqus