Takeaways from Amuta21C Panel

These are my key takeaways from a a social media panel I participated in at Amuta21C.

(Interested in hearing me talk? Head on over here.

Devise a master plan

Social media activity is part of a broader strategic communication plan.Using a broader plan, determine a goal-oriented, audience-specific social media plan. Quick steps to guide your social media planning:

1. Define organizational communication goals (Are you going for visibility, lead generation, customer support or something else?)
2. Define your target audience (Don’t hold yourself back to only one)
3. Create omni-channel plan
4. Create KPIs to benchmark success (follows, shares, conversions)
5. Provide the value that people want, not what you think they need

Remember: Social media isn’t one to many; it’s one to one to one to one.

Challenge your platforms

No one platform will always be the best platform. Things change. In 1998, Lycos, Yahoo and Infoseek had a 60% market share of the online search market . Read the New York Times’ Innovation Report to see how important it is to stay on top of changing market trends. Stay dynamic.

Three Killer Social Media Tips

1. Leverage internal data – most organizations have unique internal data, whether from research or actual activity. Find out what your assets are and leverage it by creating value online.
2. Target strikes – Use online tools like twtrland.com to identify high-value communication targets (influencers, subject matter experts) and reach out to them directly. Follow them. Cultivate an online relationship with them.
3. Cultivate your online presence with consistent messaging from as many communicators. Dell created a training program to empower all employees on social media channels. Is everyone in your organization tweeting?