One of the most popular blogs I’ve ever written was on how to do the groundwork for your social media strategy. That was way back in 2013, but it still gets plenty of traffic, so I’ve decided to revisit it.
We’ve been hard at work recently developing social media strategies for organisations such as The Commonwealth War Graves Commission and I’ve seen many of the same issues crop up in the early stages of strategy development.
A good social media strategy takes time and hard work. It’s a worthwhile investment though; there are big opportunities to fundraise (think #icebucketchallenge) and build your brand on social (look at the way the National Trust have used digital to reinvigorate theirs). Your audience is likely to have high expectations of you on social media- 42% of people expect a response via these channels within 60 minutes. Starting your strategy can feel daunting but by doing a bit of preparation you can get the project off to a good start. Here’s what you need to do before you write your strategy, or hire an agency to help you with it.
- Recognise that your social media strategy needs to involve the right choices. There are likely to be a million and one things your strategy can do. And when your organisation decides to embark on a strategy project, many of your colleagues will ask if it can solve a plethora of longstanding issues they’ve been facing. A strategy cannot be all things to all people, so a good way to deal with this is to focus on 5-6 key themes or issues that are the most pressing ones for your organisation. If you’re still struggling for inspiration, use your corporate strategy as a starting point and discuss the most significant opportunities and risks facing your organisation in the next 6-12 months with your executive team. Bonus: this is a good first step towards getting buy-in for your strategy.
- Know how your audience uses social. Digital channels are evolving rapidly along with the way that your audience uses them. I recommend undertaking regular desk research into how your stakeholders are using social media (try Ofcom , Mashable or Econsultancy.) Then contrast this by talking to your supporters about which channels they are on and what they are using them for.
- Be prepared to review your brand and tone of voice. You’re very visible on social media and inevitably it will raise questions about your identity and how you communicate. I’ve never worked on a social media strategy project where these issues haven’t come up, and if you’ve found this too, it’s a sign that the right questions are being asked. Again, this will enhance buy in from your executive team as it will show how the strategy is adding value across the whole of the organisation.
- Think big. It’s tempting to see social media as a comms and fundraising tool, but there is even more that you can do with it. You can use it for market research, to take the temperature of how your audience is feeling about hot issues, or for internal comms (I know CEOs who use it to recognise and motivate staff) or even for operations (we recently worked with a team of regional directors who used social to get their teams organised).
- Challenge is a good thing. Having worked in-house myself, I know how hard it is to carve out time with your colleagues. Done right, your social media strategy will provide a space for you to nail many of those critical strategic questions that have been waking you at 5am, e.g. are we talking to the right stakeholders? Where are we getting the most value for money from social? How can we prepare for the next negative press story? Don’t be scared to use the opportunity to challenge each other and ask questions.
How are you preparing for your social media strategy? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.