Dosovo | Marketing and Web Strategy

People are bombarded by messages every day. Social networks are a dime a dozen. Power users in the social media space may use many different platforms to interact with their network, but results from a Universal McCann study (source: eMarketer, 08/16/09) say that internet users are “starting to focus their digital life” around specific networks in particular, rather than using various specialized tools with unique features of their own.

More people are engaged in social media

More people are definitely using social networks – figures show 59% of active web users (those with access at least every other day) in 2009 have a social network profile, up 16% from 2008.

It’s not necessarily important that people are creating profiles, as this has been on the rise for some time, but rather where they are creating those profiles. People that have been in the “scene” for several years are accustomed to managing and maintaining multiple profiles, but Universal McCann says the new mainstream users are just focusing on one.

Remember who your target market is? Follow them

Several posts ago we discussed finding your target market and said that their location should influence your decisions for marketing. That rule still applies, and probably even moreso now. If your customers are spending most of their time on one social platform, that had better be the cornerstone of your web strategy. If they aren’t using the latest and greatest social tool, you probably shouldn’t be using it either.

Incorporate more options into what you do

Another interesting statement from the Universal McCann report says they are seeing a “decline or stasis” in the use of separate sites for individual activities. Instead, users are looking for a single social network that consolidates various tools and features into one place.

Keep this in mind when you are designing and developing your own initiatives. What can the user do on your site? Would they be more active if you could incorporate more functionality? Should you be integrating with their top social network instead of building something of your own?

Also important to note is that despite users’ tendencies to consolidate their social media activities, you should still give them options for how and when to engage with your brand. If your market does use several networks, give them those same options when interacting with you. Consolidation may seem easier for you, but it isn’t about you. It’s all about your customers.

Which platforms have you found to work best for your audience? Where do they congregate?

Since the beginning of time men and women have gathered together to tell stories, share information, debate and communicate, but the forms of communication have changed over the years. Long ago we could gather around a fire and tell stories. Today, that’s called going on vacation or camping. Of course we still love to sit around a fire and tell stories and roast marshmallows, but now we don’t need a fire or even need to be in the same state.

Back in the day sending a letter could take more than a couple days. In the mid 1800s they used what they called Pony Express. As the fastest mode of travel for information at the time, people could send letters from East to West and back again. With the introduction of letters in the modern-day mail system and the telephone, communication got even faster. As technology continued to advance we were presented with email, cell phones and text messaging. Now many cell phones have the ability to connect to the internet and offer access almost anywhere in the world.

The new age

We are in an age of information. Anything you could ever hope to learn is at your fingertips and sharing that information is just as easy. With the many different social media channels available to us, finding and searching for news, information and stories…just happens. Many times you don’t need to search at all. Many people who participate in social media are passing on what they hear about or find interesting. We have the ability to hear about news first. You don’t have to wait for 5 o’clock or the prime-time news anymore. You can boot up your computer, pull up the internet and log in. Like the speed of light and the speed of sound, news and information seems to move almost as fast.

It’s not all about news, it’s about relevancy

Not everyone wants to learn about news and information, some want to learn about the latest music or movies that are coming out. The great thing about the internet and social media or social networking is that you are not alone. You can find others who have the same interests you do and get involved. You can have your opinion and share it. Others can comment on your thoughts and ideas. You can engage in discussions in forums, chat rooms and websites.

People are still coming together to tell stories, share information, debate and communicate. For some people the conversation may not have changed at all. What has changed is the time and place for where these interactions take place.

We all have time, you just have to decide if you want to participate in the conversation. The only other thing that’s different is now we have a vehicle that can take us anywhere.

What interests do you have?

What do you like to learn, teach or talk about? Are you involved in any social media sites already? If you are, but have not taken to time to try out your new wheels, what are you waiting for?

Here are the keys. You have the vehicle. The roadmap is direction. You just have to decide where you want to go. Take it for a spin and see what you think.

With technology and the internet we have an abundance of choices. The great thing about this is that businesses can now do the things they wanted to do ten years ago. The bad thing is that sometimes we get too excited. Sometimes we have great ideas and learn about new things that get us so excited we try to run before we can crawl. It’s important that with these advances in technologies and communication channels that we create a plan that is specific, attainable and measurable. We need to have a focus on objectives and goals.

Take time to start with a plan

If you don’t know where you want to go you could walk in circles for months. Take the time to identify what your objectives are and then create a plan around them.

As you move forward you will find it’s easier to be measure your actions once you know where you want to go and why you are doing it. By having specific outlined objectives and goals it will allow you to listen more effectively and engage with others more purposefully.

Without your objectives and goals clearly defined, you may confuse those you are connecting with and mistakenly send them less-than-accurate messages. You want to be crystal clear and as transparent as possible. Don’t leave it to chance. People will interpret things differently than you may have intended.

Objectives and goals make everyone more comfortable

If you are an employee or a consultant working with a business who is wary about social media, having objectives and goals become more like checkpoints. It is both a way to mark your progress for yourself, but also for your customers/clients. Take note of what is happening and track this information, as you’ll want to reference it often and present to others.

If you find yourself tasked with outlining your objectives and goals, do some research. Try to find other businesses that are utilizing social media. What are some of their goals? What are they trying to do with social media to benefit and add value to their business?

For example, if you are thinking about using Twitter, try to find another business already doing it well. Look at some of your competitors. Take some time to read about the information they post. How are they interacting with their customers/clients? Does that fit with your business’ culture and/or philosophy? This is also a great time to remind you that social media is about the relationships, not the technologies used to form them. Is your target market using Twitter, or are they using something else?

Start with small, actionable steps

I hope that after reading about setting objectives and goals you are not feeling anxious. You don’t have to take on the biggest and most difficult goals right away. Start small and take actionable steps. Continue to build off those small actionable steps into doing more of them more often. Once you feel comfortable and confident, you can begin to raise the bar. Make some short term goals and make notes on how you will accomplish them. Give yourself a deadline so you don’t slack off. Once you have made some short term goals, move on to larger long term goals. As always, make notes about how you plan to achieve them and document your progress along the way.

When you take the time to develop a great plan of attack with objectives and goals that make sense for your business, social media will be much easier to handle. Finally, remember that things don’t happen overnight. It takes time, just like building a business.

What problems have you encountered while trying to set actionable goals in your plan? How can we help you get past those hurdles?