Online PR and Social Media Content Strategy Map (A New Cut Out & Keep…)
We put together this diagram in response to a common request from our clients: HEEEEEEELP!
Having dabbled with Facebook and made forays with Twitter, many brands are now stuck wondering how the hell to get any decent ‘play’ out of their Social Media assets and profiles.
Oftentimes this is down to two basic things: i) a desire to crack on and experiment and ii) a lack of time. And this dilemma (particularly in a large, multi-brand or multi-business unit organisation) usually leads to a mild form of Social Media schizophrenia and diminishing returns.
In other words, when you’re rushing to pilot stuff with a lack of time it can be incredibly hard to execute in an integrated fashion ….which is why the chart above might help.
Here’s the supporting blurb…
First Principles of Social Media and Online PR
Doing Social Media is not an objective in and of itself. Doing Twitter is not a plan. Customer interaction and retention around a theme is. So, the next time some bright spark suggests a Facebook page, take a deep breath and think it through – no matter how exciting it might seem.
Health Warning: ‘Build it and They Will Come’ is Broken
Communications in this new-fangled Social Interweb era is all about building followings, creating conversations and putting your content in the places it’s most likely to be seen. Nine times out of ten this won’t be in and around your own web site. The trick is to extend the value of what you’re doing to other people’s platforms, networks and services. (Or, ‘go with the flow,’ as they say…)
Have a Plan for Social Media
Broadly speaking, you should think of Social Media as a channel: something to use for publishing stuff and/or talking with people (ie, like the telephone, in the hands of a salesperson or a consultant).
As such, use it to support your bigger sales and/or marketing objectives. Twitter can help improve awareness levels, but only if you have something sensible to pin it on. Likewise, Facebook can be a killer community tool, but only if you have something that warrants a group interest.
Content is Elvis
If Social Media’s for you, then content is the next thought. Do you have any? Are you already making some? Can this be remixed in more valuable, useful and Social ways? If Social Media is to add value, then it shouldn’t be done in a vacuum.
Look for opportunities to spin off your standard content assets in new ways, so that they’re capable of playing out on Social Media channels as well as doing all the other things that you normally ask them to do. For example, video and images can be re-thunk so that they work just as well on YouTube and Flickr as they do on your web site and on your trade show exhibition stands.
Think Integration
Whatever the case is, make sure that you publish your content assets ‘home and away’ – both on your web site and on other Social Media channels. This enhances people’s opportunities to see your stuff on their turf.
Your Social Media profiles need to become a core part of your thinking here. That Slideshare channel shouldn’t be sitting in outer space, it should be part of an integrated publishing plan – supporting everything else that you’ve got on your truck.
For example, a seminar can be composed of delegates, speakers, PPTs, video, Tweets, and photos: and publishing these assets using Social Media channels can become part and parcel of your activity before, during and after the event.
Think Aggregation
When you’re done, look for ways to aggregate your content so that it becomes more useful to your audiences. For example, if you’re running grandstand events or conferences, then a Facebook event page could be a great place to bring together your stock of images and videos, so that Facebookers everywhere can find it easily and in one place.
If you’re promoting information-based services, then a subject-specific Ning can be a very useful route into your main site. And customer support apps like Get Satisfaction can also be a great outlet for all of those brochures and manuals that have been collecting dust on the shelf.
Partner content should also be factored in. What opportunities do you have for re-purposing third party blogs, Tweets, images, etc, in your own content services? These things can add real value to your overall story (and help Google to love you a little more).
Go Social: Party Hard
Once your Socially re-mixed content is published and you’ve found useful ways of aggregating it, it’s time to party hard and start sparking up the right kind of conversations in the right kind of places. We’ve written a lot about this elsewhere, but for now the key thought is being relevant, useful and entertaining.
Go comment on other people’s blogs. Follow them on Twitter and exchange ideas about all the good things you have in common. Add value to forums and discussion boards, based on your stock of Social stuff. …and encourage people to share all of your content, all of the time.
Footnote: If You Do This Then Google Will Also Loooooooove You!
Google loves content. Especially keyword rich content. If you can build the type of publishing disciplines outlined above into your core marketing and content programs, then good linkage and great SEO will follow. (We’d also say that Social Media is the new SEO, but that’s another story…)
Any Takers…?
Granted, this is an uber-quick overview of the principles of Social Media content strategies, but it’s a sound one. If you agree / disagree or have something else to add, then please do let me know….!
Meantime, here’s the chart again, via Slideshare:
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Genaro
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Ben Bradley
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Kristina Halvorson
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Roger Warner
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