Forbes: Why Most Social Media Strategies Fail

An interesting piece by John Rampton in Forbes site discusses what is important in a successful social media strategy. Here are some highlights of the article.

Engagement is king

Establishing a social media strategy is more than just posting an update informing people that a new product or service is on sale. It’s more than just sharing a piece of relevant information. A social media strategy is a success when you are able to engage and interact with your target audience.

Your social media presence should reflect you business values

Everything that you do, or want to accomplish, on social media should be based on the values of your business. This not only guides your content and business objectives on social media outlets, but it can also generate some buzz about your brand, since you’ve also already identified your target audience and are aware of their wants and needs.

Stay consistent

A social media campaign demands consistency. We’re not just talking about quality and useful information for your audience, either. We’re talking about frequently sharing that valuable content. But, how much and when do you update statuses?

Understand how social media works

Again, it’s discovering who your audience is and where they spend most of their time. Doing this ahead of time will determine where you should focus your social media efforts. And it doesn’t take much time either. You could begin by checking out stats, like from Pew Research, that break down the demographics of each social network. Or, simply ask current customers. Just spend the extra time in understanding which network is most effective in reaching your audience.

Creat unique and tailer-made content

When coming up with ideas, try and develop ones that are unique. At the very least, your ideas should be tailored to your audience.

If you want to learn more, read the full text here.