Steele Communications

Leveraging social media is the hot topic – everyone claims you should be jumping onboard!

We're hearing more and more about how social marketing can do wonders for your business and help you engage with your customers like never before. And it can. But, don't jump on that bandwagon if you don't know where you're going.

1. Don't overlook best practices

As we have integrated social media into our marketing toolbox, we've noticed that some companys overlook proven marketing best practices when looking to add social marketing to their mix. Part of this is attributable to the newness of the media and a sense of urgency in becoming part of the social revolution. The reality is that social media is in the early stages of development. It will be years before we see it reach its full potential. There is time to do it right.

And part of this is because social media is different than conventional channels of communications and it has developed somewhat of a "mystique" on how to use it properly. The reality is that while some aspects of social media are different, much of the basics for integrating with your marketing mix are founded in good, old-fashioned marketing best practices.

2. What do you want to achieve with your social marketing efforts?

The more defined you are in outlining your objectives, the more successful your campaign will be. Clear objectives will reduce the chance that a campaign ends up in confusion or disappointment as results come in. Defined objectives allow you analyze data that can inform ongoing modifications to a campaign, provide important learnings that can advance your social marketing efforts, and develop measurements in which to determine the success of your efforts.

Don't just jump into social marketing – enter with a purpose and a plan to achieve success.

Steeling from the Tip Jar is a free, monthly eNewsletter sharing a single item of interest about marketing and advertising. Articles are culled from a variety of industry resources and include Steele insights and/or editing. Steele Communications is a creative agency that can help you keep your marketing efforts on target, on time and on budget. Learn more at steeleweb.com or contact Scott Steele at s.steele@steeleweb.com or 630.968.5106.

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