We know that social media is nothing more than media that is social. If so, why do many businesses have trouble thinking about, or even starting their social media journey? We are not that a-social, are we?
Hmmm…
It appears that way. See, when you are invited to a friend’s BBQ, or a local office party network mixer – you listen more than you talk, right? Two ears, one mouth, etc – we know what to do.
But…
Somehow – when sitting behind the computer, all we do is send people and networks messages about “us”, “our products”, “our services”. How uncool is that – really? Find something more interesting to share.
How do you begin the social media journey then?
Yes, by listening…
Here’s a model that can help you – and aid in beginning to track social media across your enterprise.
Listening.
It’s a small step towards social media success, but it really starts there. Not with “just do Twitter”, or “we got to get a Facebook account”. Listen, learn and develop a goals and objectives list. Then ask – from all you have gathered – what steps would reach an easy target (fixed number of new twitter friends, for example) for the business in the next 30 days as a “pilot run”?
Learning.
As you add more layers to those goals (commitment and consistency) – you must never lose sight of the listening piece, but now add a process and filter to store ongoing learnings for your organization, and about the marketplaces. You can start to think about a “best practices guide”, “social media guide”, “FAQs”, etc.
Maturing.
When you are maturing both personally and business-wise through the process, you become much more social media experienced. You have in essence begun to understand the issues around your social media campaigns, and you can start to act on insights. You’ll learn more simply by watching your web analytics, for starters.
Optimizing.
In this final step, you’ve truly committed to becoming a social media business driver – listening, learning, creating and submitting to a much more engaged community. This will help you garner more trust, and eventually — get prospects that are highly pre-positioned to your brand. You are interacting as a client-driven, feedback and value based organization.
“Listening customers must get back to basics and reevaluate how they actually use their listening platforms. Firms must prepare their staff, identify their goals, and plan their everyday use of the tools” – Zach Hofer-Shall
To get a FREE copy (PDF) of learning social intelligence for your organization – download the Corporate-Social-Intelligence-Measurement.pdf now.
What do you think?
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Entrepreneur Magazine says Jon Rognerud is one of the most sought-after Digital Marketing Experts. His clients extend from high-end brands and middle-tier businesses in both B2B and B2C. His SEO website optimization book, "The Ultimate Guide to Optimizing Your Website" from Entrepreneur Press is in bookstores now.