How A Social Media Marketing Consultant Evaluates A Social Media Campaign

Written by Eric Henderson Saturday, 04 June 2011 06:16

If you are acting as your own social media marketing consultant, I am going to guess that frustration is a word frequently used to describe yourself if you are new to social media, or maybe if you have been involved in social media but have yet to enjoy a return on your time and/or investment.

If you are acting as your own social media marketing consultant, I am going to guess that frustration is a word frequently used to describe yourself if you are new to social media, or maybe if you have been involved in social media but have yet to enjoy a return on your time and/or investment.

As a person who has advised thousands of business owners and entrepreneurs on their social media marketing plan, the issue is actually two-fold. The first issue is that social media marketing takes time and needs to be done consistently. There are no immediate returns on investment. The second issue is that your social media messages need to make sense with the type of business you have.

To evaluate your own social media efforts, just ask yourself these questions:

- Are you using the right platform? First, remember that there are a variety of social media platforms for you to consider - most notably Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Further, within these platforms, there exist variations on the theme. For example, in Facebook, you can have a "Page," a "Group," or a "Community." Each variation has its own set of tools, purposes, and capabilities. In addition, you may decide to participate in several social media platforms at the same time. For example, if you have a fitness center, you may want to use your YouTube channel to publish videos on how to perform certain exercises or tapings of classes you offer there while using Facebook to build a sense of community through candid photos, listings of hours, available classes, and upcoming events.

- Have you scrapped past attempts? However, you also need to remember that whatever you take on has to be maintained and updated regularly. This can take up valuable time and people resources. While it can certainly be worth it in the long run, remember that consistency is key. If you do not think you will be able to maintain various platforms (or you have already started and stopped using a platform) be sure to erase or delete those accounts. Otherwise, you stand the risk of eroding your brand value when a customer (current or potential) stumbles across your forgotten Bebo account. Instead, make sure that what you have is the best it can be and do away with anything that you are not actively using.

- Are you providing the type of information and interaction that your audience wants? Ask yourself what it is that your audience would want to read, not what you want to tell them. Providing discounts or having giveaways can be useful, but you have to have more substance than that. Consider posting facts about your company, the brand, or its products. Think of the tidbits of information you encounter everyday that make you stop and say, "Really?" Examples include fun facts about how long you have been in business, what happens "behind the scenes", why your business operates as it does (e.g. why Yoga class was cancelled on Tuesdays, why you do not serve poppyseed bagels, why you buy local, why legal documents are presented in blue card stock), etc.

- Do you pay attention to what your audience has to say? Do you respond to them when they post or comment? Don't forget - you don't just want to broadcast a message - with social media, you want to interact.

- Does your audience have a voice on your profile? Remember, you want interaction - so you want to facilitate this by asking questions, surveying, polling, and anything else that people will respond to. If they feel they can respond, they will feel valued - and what's better than feeling valued? If you're missing this interaction, you're missing out on social media's rewards.