Originally posted on BeASocialClimber.com
Whether you're a social media expert or completely new to the game, the term social media strategy is probably something you've heard of and something you've been told you absolutely need.
Well, I'm here to tell you that you don't need it. And I've outlined below what you do need instead.
Why Businesses Don't Need a Social Media Strategy
If you're not sure what a social media strategy even is (that elusive thing no one can really seem to define), it's generally thought to be a set of social media goals and objectives that include what tools and metrics will be used to accomplish them.
The main reason why businesses don't need a social media strategy is that they frequently fail or become meaningless.
Instead of creating a strategy that will be out of date in a year (let's be honest, a few months), what companies should do instead is write a one-sentence social media ideology.
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitute one's goals, expectations and actions. For a business and its social media, an ideology would answer -- in one sentence -- what a business wants to accomplish with its social presence.
These are large, overarching missions that align with a company's core values.
A few examples are:
- Create a online shopping environment that is fun and social
- Provide valuable technology content
- Build an engaging community of like-minded people
- Facilitate product/service questions and comments
Once a reason is established for why a business is on social media, then a tactical plan can be created.
A tactical plan is needed for each social media platform, as we know one size does not fit all on social. The plan outlines how many times a day content will be posted, what type of content will be created will be and what metrics will be reported.
Both a social media ideology and a platform-specific tactical plan are much more effective and practical that a social media strategy.
As social media changes, it's likely that an ideology will remain constant. The how's and why's may change, but a business's reasons for engaging online will remain constant.
How do you think your business would benefit from a social media ideology vs. a strategy?