Firstly, what is the business case for social? Are there prospects and customers here? Should we even play in this space? If we invest, what would be an acceptable cost per acquisition (CPA) of a new customer be? Is that realistic?
If the numbers look promising; what features, benefits, tone, style or emotions can we use to most effectively position our brand in social that will not just make the till ring short term – but build a competitive advantage for our brand long term too?
How do our best prospects actually use and behave on social? What are the key social platforms to use? What are the best formats and techniques within those platforms to leverage? How do we roll out test activity? How and where might we scale-up once we prove effective ROI?
What will our strategy actually look like day-in-day out? What are the most effective, lowest cost, easiest to execute stories to tell first? What are the stories we can line up that will help you lead your market?
What has worked elsewhere? Do we have to re-invent the wheel? Can we borrow innovative ideas from other categories? How do we zag and profit from doing everything our competitors cannot or will not do?
It’s stupid for social to work outside the rest of the business. How will the social strategy work in an integrated way to leverage and wring value out of all the other assets and tools you have invested in - such as eDM, the website, offers, promotions, POS, retail partners, advocates or traditional marketing campaigns?
THE PROBLEM WITH “STRATEGY”
It’s one of the most mis-used and abused terms in marketing. It’s not a 37-slide deck of marketing models and jargon that no-one knows how to apply in practice. It’s also not a, “post” or an execution.
The best strategy connects a genuine consumer insight (what real people actually want or will want in the future) to a genuine promise that your brand can actually deliver.
But here’s the trick; a decent strategy recognises that people have choice - so it articulates the most effective way forward in a relevant, distinctive and competitive way.
SOCIAL STRATEGY DONE RIGHT
Good social starts with a solid strategic plan that addresses 6 key questions:
Firstly, what is the business case for social? Are there prospects and customers here? Should we even play in this space? If we invest, what would be an acceptable cost per acquisition (CPA) of a new customer be? Is that realistic?
If the numbers look promising; what features, benefits, tone, style or emotions can we use to most effectively position our brand in social that will not just make the till ring short term – but build a competitive advantage for our brand long term too?
How do our best prospects actually use and behave on social? What are the key social platforms to use? What are the best formats and techniques within those platforms to leverage? How do we roll out test activity? How and where might we scale-up once we prove effective ROI?
What will our strategy actually look like day-in-day out? What are the most effective, lowest cost, easiest to execute stories to tell first? What are the stories we can line up that will help you lead your market?
What has worked elsewhere? Do we have to re-invent the wheel? Can we borrow innovative ideas from other categories? How do we zag and profit from doing everything our competitors cannot or will not do?
It’s stupid for social to work outside the rest of the business. How will the social strategy work in an integrated way to leverage and wring value out of all the other assets and tools you have invested in - such as eDM, the website, offers, promotions, POS, retail partners, advocates or traditional marketing campaigns?