Social Media Time Management – Part 4

Developing a Social Media Plan

He who fails to plan, plans to fail

A social media plan is an important tool for any type of business from sole traders to multi-nationals.

As a sole trader, you need to be crystal clear on what your objectives are and how you are going to achieve them. Many businesses will setup their social media accounts, they will be enthusiastic for a week, and by the one month mark, they will have gone almost completely silent online. New habits are hard to form, especially for a sole trader who wears so many hats that the thought of one more is daunting. If being online is not within your comfort zone, the habit forming process is further hampered by procrastination. Planning and assessing your progress in a more formal way will help.

If you have two or more people managing the business’s social media accounts and they have completely different characters and views on how the business should be represented online, the result will be confusing and disjointed.  A social media plan can outline not just how often and what should be published online, but by whom and with particular characteristics or tones that represent the business brand.

So, how much time do you think you can find in your daily schedule? What can you do in that time? Write blog posts (articles)? Take the odd photo and up load it? Make the odd comment and respond to a few more?

This will be different for each type of business. For example:

• A photographer will take photos and share them on Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest.
• A professional writer or business coach or consultant might update their blog with articles and publish the link to this post on LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter/their website.
• A newspaper editor or association leader or financial expert might post links or tips on Twitter/LinkedIn/Facebook and take part in discussions.

Some Example Check Sheets in PDF format

These will assist in forming new habits. Create your own to suit your type o f business and availability of time.

• LinkedIn Check List
• Facebook Check List
• Twitter Check List

A Social Media Plan Development Team Should Involve:

• the owner of the business
• the marketing expert
• your web developer (if adjustments need to be made to your website)
• a few select customer facing employees

Download an example of a social media plan for a combination of LinkedIn and Twitter for a business consultant here: LinkedIn Twitter Plan. This should give you ideas for forming your own unique plan.

[note align=”center”]If you are unsure where you fit, give us a call or email for a quick free consultation. We’d be delighted to help you. 022-55002.[/note]

Developing a Social Media Policy

A social media policy typically outlines the do’s and don’ts of online behaviour and communication by company personnel. All new and existing employees and management should ideally be familiar with this document.  They should know what the company’s online branding is, what they should and shouldn’t discuss in public, how they should handle a negative or combative situation online, and everything from online security to appropriate level of formality and professionalism. The reason for showing this document to everyone, even though they may not be involved in updating the company’s social media account, is because they probably have their own social media accounts. (Here you start getting into tricky territory, and this is why you need your solicitor to assist with the final draft policy).

A Social Media Policy Development Team Should Involve:

• the owner of the business
• the marketing expert
• a few select customer facing employees
• and at the end of the process the solicitor (lawyer), so that any necessary legal adjustments are made

The following link will give you many examples of social media policies and it is quite easy to Google for more. http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php

 

Part 1 – Choosing Your Primary Social Media Network

Part 2 – Assessing Your Time Resource

Part 3 – Efficiencies – Tips, Tricks and Management

What is your experience? Feel free to comment with your opinion.