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You gotta get a goal! |
I recently read a great post from communication expert Shel Holtz, who I've interviewed often for various articles and books that I've written on marketing/communication issues. He's insightful and, best of all (IMO), *strategic* in his approach to communications.
This post, for instance, points out the folly of criticizing communication efforts without having insight into the marketers' strategy - duh! But, it's a point often overlooked in our zeal not only to offer input/opinions on what others are doing but, worse, in our zeal to implement our own communication strategies and tactics.
For an in-class exercise in a PR course I teach, I recently asked groups of students to come up with a communication plan based on a case study involving a small hospital in a rural community that was about to raise health care benefit costs for employees. They came up with a number of tactics, but when I asked: "What was your goal?," none of the groups were able to specifically articulate one.
So I asked: "Without a goal, how did you decide which tactics would 'work'?"
One student suggested that the goal was "implied." Hmmm.
The trouble is that if we select (or critique) tactics without a clear idea of the goal that we're driving toward the odds of us achieving any form of measurable results are pretty slim. And, in these days of tight budgets and increased scrutiny of support functions (like PR/communications) it pays to be strategic!
Basically - if you don't know what you want to achieve, how in the world can you decide what you need to do????
As Shel suggests: "A strategy begins with knowing the goal: How do you want to move the needle?"
The answer to that "how" question helps communication professionals answer the question of "what" strategically, so that their tactics are clearly aligned with strategies, objectives and - ultimately - goals.
While "just do it" may have worked for Nike, it doesn't do it when it comes to implementing effective communication campaigns. What does is thinking and acting strategically- and that process begins with a clearly defined and articulated goal.
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Twitter Contests - Doing Them Right
At this point, it is safe to say that most of us have at least heard of Twitter, even if we don't already have accounts set up (I do: follow me @LinGPophal).
Contests are becoming fairly popular on Twitter, with Twitter account holders using them both to build and engage followers. But, do these contests have any intrinsic value or, are they simply a waste of time?
Chris Lower is director of marketing, PR and social media for The Sterling Cross Group, a PR firm located in Maple Grove, Minn. Lower has created and run several online contests on Twitter as well as other social media platforms. Contests can be used, he says, for:
- Market research. "We've done giveaways for restaurant, retail or services clients to test out new products and seek feedback," says Lower. "A simple example was a restaurant that introduced a new flavor of chicken wings and wanted to know if it should be put on their menu."
- Launching new products. "We've conducted contests to have people vie for a chance to win the first of a company's new product or service."
- Driving advertising. "We've given away branded gear - coffee mugs, t-shirts, etc. - to get our clients' brands out into the public."
- Driving PR and online web traffic to company web sites. "Encouraging others to create content and link back to you creates viral word of mouth," he says.
- Driving traffic to events.
- Improving customer service. Contests for suggestions to improve service or products are a great way to help improve your customer service.
But, while contests can be a good way to build followers initially, you have to have a reason for those followers to stay signed up to follow you as well. In other words, contests are just a tactic for increasing engagement. To maintain engagement, you need to be thinking about ways to offer information and value to followers.
Sheryl Sisk is a marketing consultant who works with people to create and build online presence marketing through blogging and social networking. She publishes The Inspired Solo and suggests that social media users think about:
- What they want to accomplish
- Who they're trying to reach (your ideal client/customer)
- What problems those people need to solve
- How you can solve that problem better than anyone else
- What other resources (non-self-serving) - like books, magazines or websites they have nothing to do with) - can help them with those problems
Once you've begun to develop a list of followers, it's time to begin engaging in conversations. This is where contests can come into play. In the early adoption phase, it's okay to experiment - it's a wide open field at this point with plenty for all of us to continue learning.
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10 Key Elements of a Good Social Media Policy |
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- A definition of the company's overall philosophy on social media.
- A requirement that employees be open, honest, respectful and transparent in their use of social media.
- A reinforcement of the company's confidentiality and proprietary information policies applied to the social media environment.
- A definition of guidelines related to online identity - e.g. the differentiation of personal from business identity.
- A focus on job performance and productivity.
- The identification of potential conflicts of interest, the types of conflicts prohibited and who to talk to when in doubt.
- A disclaimer to be used when there may be the potential for confusion between business and personal identity - e.g. "the views expressed on this blog are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person."
- Whether and to what extent the company has the right to monitor social media usage and the identification of any associated disciplinary guidelines.
- Universal application - the policy should apply to everyone - not just a subset of employees, such as the marketing department.
- Reference to other company policies that apply (e.g. discrimination, harassment, ethics, code of conduct). Social media is not going away any time soon.
Whether you like it or not, your employees are already participating in social media. To ensure that this participation does not run afoul of policies or issues that can impact your company's reputation, take time to establish and communicate clear guidelines that convey your expectations.
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