Last month, we talked about how social media has made a permanent impact on how your brand communicates online and the potential risks and benefits.  

Just as there is exposure to having an online presence including on social media, I believe there is also exposure in not having a presence at all – you want to give your audiences access to your organization wherever they are.

The question we end up asking ourselves is where to start? The answer for me is always strategy.

Social media has often been couched in the idea that it’s a young person’s game. That is, for the intern or the freshly graduated, which has often resulted in a more ad hoc approach to where to be, what to post and how to engage.

Over the last decade, we’ve learned that social media is much more complex than just a way to pass the time. Especially for brands, it’s a study in communications, customer service, creativity, and PR.

Every brand wants to mitigate the negative and boost the positive but this can’t be done without understanding the direction you will take and how you will get there. Here’s how to start.

Components of a Sound Social Media Strategy

Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to revisit and revise your current approach, here is a useful framework to get you moving: OARS!

Objectives

Why is this important? What do you hope to achieve? How will you do that? Who are your key audiences? Are there metrics for success that can be your guide through this?

Any strategy must answer these questions up front. There must be consensus to the answers amongst everyone at your organization that has a stake in your social media presence.

Accountability

Ultimately, it shouldn’t be the intern or fresh graduate who is making significant decisions about your presence or content. Just as important as the next board meeting or fundraising campaign, social media (now critical to your marketing toolbox) requires senior level oversight.

I do not intend to devalue the insight a social media native has to offer, whether young or old! I do mean to emphasize that social media is a public-facing medium based on instantaneous response and reaction.

This is exactly why a physical document that includes all the components of your strategy and social media policy (Dos, Don’ts, How to handle criticism and fallout, etc.) is crucial.

Resources

You can have and do everything. As long as you have enough time and money! Budget and people planning will be a critical part of defining how important social media is to your larger marketing strategy. Figuring this out is about going back to your objectives – what are you looking to achieve? And how do those goals need to be sufficiently supported to become achievable?

Selection

Ubiquity is not mandatory. There must be some statistic on how many new social networks are launched every week – some might become trendy, most will never launch into the mainstream, and the very few will make it into your regular life. What this creates is a challenging situation that needs to be addressed from two angles. The first focuses on the present day: who is your current audience and where are they online? The second focuses (you may have guessed) on the future: how do you see this audience changing, either by your intent or organically? And does where spend your time online have a direct impact on that evolution?

Because these questions can be difficult to define, many organizations focus on some or all of the ‘Big Four’. Traditionally, the ‘Big Four’ has been made up of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. However, Instagram, Pinterest and Snapchat have gained significant popularity amongst specific demographics, so the ‘Big Four’ can vary based on your organizational focus.

Consider the questions about your audience outlined above and then think about the type of content you are able to produce and share, this will help guide you on where to be. Remember, if you are just starting out, focus on only one or two platforms, to avoid overextending your resources from day one.

To put it simply, social media is just another channel – it can play a small or large part of your marketing mix. It comes with its own quirks, nuances, and ever-changing best practices. As you embark on this strategic journey, remember that is doesn’t and shouldn’t exist in isolation of all your other marketing efforts. ‘Integration’ isn’t just a buzzword, it should be deeply set as part of your marketing approach and culture.

Simren Deogun is the Director, Digital Innovation and helps ST’s clients exceed their marketing and fundraising objectives through strategic thought leadership. 

Simren earned her Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto in Business and English, then began her career in the technology sector, starting her off on a journey to becoming an expert in digital fundraising. 

She has a proven track record of attracting new donors and supporters to her clients’ cause while making sure existing donors feel even closer to the organizations they’re supporting. From developing strategic campaign plans and leading website builds to launching online and email fundraising and marketing programs, Simren leads the agency’s digital and integrated efforts for all of ST’s clients including Kids Help Phone, Médecins Sans Frontières, Surf Life Saving Foundation, the Canadian Cancer Society, and more.