Social Media + Strategy = Present a clean deal

Leveraging the social media is what all the companies dealing with online communication and advertising are looking for. At the moment they’re testing things using advertising campaigns on FaceBook, creating blogs, and initiating conversation over the different social media platforms. Only a few have tried to develop a real social media strategy to engage people and generate business. But as the community manager job is becoming a must-have, strategies to develop a communication using social media tools would rise. Here are some ideas to make it work.

Social media is like raising funds

The basics of social media strategies are the same as pitching venture capitalists. That’s what I’ve learn from Guy Kawasaki videos he posted in his last post “The art of raising venture capital“. When you listen to his explanation about how to raise fund, and the rules he’s providing, we can take some for social media strategies.

As you show reasons why you need funds, you can put it in context for social media, providing with information why people have to stick with you and share with your company as well as spreading the word. Venture capitalists are basically people willing to know whether they’re right spending money in a company while Internet users are willing to know whether companies engaging with social media efforts are worth spending time and creating a more personal and deep relationship.

Present a clean deal and show there are already many people by your side

Guy suggests 6 items for raising funds which are also relevant for social media strategies:

1. Create something that is worth funding >> Create something that is worth time spending and word spreading.
2. Take the dating analogy: 15 seconds to make your mind about its “hot or not” >> The same in the social media context.
3. Present a clean deal >> Explain simply why it’s more interesting than watching videos, reading blogs, or spending time on Facebook, as well as who is it made for.
4. PowerPoint is the standard: be short and go to the essential >> Show your value added, don’t explain more at first, if people want to know about you or why you did all your plan, they’d take time to find out the information.
5. Drill a lot of holes >> You have to test and have an iterative plan of action to discover what’s working and not.
6. Show you’re already followed by many people >> Show people are interested in your social efforts, don’t explain why you’re doing it.

What’s your opinion about these items?

Photo Credit: El Photo

To read more on that topic:

• Dell + Customer Care = How Social Media and Communities have connected business back
• Fast.Fwd.Innovation Weekly Takeaway
• Web 2.0 + Developers + Power users = Crowdsourcing as the next level challenge
• Community + Advocates = How to detect advocates and what to expect from them?
• Review of the Internet News of the Day