#MyBestAdvice for #GettingResults? #Focus.

PSOJ Social Media Business Conference
‘Not just marketing’ How to get actual business results

#MyBestAdvice for #GettingResults? #Focus.

Social media is, as they say, ‘huge’.  There are almost too many variables and parameters to consider.  So don’t.  Don’t spread yourself so thin that your massive efforts yield minimal results.  Instead, #Focus.

Social media is a powerful, cost effective marketing tool.  A well developed and executed social media plan can secure remarkable results.  The first annual PSOJ Social Media Business Conference has laid out comprehensive case on the potential benefits of this still evolving promotional option.  Participants will leave the Conference feeling empowered; ready to harness the power of ‘social’ to build brands and promote sales.

The best results come from a detailed plan, but you can hit the ground running if you stay focused on a trio of key factors: the message, the platform and the team.

Message
It seems obvious, yet lots of brands don’t focus on the message.  Building a brand identify and leveraging that identity for reward is a comprehensive task.  Advertising, corporate communications,  branding, POS and yes, even social media MUST reflect the same core message.

Staying on message across various media formats requires both commitment and flexibility.  In the case of commitment, a disjointed message can confuse and deter target audiences.  Similarly for flexibility, the message must suit the medium; it must fit in the space.

Finding the balance between seemingly opposing requirements is an art.


Platform
Resources are always finite, so limit them to where they will be most impactful.

The Conference has offered up a plethora for social media platforms where targets lurk.  The standard bearer Facebook and its baby, Instagram both have a significant portion of the limited attention of potential customers and consumers.  Google+ has integrated their social media efforts into their flagship products.  Twitter remains popular and SnapChat continues to gain ground.  Then, let's not forget online services like YouTube and communications tools like WhatsApp that, technically, are not social media.  But technicalities have little bearing on popularity.

Yet, there are many more platforms; some growing, some dying.

Unless your an international conglomerate, don't try to rule them all.  Talk to customers, clients and colleagues; figure out which three are most prominent in your target network and then deploy your resources to those three.

Making a point beside fellow PSOJ Social Media Business Conference Panelist,  Stacy Hines.

Team
The pre-Conference survey revealed that, "45% of respondents say that digital is their primary marketing channel; yet 53% of respondents said that it was less than 10% of their marketing budget." This is a shocking revelation.

You wouldn’t trust the execution of a multimillion dollar marketing campaign to interns, neither should you trust your multimillion dollar brand value to the inexperienced.  Even new media requires some tried and true principles to be successful.

The social media strategist is an essential member of an organization.  The social media department is a critical success competent.  Hire the best to get the best results.