So my #FridayFavorite will be the Facebook post, Tweet, Pin, blog or other article that I liked the best over the course of the week. I read a lot of social media blogs and Jay Baer‘s post entitled, “3 Rock Solid Questions To Guide 2013 Social Media Success” really caught my eye earlier this week because it really boils down social media to the essentials that any professional or business can use. I’ve excerpted it below with his permission (thanks, Jay!); you can read the full post here.
1. How Does Social Media Make Us Money, and How Can We Prove That?
“The goal isn’t to be good at social media; the goal is to be good at business because of social media.”
2013 is the year of social optimization. Growth is slowing, and it’s time to focus on making money, saving money or both. It is essential that you have a defined social media strategic plan that supports real business objectives like customer acquisition or customer loyalty.
2. Do We Have Adequate Resources To Succeed?
“Social media isn’t inexpensive, it’s just different expensive.”
I’ve written here before that you’re better off having a more narrow social media marketing program, and focusing on excelling in the venues in which you choose to participate. But I recognize that isn’t reality. Most companies see a social network gaining traction and they feel a gravitational pull that forces them to “be where our customers are” and participate. That can spread your attention very thin, dangerously so.
3. How Are We Segmenting Our Participation?
If you’re doing the same stuff in every social network, why bother? (tweet this)
The tractor beam effect and social network expansion has turned the former “Big 3″ of Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin into the “Big 6″ of Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram, Pinterest and Google +/Google Communities. Note that I don’t list Youtube in either column because, while necessary and relevant in most cases, I don’t really view it as a social network but as a content platform like Slideshare or WordPress.
How is your participation in Twitter different from your participation in Facebook? How does Instagram differ from Pinterest? If you don’t have clear segmentation for the audiences, content, objectives and metrics of each of your social presences, you need to figure it out immediately. Realize that Facebook isn’t a social network, it’s a social layer (according to my friend Tom Webster based on our research from The Social Habit). The truth is that almost every person that is on Twitter or Instagram or Pinterest or any other social network is ALSO on Facebook. Thus, if you’re playing the same cards on Facebook that you’re playing elsewhere, you’re just wasting time and money.
For each and every social network, you need to understand what audience you want to engage with; your content plan and editorial calendar; necessary resources; and how you’ll measure the success of that specific presence.
Your 3 Business Words for 2013
Many people perform a “3 words” exercise (invented by Chris Brogan) to help them frame personal and business goals for the coming year. I suggest that for social media marketing, you move beyond the sand, and consider these three Rock words to help guide your success:
- Strategy
- Resources
- Segment
To read Jay’s full blog post, please click here.
