Do you have a social media strategy or is your plan a laundry list of bad ideas?

Do you have a social media strategy or is your plan a laundry list of bad ideas?

Yes, I asked you that question, someone ought to. In today’s social media arena things are evolving at such break neck speeds that only the best can survive the tide. If you witnessed hurricane Katrina on TV, or was actually in it, then you saw what kind of force a mass of water can wield. When a flood is on its way there is no time to play about, you have to find a way to get out of danger and quickly too. In social media, many people are getting caught in disaster like situations and they have no plans or strategies, to use to help them navigate the social media floods.

There is a difference between a well thought out plan, and a laundry list of ideas that were scribbled down on a napkin at the coffee shop during your lunch break when it comes to social media. A good social media marketing plan, covers all aspects of social media, a bad social media marketing plan on the other hand is similar to a laundry list of ideas scribbled on a napkin during the lunch. It simply does not work when you need it to.

What are some laundry list characteristics of a social media marketing plan compared to a well defined social media marketing plan?

1) Dependence on cheap social media software without doing your due diligence simply because you have seen that particular advertisement on numerous occasions, as you were surfing the web on facebook. Be careful, just because you hear great things about some auto posting software, does not mean that that software works well or that it is good for you or your client’s social media campaign.

2) If you are still using the same outdated social media marketing strategies to market your business that is a clue that you do not know what you are doing. Here is a dead give away, if you a reading a social media marketing plan and they are talking about how to take advantage of MySpace, or telling you that all you need to succeed with your social media campaign is face book and twitter, burn that book.

3) If you’re social media marketing plan cannot accommodate the sales needs of your client, that plan is nothing but a laundry list and not a solid social media marketing plan. Social media marketing is all about customer engagement with a view to achieve brand loyalty eventually. You social media marketing plan should take care of both the needs of the companies sales department as well as the needs of the marketing people.

4) If your social media marketing plan does not identify who the customers advertising demographic is, and is solely dependent on guesswork, that should make you see red flags all over the place. Why, a social media marketing plan that does not have a defined purpose is the same as the blind leading the blind. When you do not know where you are going, all roads will get you there “eventually”. Do not waste your time and money marketing to non buyers. Use data analysis to identify your best prospects and employ tactics you can measure, such as direct marketing.

5) A social media strategy that emphasizes the need to over sharing the information is not a good strategy. You do not need to have people mad at your brand or business so as to generate some negative feedback for your brand. This would qualify as an item that would need to be deleted from that alleged social media marketing plan.

6) A good social media marketing plan accounts for the need to hire qualified professional social media managers to manage your company’s social media accounts. A laundry list however will convince you that your company does not need to hire a social media manager because you can do everything by yourself.

7) Lack of results can be seen when there is no initiative being shown by the social media marketing planner. A social media marketing laundry list, simply tells you to post things on twitter and facebook and wait to get to the promised land. A solid social media marketing plan will encourage you to get out of the office and go to trade shows, film yourself at the trade show and use your social media marketing platforms to distribute your media to numerous people at the same time. Remember that the social media world is a dynamic one, so one needs to stay updated with the latest industry trends.

8) If you ever read something in your social media marketing plan that tells you that there is no such thing, as negative publicity in social media, you need to burn that book immediately. In social media marketing, what you do not know will hurt you. Meaning you or your company should not engage in aggressive overkill promotions, bombarding your customers and prospects. This is a guaranteed way to irritate your audience and get your emails blocked. Respect the people who have' opted to hear from you by sending  them messages that are relevant to their needs, that is what true customer engagement in social media is all about.

9) A good social media marketing plan will advise you to make sure that you are monitoring your customer’s comments on your social media platforms. Where as a social media marketing laundry list, will not tell you why it is important for your company or brand to pay attention to what is being said about you, respond directly and immediately and move conversations offline whenever there's a complaint.

Graham Odenyo is the Social Media Strategist and Project Manager of a successful Digital Marketing Social Media Mobile App Marketing Agency located in North Carolina. We work with companies to help them create and manage their own customized Global Social Mobile footprint plans for their businesses. We are a full services Social Mobile Marketing firm, offering fully customizable Global Social Mobile Footprint plans, from the conception of Mobile Apps to email marketing, to blogging, search engine optimization and YouTube video optimization keyword domination. For more information please go to 
>> http://goo.gl/QWtKRy

Social Biz Connect - Kenya's hidden Social Networking Gem

Social Biz Connect - Kenya's Hidden Social Networking Gem

As a social media consultant and expert, I am always intrigued with the discoveries of new social networks. Among the many hundreds of social networks I have come across was one that was very unassuming but yet very dynamic. This social network, has not had the notoriety of the huge social networks yet, but that will change soon. What I like about it most, is the fact that it is the first fully functioning monetized social media platform originating from Africa, Kenya in particular.

Excuse my Bias, as I am a Kenyan American ( proudly so ), having gotten that disclaimer out of the way, I am honestly convinced that Social Biz Connect deserves a worthy mention, based on its merits as social network, compared to other social networks based in Africa. One would think that I am trying to bash other social networks, but that is further from the truth. I write this article because I am convinced that this new social network from Kenya, has a lot of potential to become a premier business platform that could potentially open up Kenyan commerce to the rest of the world.

There is a worldwide need for the understanding of social media and its applications both for commercial reasons as well as personal reasons. Indeed social media and social networking is not just a luxury it is an extremely vital survival tool in this digital age. Businesses are now discovering that social media strategy is a part of business and that ignorance in social media is deadly mistake, that can make or break a business. But why is the existence of Social Biz Connect , which after all is a social network based in Kenya such a big deal?

Considering the fact that the cost of Internet access in Kenya is extremely expensive, and that the average Kenyan citizens does not have the luxury of having access to the Internet easily, the vision of the creator of this social network has to be commended, seeing the rate of growth that this social network is currently experiencing.

Social Biz connect is not just an awesome social network, it's also an awesome social network that is providing it's members a means to make an income. Why should that matter? As we all know, unemployment is an issue worldwide, but when you happen to be in Africa, being a young person who is unemployed, can make for a very difficult life. The ability to provide an income generating vehicle for the millions of Kenyan youth and essentially anyone else in the world, is not only ingenious on the part of the creators of this social network, but it also helps in reducing the need to engage in illegal activities as a means to earn an income.

To the western mind, sure the social network looks like a facebook clone, but to the millions of people who are now able to support their families in Africa as a result of this social network, its an answered prayer. But I digressed. How does this social network compare with other social networks in Africa?

Here are a few African social networks, and my reasons why I recommend Social Biz Connect over them

Kenyan List
http://www.kenyanlist.net/
Awesome social network to meet other Africans, but there is no monetization feature, meaning you do not get paid for being a member there.


Afro Terminal
http://www.afroterminal.com
Awesome social network to meet other Africans, but there is no monetization feature, meaning you do not get paid for being a member there.

Africans Connect
http://www.africansconnect.com
Awesome social network to meet other Africans, but there is no monetization feature, meaning you do not get paid for being a member there.

Sodere
http://www.sodere.com
Awesome social network to meet other Africans, but there is no monetization feature, meaning you do not get paid for being a member there.

African Zone
http://www.africanzone.com/
Awesome social network to meet other africans, but there is no monetization feature, meaning you do not get paid for being a member there.

Naija Pals
http://www.naijapals.com/ 
Awesome social network to meet other africans, but there is no monetization feature, meaning you do not get paid for being a member there.

Streemount
http://streemout.com/ 
Awesome social network to meet other africans, but there is no monetization feature, meaning you do not get paid for being a member there.

So you get the point, there are many social networks in Africa, these are just a few. My reason for sharing these social networks and using them as an example, is simply to show that none of these social networks, is monetized. Meaning that the only people who benefit from these social networks are the owners. And why should that matter? If you are going to spend considerable amounts of time online on social networks, why not get paid for it? Monetizing social networks, is not only an awesome idea for the members of that social network, it also attracts more advertisers. And you might want to argue that Facebook does not pay you for your time spent on its network, and that is a legitimate gripe. My question to you would be, if Facebook is not paying you, why are you still being faithful to them? Why not spend your time on a social network that is paying you? Truthfully, whether or not you go to facebook, it will not hurt them, they will not miss you, they have already made their money off you already. So it's time to wake up and start getting paid for the time you spend online on social media. Go to the website and sign up for your free account , take a look at all the features, products and services offered.
>> http://www.socialbizconnect.com

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Graham Odenyo is the Social Media Strategist and Project Manager of a successful Digital Marketing Social Media Mobile App Marketing Agency located in North Carolina. We work with companies to help them create and manage their own customized Global Social Mobile footprint plans for their businesses. We are a full services Social Mobile Marketing firm, offering fully customizable Global Social Mobile Footprint plans, from the conception of Mobile Apps to email marketing, to blogging, search engine optimization and YouTube video optimization keyword domination. For more information please go to 
>> http://goo.gl/QWtKRy