Daily Archives: March 23, 2015

Brutal Mistake.

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If you are paying an agency to do social media marketing for you, you are making a brutal mistake. You are losing an opportunity to learn from your customers. And you are giving that opportunity to a partner who is as loyal as its last retainer check.

Never outsource an opportunity to learn from customers.

If doing social media yourself, that’s a good start, but you need a plan. Having a plan helps with listening. It helps with customer care. Content development. Analysis. And engaging.

I created (but have not yet fielded) a piece of research indented to find out how many social media programs are guided by brand strategy. My guess is not a large percentage. All the dashboards in the world, all the HubSpot portal tools and tutorials, all the competitive alerts are no substitute for a plan tied to brand values. Brand values that prioritize business-winning values.

Engagement is not a business-winning brand value. Clicks are not a business-winning brand value. Coupons redeemed aren’t either.

Social media programs are extensions of brand strategy. Plain and simple. If there isn’t a brand strategy, there isn’t a good social program. If there is a brand strategy and it’s not in harmony with you social media program you are sailing at the whim of the wind, with no destination in mind. You are making a brutal mistake. Peace.