When writing a social media strategy, the main focus is often on Twitter, Facebook and a blog. For the widest reach, it’s a good idea to focus a large amount of your time and resources there.
But those are not the only platforms that you should plan for. There are may other second-tier, niche social platforms that are worth considering when devising a social media strategy, whether for your agency or for a client. I recently wrote about one, called Take Me Fishing, meant for outdoors and fishing enthusiasts.
Here are a few more that are worth considering:
For some companies, the rise of social media has brought with it some hard truths, namely that their brand or company risks being left behind because it doesn’t lend itself well to traditional commercial uses of social media.
There is a hint of truth to that — not every brand has social built into their DNA. But with a little help, most unsocial brands can be made at least a little social by using targeted strategies.
The key is not to take a defeatist attitude. Just because it isn’t obvious, does not mean it’s impossible. Check out what your competitors are doing in social media, if they are using it, and determine how to make something work.
This afternoon eMarketer published a fascinating article based on research in ExactTarget’s “Subscribers, Fans and Followers” report.
The report highlights what many already know: That customers are listening to brands on multiple platforms. Knowing that, it’s important to present a united front in your brand’s communication and marketing strategies.
Most Internet users studied in April 2010 engaged with brands only via marketing emails, but nearly a third subscribed to emails in addition to being fans of brands on Facebook. The vast majority of social media fans or followers were also email subscribers.
Very interesting findings, no doubt. What this means, ultimately, is that there is less room for fragmentation in messaging. Your customers are getting your e-mail marketing messages, but they’re also a fan on Facebook.
This is a primary barrier for many businesses that are considering becoming more active in social media: We use social media, but our customers don’t — so what’s the point?
My advice to businesses confronted with this dilemma: See it as an opportunity, not a barrier.
Your current customers may not be using social media so much that it makes sense to spend money to market to them — but your potential customers certainly are.
Social media engagement offers your company an opportunity to do a minor re-brand. You don’t need to change your identity, or your logo.
Until recently the business attitude toward social media was to build a branded outpost on Facebook or Twitter, populate it with content and direct customers to it. While this has worked well for a few years, patterns are emerging that suggest social media is maturing and becoming more vertical.
This trend towards vertical online communities presents businesses with a choice: Leverage Facebook and Twitter to develop your online community and online customer experience, or develop your own bespoke online community.
For many companies it will come down to a matter of budget: Twitter and Facebook are free, or nearly free (depending on whether you pay for added options) whereas developing an online community costs money to plan, build and maintain. Sites such as socialengine and Ning both offer the ability to develop branded online communities, for a price.
