I am a definite advocate for strategizing and planning your social media marketing before jumping head-first into these forums with your business at risk. For the most part, social media can be harmless, but it also puts your business and brand image online for a full exposure.
Janet Jennewein provided me with a great resource for helping clients define and determine an online strategy when she informed me about New Media and the Air Force at a recent GIMA event.
Here is my favorite list of guidelines:
1. Don’t Give Classified Info.
2. Stay In Your Lane (of expertise).
3. Don’t Lie.
4. Give Your Opinion!
5. Always Identify Yourself.
6. Safety.
7. Beware of the Image You Present.
8. Use Common Sense!
9. Don’t Be Afraid To Take Calculated Risks.
10. The Enemy Is Engaged.
These are great general guidelines to follow when developing your social media strategy. However, I also suggest that you determine which social media tools best meet your objectives and test a few sample postings with friends, vendors and clients before maximizing your Web site with SEO or sending links out to the twitterverse.
Please share any tips and tools you have for developing a new media strategy.
