social media guide series. volume one.

The first guide I am featuring in my weekly series is An Executive Guide to Social Media put together by Idea Couture. They're a strategic innovation and experience design firm with offices in Toronto and Washington, D.C. This guide is geared towards businesses, but I think we can all learn from it...whether you have customers or just an "audience".

Let's start by examining why has social media exploded, this is in part because humans want or need to share, discuss, debate, inform...it is in our nature and social media taps into that. As the article mentions, the social part of social media will (or already has) become redundant as the social aspect begins to creep into all forms of media.

What the folks at Idea Couture have done really well in this white paper is outline a blueprint for social media success in 7 key steps:

1. Understand the environment - This is key. Are your customers even engaged in social media? If not, you could position yourself as resource or guide. What is the awareness level with regard to your brand?
2. Define your business objectives - What is it you really want to achieve? Are you just looking or do you want to be an active participant? Clearly defined objectives will be one of your biggest assets.
3. Assess your resources and capabilities - Do you have people on staff who know social media? Can they put together and execute an effective (and measurable) campaign? Is it even relevant to your line of business? When deciding who will execute, remember you don't want to just put anyone on it...they should be enthusiastic, engaged and understand your brand (it shouldn't be an intern).
4. Identify the risks - develop policies, know your industry regulations (i.e. healthcare)
5. Formulate a strategy - You will need a solid strategy. It has to be focused and makes sense for you or your business. 
6. Execute it like you mean it - Follow through, follow through, follow through. If you are going to go for it, really go for it. Make sure you have the time and resources. Learn from your mistakes and move on.
7. Measure and evaluate - Establish metrics and measure your initiatives against them. If you don't have a goal and way to measure against it, you can't appropriately evaluate success or failure. And remember, failure allows you to learn.

If you would like to read the entire guide, you can find it here.

I will leave you with a visual representation of conversation on the internet by Brian Solis, a prominent thought leader in new media. Enjoy.

(Please note that you can click on both images in this post to view them in a larger format.)