Joe,

This is a good strategy to follow:

1. Why do you want to enter this arena (social media)? Three possible reasons can be: a) build awareness b) increase sales c) brand advocacy. Focus on one such aspect. At this point, you need to keep in mind that without awareness you will not attain sales and brand advocates are loyal existing repeat buyers.

2. Where do you stand with your potential audience today? a) Nowhere b) aware c) one-time customers d) repeat customers e) advocates or fans. Focus on two adjacent criteria to begin with. Build your strategy around these two - how will you move from A to B or B to C?

3. How will your target audience use social media on the Internet, what are their media interests? This will depend on their age group, interests, and other social behavior patterns. Young people love contests, freebies, and giveaways. Plan how you can work these interests into your reward programs.

4. What is your USP (unique selling proposition)? This does not mean product features. This means ‘the one thing that makes your company unique’. Define it and coin a word that speaks volumes, and draws attention. This may be your first step towards creating your brand. Once you settle this, get a trademark or copyright your brand identity. The author of this article once used the USP shown below for one of his sites (http://www.expertstv.com): “Turn your web site into an online TV.” The idea was to differentiate his business from other web design firms by focusing on the use of video online. What is your firm’s USP?

5. How will you nurture your social media participation real-time? Social media networking is all about developing people relationships with the goal of garnering brand advocates ultimately to increase revenue. Your persona plays a vital role here. Give them a human face to interact with.

6. What will be your tracking tool(s)? Keeping track of all online conversations about you or your brand is vital. Invest into one of the several tracking tools available online. Tracking web traffic, conversions, and repeat buyers are all part of this. Set up your key metrics to measure your success also. The author of this article uses two sets of tracking tools for his brand at http://www.web2marketingsystems.com. Most these tools are available free of charge.