First, let me start with this…

Roadblock #1 – Asking “What?” instead of “Why?”

All too often I hear the question “What should we be doing with social media?” I think this is the absolute worst question you could ask at the outset. Rather, ask “Why should we be using social media?”. Asking the why instead of the what does two things:

1. It takes the organizational focus off of social media and puts it back on the overall objectives your organization has.
2. It takes the pressure off  of having to re-invent the wheel for social media. Achieve social media success by doing what you already do – except now you’re using social media as one of your many tools to do it!

Roadblock #2 – Sprinting to nowhere without a plan in place.

Plan, prepare, dream, brainstorm, whiteboard, set goals and then do it all over again. A lot of companies think they need to be using social media because “everyone else is doing it!” While there is some value here (i.e. if your competitors are effectively using social media to gain a pretty little slice of the market share) don’t let this be the driving factor. You need way better reasons to launch into this space than a simple “because they’re doing it.” I highly recommend doing the following at the outset:

1. Put together a strategic plan for how your organization will use social media to undergird your current marketing efforts.
2. Identify team members who will be responsible for managing the day-to-day social efforts.
3. Put tracking plans in place so you can measure if you’re actually reaching your goals.
4. Figure out your content marketing strategy FIRST before your first post, video or tweet.

Roadblock #3 – Being reactive instead of proactive. Don’t let them drive the ship.

It would be a major mistake to let your audience (fans, followers, visitors) dictate how you use social media. It is crucial to get on the front end of this thing. With your newly defined social media strategy, move forward confidently in the way you engage your fans. If you let them set the tone and your role is just to react to what’s happening then you’ll be playing defense forever and really have no social voice at all. In social media, if you want your fans to do something (like buy your products, click a link, watch a video, comment on a post) you have to tell them to… or ask nicely. Think of it as talking to a 3rd grader. You have to clearly define what you want from them (your goal) and give them all of the tools and resources to do what it is you want them to do. This way, you’re in charge!

Let’s chat more in the comments. If you have questions about how to implement this into your organization, shoot me an email!