It seems that everybody is jumping on the social media bandwagon. It’s hot, it’s sexy and it reaches a lot of people. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
But before you jump into any sort of social media campaign, take a step back and assess your plan. Don’t have one? Then maybe you need to take two steps back.
Social media takes a lot of time. And I’m talking about a LOT of time. Even those who do social media successfully will readily admit that it requires a significant amount of time, energy and effort. And that’s coming from those who are organized and have already figured out all the shortcuts.
For those of you who are just starting out in social media, the time, energy and effort is magnified exponentially. Social media has a very low bar for entry (open Facebook, submit post) but effective social media campaigns require more than a minimal amount of work.
[inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=””]Jumping into social media without a strategy is like watching a repeat of Sharknado.[/inlinetweet] Sure, it might be fun at first, but sooner or later you realize that watching paint dry is a far more effective use of your time.
Someone once told me that if you aim at nothing you’ll hit it every time. Those words are very apt for social media. So before you jump in and lose a small bit of your soul every day, put together a social media plan that outlines who you want to reach, what metrics you will measure and how to determine if social media is helping you achieve your goals.
Or go back to watching Sharkando. At least that’s good for a laugh.