“Are you on Periscope?”
“Never heard of Blab?”
“What is your strategy for Meerkat?”
“Do you advertise on Snapchat ?”
“How many followers on your WeChat?”
“Do you think Telegram is an effective way to reach Russian millennials?”
Originally published on Pluris Medias
Image brands with products or services to promote on social media are faced with a constant choice of new social platforms and features. Engaging decisions need to be taken fast for these new opportunities. Relying on a checklist proves to be useful.
-
Define what it will take to make your presence sustainable over time
Maybe this new social platform will be an opportunity to leverage existing assets and allow you to include it an existing editorial calendar. However it is not always the case… You then need to think of a process in which the assets can be created over time and evaluate the workload and budget needed to sustain your efforts and strategy. Bare in mind that once you have launched you will have an audience with expectations…it will be difficult to retrieve.
-
Rank the existing opportunities
Sometimes it might be wiser to develop existing networks with new developments (new features, various formats, …) than to invest in new platforms. Evaluate the full range of opportunities provided by the existing channels before adding a new presence. Benchmarking your competitors or best in class in other industries to obtain the social landscape in which you are playing may be insightful in your decision process.
-
Assess the audience
How many accounts are created, the share of engaged and repetitive active members? Is the audience part of my target market in terms of age group, geography, revenue… Are influencers using it actively and officially? Are those big names in affinity with my brand personality and message?
-
Analyse the platform, understand it
It is important to register and see what this new social platform has to offer. Does it have a clear positioning, is it mainstream or edgy? Does it bring an interesting competitive advantage to users and brands? (for example : real time, animation, aesthetics…). Is this a channel for brands and official presences?
Evaluate if the social platform is likely to succeed : is the buzz around it constantly higher? Look up the profile of the founders, is it their first venture? How is this platform economically viable, what is their business model?
-
Look at the User Generated Content and the relevancy
Your presence will probably not be accepted or useful if the topics and purpose of the platform are contradictory with your brand message. Assess if the members are naturally talking about your brand or your industry or your topic? Is this content positive and interesting? Evaluate the opportunities available for your brand to provide a content that will be useful to the tribe, more creative than User Generated Content, different from competitors, in line with the brand values and aesthetics…
-
Define specific objectives in line with your strategy
You need to evaluate how this potential social platform corresponds your company strategy. Give this social presence a role in your marketing plan : will it help build audience and awareness, will it position your offer or reveal your innovation or creativity? Be clear on which purpose you want to achieve (content strategy, curation posture, frequency, tools..)
-
Evaluate the added value
If the social network is easily integrated in your strategy and marketing plan, you must decide on how much value it will bring. Given the objectives and the efforts to launch and sustain, define targets and performance indicators. Make them known with stakeholders and set a date and threshold to track the achievement.
-
See how you can make noise about it
Opening a new platform and being discreet about it is pointless. The members of the social platform need to be made aware and invited to interact with your brand if relevant for them. Work on a clever operation and select a relevant special occasion to ignite your content and give a great first impression. Set aside a media budget and partner with influencers, involve the press… Don’t forget your teams, invite them to become active and engaged: they love your brand, let them show it.
If your evaluation outcomes is that a new social presence is needed to complete your brand social ecosystem, if it leads to a potential and fruitful customer experience, then go for it!
>>> If your brand is an early adopter, you can study and adapt over time, your best posture is to evolve with your tribe.
>>> If your brand is a late adopter, then you have no other choice than to get it right and be excellent. Isn’t that what you do on a daily basis in your business?
Originally published on Pluris Medias