Mediaboss Marketing

Dr. Anderson Uvie-Emegbo | credits: File copy

Once I was sitting with a group of experienced digital and social marketing specialists. As expected, the discussion turned to the state of their digital marketing initiatives. The common thread among these digital drivers was that it was becoming harder to sustain the level of interest their fans on social media had with their brands.

More worrying was that their digital and social marketing spending has been increasing over the past two years. It was time for a reality check. It was possibly time for a digital and social media refresh.

Keeping an organisations digital profile consistently on the fast lane can be an epic battle that sometimes defies the smartest of teams.

Like my friends, here are some ways to tell if your social media strategy needs a refresh:

Your fan base has stagnated

This is right. A brand I know was adding about 1,500 unique members weekly across its social community about a year ago. In the last few months, it has struggled to gain 30 new fans weekly. Where did all the growth go?

How much of the brands growth was organic? (Not much). How much of it was induced and sustained by paid digital marketing activities?(Most). What was the plan for growing its fan base through earned and owned media? (Cant say and if there was, its execution was suboptimal)

Even more important is the quality of its new fans. In the initial stage of growing a social community, the temptation is usually there to grow the numbers rapidly. Quality is sacrificed for quantity. I have always maintained that it is better to have a fewer and more passionate fans than to have many but disconnected fans. Quantity can become a distraction and it can give an undiscerning brand or its managers a false sense of achievement. If the growth of your social community has stagnated, do not despair. This may be the beginning of better things for you and your organisation. It may be a call to start afresh and achieve a better outcome this time.

It is only when digital and social goals align with overall corporate goals that social marketing becomes a business asset. For this to happen, every organisations social efforts should focus on attracting and retaining peculiar persons that fit into the profile of its target audience. Every other person is surplus to this requirement. Do not keep the excess baggage you are carrying. It is time to travel light. Let us stay focused.

Link:
Signs your organisations social strategy needs a refresh