What you need to know BEFORE creating a Social Media Strategy

Business Strategy, Social Media, Uncategorized3 Comments

We are preparing to meet with a potential new client who happens to be in the franchise business.  They are evaluating overhauling their brand to address some PR challenges they have faced the past year. Before we can help them, we need to learn more about them. In order to brainstorm social media strategy options, we need to establish a baseline of performance, process, and expectations.

We put together the following agenda list for our first meeting together. If you are thinking about creating a social media strategy, you may want to consider answering these questions first. Please keep in mind this list was created for a company who is recruiting franchises so if this is not applicable to you then please replace “franchise” with “customer.”  Also, the list was created for a specific client in mind, depending on certain factors the questions may be altered. If you’re not sure what to do once you have your answers, then please give us a call, we would love to help you!

1.  Messaging

b. What is the brand identity they want created?
c. When people hear your company, what do they want those people to think?
d. Is their primary purpose to recruit new franchises, engage with existing franchises or make the general public aware of the company services?
2. Resource availability
a. What resources are used today for marketing and customer/franchise service?
b. Do they have a resource available to write blog posts, update facebook (I saw that there last update was in November), comment on forums?
c. Do their resources fully understand the online landscape? Are they aware of how to identify, engage and manage top influencers?
d. Do they have the tools and metrics available to monitor and measure progress?
3. Customer engagement
a. How do they address customer/franchise service today? Do they have an 800 number? Email?
b. Are they prepared to appropriately engage with negative sentiment?
c. Do they have a process to respond digitally to requests/comments?
d. What is their expectation regarding timely responses?
4. Marketing
a. What marketing are they doing today?
b. Are they participating in online marketing such as Pay Per Click, Banner Ads, Facebook ads, etc?
c. What marketing support do they provide to Franchises?
d. Do they offer promotions/discounts/contests? If so, how often?
e. Do they sponsor anything?
5. Franchise Recruitment/Support
a. Do they include online marketing as part of the marketing support to Franchises?
b. Do they offer a specific site/resource portal/discussion board for Franchises?
c. How are they targeting/recruiting Franchises?

d. How often do they pro-actively check-in with Franchises? Messaging:

1. Messaging

  • What is the message you are trying to convey?
  • What is the brand identity you want created? What are your brand attributes?
  • When people hear (your company name), what do you want those people to think?
  • Is your primary purpose to recruit new franchises, engage with existing franchises or make the general public aware of the company services?

2.  Resource availability

  • What resources are used today for marketing and customer/franchise service?
  • Do you have a resource(s) available to write blog posts, update facebook (I saw that there last update was in November), comment on forums?
  • Do you resources fully understand the online landscape? Are they aware of how to identify, engage and manage top influencers?
  • Do you have the tools and metrics available to monitor and measure progress?

3. Customer engagement

  • How do you address customer/franchise service today? Do you have an 800 number? Email?
  • Are you prepared to appropriately engage with negative sentiment?
  • Do you have a process to respond digitally to requests/comments?
  • What is your expectation regarding timely responses?

4. Marketing

  • What marketing are you doing today?
  • What is your marketing mix?
  • Are you participating in online marketing such as Pay Per Click, Banner Ads, Facebook ads, etc?
  • What marketing support do you provide to Franchises?
  • Do you offer promotions/discounts/contests? If so, how often?
  • Do you sponsor anything?

5. Franchise/Recruitment Support

  • Do you include online marketing as part of the marketing support to Franchises?
  • Do you offer a specific site/resource portal/discussion board for Franchises?
  • How are you targeting/recruiting Franchises?
  • How often do you pro-actively check-in with Franchises?

We hope this helps give you a jump start to considering how you can adopt social media in to your business model. As always feel free to give us a call if you want to learn more.

Cheers,
Lisa

3 Responses to “What you need to know BEFORE creating a Social Media Strategy”

  1. Tweets that mention What you need to know BEFORE creating a Social Media Strategy | LightThread -- Topsy.com says:

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mark Van Baale, Lisa Qualls and topsy_top20k, topsy_top20k_en. topsy_top20k_en said: Curious on what you need to know before you create a social media strategy? http://is.gd/5QdYl […]

  2. Mat says:

    Lisa,

    Great beginning list. I assume that you’ll dig deeper based on the clients responses to these questions. I personally would want to know more about their current branding and customer engagement models and metrics. What needle are they trying to move and the timeline to achieve their stated results? BTW is this client Applebees?

    Mat

  3. Lisa Qualls says:

    Hi Mat, thanks for the comment/question. You are correct in your assumption…this is just where we start…the answers provided (or not in some cases) lead us to additional questions/discussion. Yes, understanding their branding, customer engagement models and metrics are extremely important before creating the strategy. We use this list as a tool to help prepare the client for our discussion..a little bit of homework if you will, so that we have the most productive conversation possible.

    I like your curiosity 🙂 …I can say the client is NOT Applebee’s. Thanks again for the comment! – Lisa