Sunday, May 15, 2011

Strategy is Key in Social Media

A recent article, “Why it’s worth developing a social media strategy, evaluating it along the way” highlights some key lessons that might come in handy for promoting events on social media. The author of the article, Martha Bebinger, used social media to recruit stories to help build a new segment for her radio show but she quickly realized how more time and a better plan could have improved her chances for more stories.

Day one: Martha began promoting the opportunity for viewers to post their stories on Facebook or Twitter on her radio show. Day two: Martha asked five friends who had the highest re-tweet records to re-tweet her invitation. Day three: Martha pitched her invitation to related blogs with eye-catching pictures attached. She calls this tactic “eye candy.” Day four: Martha used those who had already sent in stories as a stepping stone to potentially reach others interested in sharing their story by asking those who have already committed to re-tweet and repost the submission link. Day five, the day to share the stories on the air: Martha realized she did not have any stories that warranted airtime. This unsuccessful social media campaign allows for lessons to be learned when asking people to participate.

Although the tactics Martha executed, such as asking those who had high re-tweet records and those who were already committed to re-tweet or repost the submission link, were beneficial, she simply did not give the project enough time to flourish or catch on. Additionally, she only utilized the readily available medium of radio at the initial launch and did not continue to remind listeners of the opportunity to post their stories. Also, Martha did not mention anything about thanking people for their submissions. Perhaps if she connected with people by personally thanking them for their submission and/or commenting on their story, more people would have been inclined to tell their stories.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Samantha Wanner.

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