Social media has been maddeningly short on evidence. While there are plenty of social media true believers, there aren't yet a lot of truths. And, because social media is contextual -- the right tools and the right use of them depend very much on the user, intended audience, and desired outcomes -- it can be difficult to figure out which social media tactics best align with an organization's marketing strategies and measurably advance its operational objectives.
So, how can you figure out which tools are right for your needs? How can you separate truth from belief? By using a scientific approach to social media.
How it works
All scientific inquiry starts with questions: Why? How? What? Scientists answer those questions by applying the scientific method, a series of steps designed to produce evidence that reveals whether a proposed answer to a particular question -- a hypothesis -- is, in fact, true. We can use the same approach to provide customized, repeatable, and documentable answers to our questions about social media, and to produce the measurement we need to support our efforts.
So grab your lab book (you'll need it!), and let's get started.
Step 0: Define the question
Defining the question provides a framework on which to build the rest of the approach. The question can be broad ("How can we best use social media in our business?") or granular ("Is podcasting an effective way for us to generate prospects?), but it likely already exists in your head ("What is all of this stuff about, anyway?").
- Task: Answer the question, "What am I trying to figure out about social media?"
Step 1: Observe
To answer that overarching question, you need to understand the environment to which your question applies. That happens through listening to if and what your current and potential customers and competitors are saying, and watching where and how they interact with various social media tools.
- Task: Run searches on various social media sites (Twitter, Technorati, Google Blog Search, SocialMention.com, etc.) for keywords relevant to your organization and its offerings -- including your competitors.
- Task: Establish accounts on the major social networks where your customers and competitors are. Consider establishing accounts that are not associated with your organization (yet) so you can feel what it's like to use those sites as your customers do.
- Task: Document what you learn.
Next page >>
