Social Media Management: A Simple, but Effective Approach

We recently submitted a comprehensive strategy to a construction company. This was one of the most complex strategies we’ve ever developed as they had dozens of local competitors and a variety of targets to reach.

After spending about ten hours on research, we decided to take an approach that we believe will work for any business – regardless of industry.  The approach is simple: make audience engagement and integrated marketing central to the plan.

In a planning meeting with the company, we talked about breaking through the noise in an oversaturated environment. We suggested going outside of their comfort zone to experiment with some ideas that will help them stand out.  When we started researching their target markets – senior living communities included – we stumbled upon a video of a 90-year-old man jumping out of a plane.  The video was shared over 85 times and received thousands of views. This is the kind of concept that will generate buzz and trigger shares!

How It Works
For this company, we recommended a blog, a YouTube channel, and a LinkedIn profile of a company representative as the primary channels (followed by Facebook, Twitter, and the LinkedIn company page as the secondary channels). We also discussed how they can create an integrated marketing plan in order to leverage partnerships as well as a myriad of tactics to build their audience and expand their reach. That’s a lot of information, but let me show you how you can weave this formula together with a basic example.

For the sake of argument, let’s say the team met and decided that the CEO is going to jump out of a plane and land on a property they built. That’s definitely video material which will be ideal for featuring on the blog, as well. The blog should allow for the video to embed from YouTube into WordPress. Then we recommend posting it on the CEO’s LinkedIn personal profile utilizing the self-publishing tool, which also allows for a YouTube video link.

If they want to branch into the secondary channels, that’s simple, too.  Simply share the video link on Twitter and the LinkedIn company page. They can make the video an MP4 and load it directly to the Facebook fan page, which will allow it to play automatically in the newsfeed.  Bonus: They could also mention the Twitter handle and tag the Facebook fan page of the property where he landed! Double bonus: They could add a Twitter hashtag and boost the Facebook post for $5 and increase their reach! Triple bonus: Ask people to share the post if they’ve ever skydived!

Feeling saucy? Bonus: Add the blog or YouTube link to a few relevant LinkedIn groups of their target audience and even sky-diving groups. Double bonus: They can mention the LinkedIn page of the project where he landed, as content on the newsfeed. Triple bonus: Ask people to repost the video for a chance to win a free skydiving trip for two at the place where he jumped (and, you guessed it, mention that place in the post, as well).

Of course, this is a very simplified concept of how to tie all the pieces together, but it does illustrate how to engage an audience with a fun concept and work smart by re-purposing content across different channels.