Social Media Strategy = Achieving Business Objectives

Social Media Strategy = Achieving Business Objectives Using Social Media Tools.

Too often we as Social Media professionals get excited and into the tools we use to do our jobs. We go gaga over the new upload capability for Instagram videos; we freak out over the new changes to EdgeRank on Facebook or we rant about proper Twitter etiquette. All of those things are important. However they are all simply tools in our arsenal to proactively attack the Brand Experience Gap and to drive to achieving business objectives.

Social Media is a Tool.

Social Media Strategy is the Reason we use those tools.

Frequently when we talk about Social Media we focus on the tools, the technology and the technique. Crucial things all, however the reason we use tools it to more efficiently achieve the desired result. Tools provide leverage.

According to Wikipedia

 Strategy is a high level plan to achieve one or more goals under conditions of uncertainty.

The knowledge of constructing, obtaining and using TOOLS is technology.

Technology is not strategy. Tools are tactics. 

Strategy is mostly the WHY. Tools are primarily the How, Where, When and What. Of course there is a great amount of strategy involved in WHY you choose where and when to use which tools and technology.

In an awesome recent article the always spot-on Brian Solis did some research that shows how far the strategy disconnect is:

– Only 34% of businesses feel that their social strategy is connected to business outcomes.

– Just 28% of companies we studied feel that they have a holistic approach to social media, where lines of business and business functions work together under a common vision.

Do YOU have a three year Social Media Strategy Plan?

Are you acting on it weekly and updating it as needed?

is it working?

Comment here and let’s see where we are at.