There is still a great deal of dissension regarding social media and its value for the business community—with some ready to give their right arm in its defense and others caring less if their tweets dwindle off or their corporate Facebook page sits stale. With little hard measurement or research proving its ROI (yet), but plenty of anecdotal examples of social media’s ability to elevate a company’s reputation, I’m in the camp of social media believers, however, it shouldn’t cannibalize other priority marketing/PR activities. In other words, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Here are a few ways to balance your investment in social media without overdoing (or underdoing) it.
–Don’t Get Sucked Into Compulsive Tweeting: It’s easy to get engrossed in Twitter updates all day and feel compelled to tweet once an hour or catch up on Facebook posts while multitasking during meetings. Resist the urge and give yourself a range on both the low and high end for the desired number of weekly updates/posts, so you can better plan for them and not go wild (or dormant) in lieu of other priority activities.
–Give Traditional Marketing/PR a Social Twist: Marketing and PR don’t have to be either all traditional or all social, so why not make them a hybrid for extended reach? For example, instead of doing a straight e-mail newsletter with stagnant content, insert some social media elements such as a link to a brief industry survey on your corporate Facebook account or pose a thought-provoking question on Twitter and report on the responses (if relevant) in a press release or webinar.
–Continue Your Core PR Program Momentum – There are table stakes to a successful PR program – consistent, strong and clear media messaging; ongoing communication with key audiences to relay company news and thought leadership content on relevant trends/issues; and spokespersons who are prepared to bring their company and content to life. Remember that these elements are the underpinning of the overall marketing/PR program and that social media flows from them, rather than the other way around.