Over the past 2 years I have been developing a second skill set in addition to vocational ministry, in the area of Social Media. One of my “remote mentors” has been Chris Brogan through his blog. I find his blog to be the most practical and helpful resource in the area of strategy and practice of social media strategies. If you are looking to learn this subject, his blog can provide you with a lot.
That said he has two things going on that I want to point you to today. First, this year he is doing the Social Media 100, where he dedicates 100 posts on the practical applications and teaching of Social Media. Second, he just started a post today where the community that is a part of his blog are going to build a social media strategy together. I am just excited to keep track and to see the posts, questions and comments that come from this larger collaborative project.
Here is a section of his initial post for this little event that I found especially helpful…
Questions Before the Strategy
Before we go too far down any one path, we should ask some questions:
- Are your customers likely to be online? Note that lots of people are online these days, but it might be that you have a product or service that isn’t as frequently purchased via the web. What’s your story?
- Are you ready to handle negativity? Platforms like blogs and videos allow for negative comments, and some company cultures aren’t ready to engage with those opinions.
- How will you incorporate this into people’s daily jobs?
- How will you measure results?
- How long are you willing to give it a try?
- What’s your willingness to experiment, take risks, and adjust your plans?
Just those answers might tell you a bit about your business, whether or not you decide to go forward with building a strategy using social media tools. Remember, it’s a lot easier to NOT listen to customers and just blast your messages out with no regard to how they’re received.
So, who are your remote mentors, and what have they taught you?
