Many folks ask how to go about creating social media for their company. As a service to the industry, find here an open source version of a draft social media content development process.
This process is general enough to guide development of specific initiatives. It does not recommend blogging or video, per say. Rather the process allows content creation to move towards the market’s needs, and within the company’s resources. There are 14 steps in all:
1) Clearly articulate who your stakeholders are before you begin.
2) Clearly articulate the key issues these stakeholders care about as it relates to your offering. Use a bulleted list with no more than three or four words per item.
3) Begin by researching which, if any, top bloggers are discussing these issues. Use your bulleted list to search. The following are good places to start…
- Technorati
- Del.icio.us
- Google Blogsearch
- Ask.com Blogsearch
4) Inevitably, any substantial subject matter area has a back channel where top bloggers and influencers chat. For example, PR and marketing bloggers and tend to connect on Facebook, Twitter, and to some extent, LinkedIn. This back channel can yield powerful connections to highly influential minds who may not have blogs with top statistical ranking.
Marketers looking to find their subject area’s back channel should start with a basic search. Once your initial search yields important blogs, please visit them and note which social networks the bloggers use to connect. Join their communities. And learn what your stakeholders really care about.
5) Don’t just observe, participate. Comment on blogs and social networks in a non-promotional way. Become part of the community.
6) Note several things in your research:
- Top industry issues
- Top bloggers/thought leaders that write about your issues (you will need these for marketing purposes after your content creation process is done)
- Preferred content forms (video, white papers, blogs, podcasts)
- Ideal places to connect with the larger industry (social networks, etc.)
- Other companies playing in the space: Who’s successful, who isn’t? Why?
- Behavioral norms.
Write this information down in a formal analysis.
7) Using the analysis of your social media marketplace, identify the outcomes the organization would like to achieve. These outcomes will determine the measurement benchmarks once the company decides on its preferred communication tools. Possibilities include:
- Influence
- Awareness/changed perception on a particular issue
- Third party credibility through Word of mouth
- Brand awareness
- Return on investment (sales)
8 ) Identify the company’s value for the marketplace. Specifically, the organization’s subject matter expertise as it relates to the top industry issues currently being discussed amongst bloggers and thought leaders.
- Can the company provide enough information to add to the conversation?
- If so, is it enough to consistently be a part of the conversation, or is it limited in nature? Will it only be valuable for a short time?
- Can the organization afford to give away this information or does the information comprise trade secrets?
9) Based on the company/organization’s value offering and the marketplace’s issues and needs, draft an editorial mission to serve the community/stakeholders. For example, here is the Now Is Gone blog editorial mission:
Continue serving as a primer for those business executives new to social media or considering engaging with these new communications tools. The conversation should be educational, pragmatic and weigh the pros and cons of social media to provide an authentic, genuine viewpoint of social media marketing. We believe in social media’s potential to better communications, but do not think it will replace traditional tactics. Instead we believe social media will be integrated into the larger marketing mix and may influence change in other disciplines.
10) Now examine the company’s resources:
- Time
- Thought leaders
- Technical capability and savoir faire: Blog, audio, video, social networking
- Financial resources for some of the above, plus graphic design, SEO, web hosting, application development
11) Select the outreach mechanism(s) that best fits the industry’s preferred content needs (#6), can achieve outcomes (#7) the ability to convey the company’s ability to deliver value through it’s editorial mission (#8 and 9), and that the company can afford to invest in (#10).
There are Many, Many mechanisms. Each has its assets and detriments. And blogging is not a cure all silver bullet solution. Consider these more popular initiatives:
- Launch a blog
- Execute a blogger relations program
- Podcast
- Create video(s)
- Develop social network community
- Create social network application
- Build your own social network
- Build a widget
12) Determine who will create the content. Group efforts can help distribute load as well as protect the company from an individual departure. Assign a schedule and make the person responsible. Participation in larger networks should be part of your content development plan and resource allocations.
13) Select general content categories to provide guidance on a weekly basis (if the effort is ongoing). Remain flexible to allow for larger industry and community events.
14) Determine measurement based on outcomes, social media communication vehicle(s), and dedicated effort the company intends to commit to the effort. Select tools to attain measurement. Tools and measurement can vary greatly. Research what is right for you and your effort. Some are free, some are not.
February 19th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
This is fantastic advice, Geoff. Many thanks!
February 20th, 2008 at 6:31 am
Geoff, great stuff, keep it coming
February 20th, 2008 at 7:58 am
After measurement…come back full circle and do something with the feedback and analysis drafted.
February 20th, 2008 at 8:08 am
[...] Many folks ask how to go about creating social media for their company or organization. As a service to the industry, on Now Is Gone find an open source version of a draft social media content development process. [...]
February 20th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Great post! Too many companies try to be heavy-handed in their approach to Social Media and aren’t willing to give back to the community. They have to remember that they are also part of the community and have to nurture the relationship or they will do more harm than good.
February 20th, 2008 at 9:52 am
An elegant, comprehensive road map to social media success that even slow-to-innovate companies can digest with ease. This is golden advice in a nutshell. Clients should flock to your team for insightful help in implementing the program you map out in this post. Thanks.
February 20th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Excellent. Amazing how many just go straight to the bullet-list in step 11. Should seem like commonsense but sometimes the basic questions either don’t get asked or the answers are vague. I’m sure this road map will be appreciated by many.
February 20th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Great post! I’m glad that you wrote about this, as we are working on some tools that will help facilitate this process in the future.
February 20th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Geoff,
Great post! As commented earlier, people do often jump to step 11. Also, another problem I’ve noticed is that people too quickly jump in without even fully understanding the technology involved.
The number one thing thing that I’m glad you pointed it out is for people to identify what they want to clearly accomplish…setting the mission, or really the message.
To often the message is an after though. To often people feel the need to just have a presence instead of a purpose.
Nicely done.
February 20th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Very helpful information especially for companies that are taking the first steps toward social networking and using social media as a part of their marketing communication programs.
February 20th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Keith and Michael: No doubt. Understanding stakeholders is so critical to success. Amazing how many people right now just want to have a nice shiny blog. Just to have one.
Lauren: Great 15th step. Circle back and evaluate.
Everyone else, thank you for letting me know this was helpful It means something, and I appreciate it.
February 20th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
[...] Now Is Gone » Social Media Content Creation Process Social media content creation can seem like such a nebulous process, but Geoff Livingstone has put it into a fairly straightforward formula here. Excellent advice, customisable to whatever field you’re in. I like how he’s started with the audience, or net (tags: socialmedia socialnetworking blogging content) [...]
February 21st, 2008 at 11:52 am
Geoff, excellent granular advice for agencies working with clients new to social media. As we’ve talked about, all the basics of PR still apply- id your stakeholders and learn about them and what interests them before you start communicating. It’s ready, aim, fire- not the other way around…
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:31 am
Geoff
Finished your book — very insightful and filled with possibility across many disciplines. Have you ever considered how this might play out in a religious context? I know that there is a lot out there on the religious table but much of it seems to fit the old-way of salesmanship. My experience is that religious communities usually find themselves forced into the catch up mode.
Should I apply this new social media science as a pastor I would want to follow a spiritual guidance model of enlightenment — e.g. the process looks like this: awakening to the truth before you; being opened to begin to ask the questions about what you are experience; beginning to understand what the sacred texts have to say about the questions you are asking; and discerning courses of action to take by way of purpose in the community’s life …
It seems this process fits into your scheme of Now Is Gone … does it not? I am hoping you will be willing to comment on this from your experience and offer some insights that might fit the particularity of a religious model where the goal is to create a religious community and not to market a product.
February 22nd, 2008 at 2:44 pm
I cannot say exactly, but it does seem like a match! They key is that tangent. If spiritual guideance models offer that tangent, it’s a match it’ll work. Hopefully, the framework is flexible enough to allow for this kind of exploration.
February 26th, 2008 at 7:03 am
[...] http://nowisgone.com/2008/02/19/social-media-content-creation-process/ [...]
February 26th, 2008 at 9:16 am
[...] Now Is Gone » Social Media Content Creation Process [...]
February 26th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
[...] Now Is Gone » Social Media Content Creation Process 14 steps to creating social media content. If you want a more concise approach - I have captured it in four steps. (tags: howto socialmedia) [...]
February 28th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
[...] week, Geoff issued a Social Media Content Process outlining 14 steps to execute social media strategy. Steps six through eight determine relevance [...]
March 4th, 2008 at 11:20 am
[...] Stovetop’s 14 step Social Media Content Creation Process [...]
March 18th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Finally! An article about social media that says something other than “…and then you create good content. And people come to your site in droves!”
March 18th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
[...] Now Is Gone » Social Media Content Creation Process [...]
March 21st, 2008 at 10:57 am
[...] Social Media Content Creation Process [Geoff Livingston / Now Is Gone] [...]
April 14th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Excellent info. Great direction on how to get started!
April 15th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
[...] couple of months ago, I published 14 step open source social media content generation process on Now Is Gone. This entire process revolves around focusing on core stakeholders and their needs [...]
April 19th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Geoff, great stuff - as usual. There is so much material to digest, but I am finding just about everything on your sites and in your book.
May 12th, 2008 at 10:14 am
[...] Social Media Content Creation Process by Geoff Livingston [...]