You can run, but you certainly cannot hide. Like air, social media is everywhere. The big question is, how does your CU “join the conversation” and do it right? According to Tom Woerner, former Managing Editor of BrandWeek, you should not engage in social media until you’ve created a simple, clear brand statement for your CU that everyone can believe in, and clear rules have been set as to how the brand is portrayed. Then, social marketing should be the responsibility of people within your organization. “Poll your employees and find out what platforms they’re using,” Woerner suggests. In today’s world work crosses into personal and vice-versa, so by engaging the power of your employees’ networks, Woerner reminds that “a message from a friend is much more powerful than a message from a brand.”
Uwe Hook, social media consultant, also stressed that social media is not a problem fixer. “You have to be careful to not just talk about yourself,” Hook warned. Both Hook and Woerner agreed that it’s important to develop and execute “content strategies” that include social themes (community related, cause marketing and personal) rather than simply using the media as a marketing vehicle for your products. And, instead of trying to be all things to all people, “Profile the people who you want to visit the site, then, decide on which five tactics will meet your organizational objectives,” suggested Hook. Once you’ve accomplished this, with an executable strategy and appropriate technology as support, you can properly enter and play in the social media space.
Dispelling several myths revolving social media, Hook stressed that, “social media is not free.” Rather, it requires resources and effort, and the person or people in charge of executing must understand the brand’s media strategies and tactics to be valuable to the audience. “It’s O.K. to look to experts to help you build a strategy,” Hook assured. And, once you’re in, “It’s a rapidly changing environment and you need to be committed to it.”
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