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00 Points to consider before formulating a social media marketing strategy The sites mentioned above are very useful and can change the path of your organization towards tremendous success. However, if done without proper planning these same sites and strategies can backfire as well. The most important thing for you to do before you begin charting out an SMM strategy, is that you first need to fully understand the status quo of your organization’s online presence. Here are a few things to consider before you formulate a social media marketing strategy:
AZIMUTYACHTCLUB • ISSUE OCTOBER 2011
Analyze your online presence:
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ll Use metrics to find out more about your online presence. You need to ask questions like: What is the total count of visitors on my site? Where do they come from? How many of them are directed by search engines? ll Find out how often your website gets linked by other sites. ll Check how often you post fresh content.
ll Find out if you have an active presence in target markets. ll Rate yourself vis-à-vis your competitors in the online environment. Find out what your competitors are doing better than you, and also what you are doing better. ll Check your status on social networking sites. Do you have a presence already that needs to be optimized? Or, do you need to start from scratch? Analyze your position Define and analyze your target audience:
ll Check where your target audience generally interact more. ll Check what keywords they are using. ll Find out what they need, and where their interests lie. Identify and analyze what you want from your SMM strategy: ll Check the enthusiasm and commitment of your top management and marketing department for having a dedicated SMM strategy. In case the commitment seems inadequate, discuss and educate till you get a dedicated and informed agreement.