5 inspirational quotes for social media strategy from non-marketers
If you’ve been in marketing a while you’ll be familiar with quotes from “thought leaders” such as Brian Solis, Seth Godin and the like.
They carry punchy, smart marketing and business advice to help each of us be a little better at what we do.
I like to cast my net a little wider though and seek inspiration beyond marketing.
The following quotes are not from marketers but they help shape what I believe to be an effective social media strategy.
Know where you are and where you’re going
Broad terms like “brand awareness” clutter the real objectives that social media marketers have to deliver on every day.
Make sure you know exactly what it is you are trying to achieve and what you need to do get there.
Importantly, establish what signposts to look out for on the way that let you know you’re on the right track.
Record everything!
This serves as a constant reminder that everything we marketers do (especially in social media) needs to be logged, recorded and held close.
The results from our own activity are hands down the best tools we have to understand whether or not we are heading towards our goals.
Just as we’d arm our video game heroes with the tools they need for their quests, we must also arm ourselves with what we need to get where we’re going and in marketing that means data.
Know why you’re doing what you do.
Recording your data is only half the battle. Observe it, measure it and try and understand what it means. Ask a colleague if you have to.
Your results and experiences should be the formation of your strategy and it’s essential that you believe in what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.
Social media is under more pressure than ever to justify budget and building your strategy on data and logic is about as solid a foundation as you could hope for.
Tell a good story and the work will almost do itself.
I loathe the term storytelling as it sounds like something you need to hire an expensive agency for. Instead I like to remember that all a message needs is an element of humanity.
Beguile, intrigue, shock or inform. Do whatever you can to light a fire in your audience and they’ll build that boat without you having to force them.
Be transparent though. Don’t sell a story you’re not telling. Trust takes a long time to be won and only a second to throw away.
Don’t expect to succeed immediately
Failure is normal. Dust yourself off and keep going. Look for what does work and don’t make the same mistakes again.
Look to those who have succeeded and see what you can learn, but remember you can’t replicate someone else’s success, only build you own.
If this article has been useful, or if you disagree with something I’ve said, I’d love to hear from you on Twitter.
