Basics, conception and implementation of a social media strategy

Term Paper , 2016 , 25 Pages , Grade: 1,5

Communications - Media Economics, Media Management

The aim of this work is to explain the conception of a social media strategy. In this work, it will be shown which different approaches a company can use and which advantages and disadvantages result from them. This work is intended to be a reflection of the current possibilities for designing a social media strategy that is in line with the overall corporate strategy.

Social media plays an essential role for online marketing today. More and more people are taking advantage of the growing range of services on the Internet, replacing traditional media. Because banner ads are now largely ignored by users, more and more companies are taking new approaches to marketing. In doing so, they are getting in touch with consumers exactly where they are. Users and companies meet at eye level in social communities, which means that companies have to find a new approach specifically for social media marketing.

Hardly any company can ignore social networks any longer. Many companies are now integrating them into their marketing and communications plans. But how can they be strategically integrated into an overall corporate concept? What goals can be achieved and how? What do successful social media strategies look like? How do they position themselves in the area of conflict between the desire for control on the one hand and the expectations of transparency and openness of the addressees and also of their own employees on the other? What do you have to pay attention to when creating a strategy?

Table of contents

1. Introduction
1.1. Relevance of the work
1.2. Objective
1.3. Procedure

2. Basics
2.1. Social Media
2.2. Social Networks
2.3. Opportunities and risks of social media

3. Conception of a social media strategy
3.1. Company Analysis
3.2. Define target group
3.3. Deriving social media goals
3.4. Identify social media channels
3.5. Main topics
3.6. Topics Planning
3.7. Evaluation and control

4. Conclusion

List of figures

List of references

1. Introduction

1.1. Relevance of the work

Social media plays an essential role in online marketing today. More and more people are taking advantage of the growing offer on the Internet and thus replacing the classic media. Because banner advertising is now largely ignored by users, more and more companies are breaking new ground in marketing. In doing so, they come into contact with consumers exactly where they are. Users and companies meet on an equal footing in social communities, which means that companies have to find a new approach specifically for social media marketing.¹

Hardly any company can still close itself off from social networks. Many companies are now integrating them into their marketing and communication plans. But how can they be strategically classified in an overall concept for companies? Which goals can be achieved and how? What do successful social media strategies look like? How do they position themselves in the field of tension between the desire for control on the one side and the expectations of transparency and openness of the addressees and also of their own employees on the other? What do you have to pay attention to when creating a strategy?²

1.2. Objective

The aim of the work is to explain and describe the conception of a social media25strategie. This work shows which different solutions a company can use, and which advantages and disadvantages result from this.

This work is intended to be a reflection of the current possibilities to design a social media strategy that is in line with the entire corporate strategy.

1.3. Procedure

In this work, the terms of social media and social networks are first explained in more detail and delineated from each other. This definition is important because social media is often used as a synonym for social networks.

Since this paper deals specifically with the conception of a strategy, it is then explained what exactly a social media strategy is and what role it plays in corporate communication.

In the third chapter, the different approaches to the conception of a social media strategy are explained and compared with each other. A model is then presented and analyzed and explained step by step.

In conclusion, the most important findings of this work are summarized.

2. Basics

2.1. Social Media

The BVDW (Bundesverband Digitale Wirtschaft) defines social media as follows: "Social media is a variety of digital media and technologies that allow users to share and shape media content individually or in community."³ Users put their content online and this so-called "user-generated content" can be further developed together with others. An essential component is also the exchange of users with each other in this process.⁴

Insa Sjurts defines social media as follows: "Social media is a collective term for internet-based media offers that are based on social interaction and the technical possibilities of the so-called Web 2.0. The focus is on communication and the exchange of user-generated content."⁵

Lon Safko sums up the term social media briefly and succinctly: "Social media is the media we use to be social."⁶ He divides the term social media into its two components.

Social refers to the basic need of every person to connect with like-minded people and to exchange experiences, thoughts and ideas with each other and the need to feel part of a group in which one feels comfortable.

In this context, media is the tool for being able to make connections with other people, although this is not limited to the Internet, but includes all media. Media is therefore more to be understood as a technology that makes it possible to connect with other people in the first place and includes mobile phones, television, drums and the written word.⁷

In summary, social media can be understood as a new tool that makes it more efficient to enter into a relationship with the customer. Social media is therefore many times more efficient than the previously used marketing and communication channels.⁸

2.2. Social Networks

Social networks are loose, easily accessible Internet communities (online communities).⁹ A social network is therefore a group of people who interact with each other on a platform through newsletters, blogs, comments, instant messages, photos, and more. The goal of a social network is to create trust within the group. In each social network, there are different levels of user interaction and participation, which can range from simply commenting on a post to participating in an online video game.¹⁰

Social networks are therefore mainly online communities such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram. The low technical and economic barriers mean that niche networks can also develop for almost any interest.¹¹

The profile pages are of central importance for all social networks. These profile pages contain personal contact information as well as information about education, work, hobbies, relationship status and other interests. By their very nature, profile pages are actually primarily intended for users, whereas companies tend to use so-called fan pages or groups for their presentation. Depending on the service, there are different ways to individualize the profile pages. Starting with uploading photos and videos to a personal background or own music. Communication between users of the network can be done through both public and private messages.¹²

2.3. Opportunities and risks of social media

Social media can be seen as an opportunity overall, especially through the aspect of many-to-many communication (a horizontal exchange of many users), whereby there is no patented recipe for success for engagement on social platforms. Every company should decide for itself which are the right channels for spreading the message and which means help to establish the image on the market.

In the social web, there is always the risk of a loss of control, as the reactions and actions of the users cannot be directed or predicted in a goal-oriented manner. Once a message has been circulated, it can hardly be withdrawn from the Internet.¹³

Successful social media marketing requires that communication and openness are promoted. However, this results in vulnerability. It therefore makes sense to plan an appropriate and good crisis communication. Because this is where the great opportunity of social media lies: A direct interaction with the customers is possible.

Criticism always offers opportunities. Thus, praise has a driving effect and advice can be derived from negative but constructive criticism. In the event of a crisis, concern should be shown and any form of rudeness should be avoided. In no case should errors be covered up. A sincere apology shows the human side of a company and seems sympathetic. If a problem needs to be solved, it should be solved publicly.¹⁴

Classic advertising is often perceived as spam in social media. The real advertising is dialogue and active presence. On the social web, companies "talk to individual people and no longer to defined, anonymous target groups that are addressed via multipliers".¹⁵

In general, the dialogue with customers can be promoted better with social media than with other instruments. The possibility of a customer service is given. This offers additional advantages, as the contributions remain, so that they can be quickly found by customers and read again and again.

The success of social media is mainly due to the fact that consumers trust the recommendation of their user community more than the advertised, whereby the strength of trust depends on the respective platform. Entries in blogs and forums enjoy full trust, while posts on Facebook enjoy less. In order to be trustworthy, an open dialogue, a high quality of the content provided, and a fast response time are essential.¹⁶

With social media, you can quickly reach a broad audience at low cost and gain great attention. But there is also the risk of a loss of control if the opinions on the Internet turn out differently than desired. Negative voices can damage the image of a brand. At the same time, however, complaints also offer opportunities to take up the criticism and develop improvements. The following table shows the most important opportunities and risks at a glance.¹⁷

Abbildung in dieser Leseprobe nicht enthalten

Fig.1 Opportunities and risks of social media¹⁸

The companies that have dealt with the matter before the start of a social media presence and note that uninteresting, flat advertising is rejected by the user community can fully exploit the opportunities for successful marketing on the social web on the various platforms.

3. Conception of a social media strategy

Which social media strategy is the right one? There is no silver bullet, no strategy that suits everyone. Every product and service is different. Every company is different. Like any other marketing strategy, a social media strategy requires diligence, effort and perseverance. And always creativity and a feeling for your own target group.¹⁹

There are many approaches for designing a social media strategy: the POST model, the 7C approach, the ZEMM-MIT method or the trail model, and many others. All these systems are more or less suitable, but all have weaknesses somewhere: either they are too complex, too theoretical, or they lack the integration of important elements.

The following are three models:

Abbildung in dieser Leseprobe nicht enthalten

Fig.2 Implementation of social media at the strategic level. Source: Prof. Dr. Heike Simmet²⁰

Abbildung in dieser Leseprobe nicht enthalten

Fig.3 Building a social media strategy. Source: Advanced Human Technologies Group²¹

Abbildung in dieser Leseprobe nicht enthalten

Fig.4 Conception of a social media strategy. Source: social-media-agentur.net

A social media strategy is the most important thing in social media management. Social media marketing, which is carried out without a strategy, is like a company without annual planning and marketing goals. Which model is chosen depends on the size of the company, the industry and the target group. A social media strategy is of great use if you formulate it thoroughly and regularly use it to compare implemented content with pre-defined goals. It ensures sustainability, diligence and efficiency because it saves working time and has clarified agreements in advance. The strategy should also evolve over time. Bold changes should be made if something does not bring (more) results.²²

In this work, the model of Social-Media-Agentur.net is used.

3.1. Company Analysis

Before those responsible start to design a social media strategy, it should be clarified whether and to what extent a social media strategy fits the corporate culture and management at all.

It should be examined whether the company really wants to communicate honestly and actively with the community, free up resources (manpower, time, knowledge, equipment) and in general whether the step towards strategic brand management should be taken. Only then can the strategy be implemented as part of a holistic marketing concept – step by step.

3.2. Define target group

At least as essential as the question of the company's goals is the question of the target group – not least in order to communicate the right content and to find the right approach. If you want to address a b2b target group, the “formal” form in the salutation is usually recommended, while a b2c target group is often addressed in an "informal/familiar" manner (to be on first-name terms) on the social web. The former target group also prefers content that imparts knowledge, while the latter target group can occasionally be presented with entertaining content about the brand. To draw the customer profile, it is advisable to compare some demographic information, interests and profession.²³

You can either address an existing target group that already belongs to "standardized" customers, for example, or open up new target groups to expand the customer base.²⁴

It is very important to find out who is behind these target groups. Age, gender, place of residence and income are the first rough characteristics. The division into sinus milieus is usually a great help in at least understanding what moves people and how they can be moved.²⁵

Abbildung in dieser Leseprobe nicht enthalten

Fig.5 Sinus-Milleus 2015. Source: Sinus Sociovision GmbH

The Sinus milieus incorporate fundamental value orientations as well as everyday attitudes (towards work, family, leisure and consumption). The boundaries between the milieus are fluid, they are characterized by similarities with each other and by transitions.²⁶

It is also important to find out where the users are traveling that the company wants to appeal to. For this purpose, one could draw on empirical values, research on the Internet, view studies or draw on internal company statistics. The more precisely you know the target group, the better you can reach them and also produce corresponding content.

[...]

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¹ http://www.socialmediapro.de/social-media-marketing/grundlagen/bedeutung-fur-das-marketing/

² cf. Hilker (2012: 18)

³ http://www.bvdw.org

⁴ Böker/Thannheiser/Werner (2012: 9)

⁵ Weinberg (2010: 11)

⁶ Safko ( 2010: 13 )

⁷ Safko (2010: 4)

⁸ Safko (2010: 5)

⁹ http://www.omkt.de/social-network/

¹⁰ Safko (2010: 23-24)

¹¹ Powell/Groves/Dimos (2011: 19-20)

¹² cf. Zarrella (2010: 57)

¹³ cf. Neumann (2011: 28)

¹⁴ cf. Neumann (2011: 35)

¹⁵ Neumann (2011: 31)

¹⁶ cf. Heymann-Reder (2011: 40)

¹⁷ cf. Hilker (2012: 32)

¹⁸ Hilker (2012: 35)

¹⁹ Weinberg (2014: 15)

²⁰ hsimmet.com/2012/09/05/social-media-im-mittelstand-implementierung-auf-strategischer-und-auf-operativer-ebene/

²¹ http://ahtgroup.com

²² https://www.some.io/de/blog/ihre-social-media-strategie-in-sechs-stufen/

²³ http://t3n.de/news/social-media-strategie-muster-504445/

²⁴ http://www.seokratie.de/social-media-strategie/

²⁵ http://www.seokratie.de/social-media-strategie/

²⁶ www.handelswissen.de/data/themen/Kundenbindung/Konsumentenmarktforschung/Allgemeiner_Ueberblick/sinus_modell

• College: Fresenius University of Applied Sciences Köln
• Course: Media & Communication Management
• Grade: 1,5
• Author: Stefan Tackmann (Author)
• Publication Year: 2016
• Pages: 25
• Catalog Number: V1168388
• ISBN (PDF): 9783346574312
• Language: English
• Tags: social media, marketing