Consulting: Operation Red State

: Image by luc legay via Flickr

I decided I’m going to start blogging about some of the more interesting projects I’m working on. I was hired by Doug Mitchell of CreateWoWMedia.com to help with their social media strategy & overall web content development for Operation Red State. While this is far from the realm of small business research I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. Politics aside, the overall idea of technology education for the political arena is an untapped resource. Yes, there are more than enough sites out there showing you how to log into Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc, but none of them provide an interactive methodology or strategic plan for utilizing these tools beyond just the campaign.

Operation Red State is an all-in-one package that teaches more than just your typical how to register crap. Social media is taking the Internet over and I think anyone that consistently uses social networking sites would agree it’s revolutionizing the Internet and completely changing how we communicate. This is going to be vital for the future of any company large and small. Here are a few things I’ve learned about social media while working on this project.

Develop a Strategy:

You cannot be successful using social media without a strategic plan. You can’t expect to use these tools and success will come your way. Identify your objective. Why are you using Reddit? Stumbleupon? Tumblr? What is your ultimate goal? How is this objective fall within the scope of your business? What are the desired outcomes and where do you plan on taking it from there? These questions must be answered before you start actively using these networks. Without an objective, SMART goals, and vision for your strategy it just won’t work.

Don’t Just Market your Products/Services:

Social media is just that, SOCIAL. You don’t tweet on twitter just trying to sell stuff to people. If you want to sell something go to EBay or Amazon. Understand the purpose of each networking site. Twitter is a micro-blogging site where you can have mini-conversations with others. It’s not for long-conversations so don’t use it like a chat room. MySpace is used to build an online presence for your organization’s “culture.” It’s a way to show people what you’re all about. Some people also say that MySpace is the “bar” of social media, so maybe it’s not a tool you want to use because their user-base won’t be interested. Understanding the purpose of each site will make you a better organization and develop your online presence in an incredible way.

Don’t Be Scared:

The Internet is not a scary place and social media is not a scary tool. Too many organizations are still holding back because they are afraid of any adverse consequences that could potentially arise. I look at these tools as organized chaos. You have no control over what other people do but you have complete control over what you do. Wells Fargo (presumably them) registered on Twitter two years ago to save the handle @wellsfargo. Since then they have had about four updates. They just keep saying they are waiting until they’ve figured it out to start actively using it. Are you kidding me? @wellsfargo isn’t smart enough to learn how to use Twitter in 2 years. No wonder our banking industry is in so much trouble. They can’t even learn how to micro-blog in a 24 month period. Seriously though, as long as you have a strategic plan as mentioned above you will have nothing to worry about.

Data Mine:

If there is one thing large corporations are good at, it’s data mining. When you have people connected to you through social networking sites you will be able to compile vast amounts of data to help you identify any potential threats or opportunities looming in the distant future. You can learn more about your target market. You may learn there is a brick and mortar location that isn’t performing well because they have terrible customer service. The potential is nearly limitless.

These are just a few things to remember when entering the realm of social media. It’s important to realize there is a lot more than this and you can easily learn from other’s mistakes. All you have to do is read.

If you’re facing any issues with your social media strategy feel free to email me any questions!