There is a lot written about social media that might cause sudden nap syndrome. It really is a job hazard for someone who creates social media content. We all want to stay informed, but the material can be so boring and often so obvious that there really is nothing to hold our interest.

With that in mind, below I offer to you three points about social media strategy that you absolutely must know and can NEVER forget. If you remember these, the other “to do points” that you will forget about anyway will naturally take care of themselves.
 
NOTE: A social media strategy is a list of things that you can do to carry out a social media campaign or maintain a social media presence. There are many opinions about what specific actions work best. This is not a list of “to do steps,” because those steps will vary according to your organization and your needs. These three points are things that apply to everyone regarding use of social media as a marketing tool.
  1. Identify your audience. You would be surprised to know how many times this changes for those who do not give it careful consideration at the start. Also, your audience needs to be reevaluated from time to time, and is not a “one and done” type of task.
  2. Define and stay on message. Your message should matter to your audience. If your audience is not interested in your message, then your message is not well thought out or you lost sight of who your audience is in the first place.
  3. Know your goals. Why are you using social media and what do you want to get in return for your efforts? For example, do you want to increase sales or grow an email list? Your messages should be working towards meeting your goals.
Using social media as a marketing tool can be very effective, but it can also be time-consuming. If you don’t have the time to maintain your social media presence in a consistent manner, then it is best to leave it to the professionals who can. Knowing that your time is money, you should also know that there is no shame in outsourcing such an important responsibility.