Social Sharing and Corporate Strategy

It always seems that topics of interest and industry-related questions come in waves, and lately I've been spending quite a bit of time talking with clients about their social strategy, or lack thereof if they are just getting started. In these discussions, we usually cover the basic questions:

• What are other (similar) customers doing in the space?
• How do i get started with Facebook and Twitter?
• Where should I spend most of my time if we're just getting started as a company?
• What types of privacy issues do I need to worry about?
• and the list goes on....

 In that same light, I also have had many conversation with clients that are extremely advanced in their strategies and are doing things that, frankly, we should be doing ourselves. Those are equally important conversations and a big part of what makes a strategy successful is being able to articulate the vision and execute upon it.  Or, if the vision appears to be flawed, pivoting and making necessary changes (as with product development) is important as well.

For instance, in the health-care space and other regulated industries, you face HIPAA, privacy restraints, restrictions on questions that can be asked, etc. However, this does not mean that you cannot have a presence in the social space and address questions as they arise. It's almost guaranteed that, even if you're a small business, people are talking about you somewhere. So, being a part of that conversation is important.  Have a content strategy (blog) and social outlets available for your customers is a big step and often a difficult one if you're new to the space.

As such, doing basic research and laying out an initial plan are some first steps:

• Think about your audience and what they might be interested in
• If you're considering a user generated content campaign, make sure you understand privacy restrictions and abide by rules that exist
• If you're just getting started with Facebook and Twitter, check out industry guides from thought leaders in the space to get a feel for what can be done (e.g. The Now Revolution from Jay Baer or information available at the Content Marketing Institute )
• See what others are doing in the space

Overall, social strategies can be extremely complicated but taking the first step is an important part of building your content marketing strategy and should be a part of your corporate strategy for the long-term.