1. MBA ELECTIVE CLASS [10 credits]
1. Name of Elective
Social Media: Strategy and Management
2. Rationale
The Social Media Revolution presents major opportunities (but also threats) to companies and
organisations of all sizes and across all sectors. While many have responded by setting up social
media channels (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin etc), few have developed an integrated and
coordinated social media strategy for building sustained growth and competitiveness.
It is now widely accepted that organisations will need to move from an ‘experimental’ stage to a
much deeper level of engagement with social media. Indeed, some observers are already arguing
that the concept of social media itself is becoming dated. What is required is for companies to
become ‘social businesses’.
Two of the main barriers to progress in this area are the lack of senior management awareness
and understanding of the business benefits to be derived from social media and the key steps
involved in social media strategy development, implementation and performance measurement.
3. Class
This elective class will cover the key issues involved in developing, implementing and
proactively managing an effective social media strategy for building sustained customer and
competitive advantage. A simplified Balanced Scorecard approach will be used to ensure that
social media actions and initiatives are fully aligned with and supportive of core business goals
and objectives. A key focus will be the use of agreed KPIs and targets to measure on-going
social media performance and business impact.
Given the very dynamic nature of social media, Class content will need to be fluid and flexible to
reflect the rapidly changing social media landscape. A Social Media Online Resource Centre will
be set up to ensure class content is updated on a regular basis.
Class content will cover the WHY, WHAT, HOW and WHO of social media strategy,
implementation and performance measurement as follows:

2. Topics 1 to 3 - Getting the Basics Right
The Social Media Revolution (applications, features and characteristics, business benefits); Social
Media in Action (examples); Key Things to Remember about Social Media; Evaluating Your
Social Media Landscape/ Establishing a Social Media Listening System as a key starting point in
the development of an effective social media strategy.
Topic 4: - Social Media Strategy Development
Overview of the Balanced Scorecard approach to social media strategy development. Agreeing
the social media vision and business objectives; KPIs and targets. Customer segmentation as a
key foundation for success; the key social media actions and initiatives to be implemented;
organisation, resource and people barriers; performance measurement and business impact.
Topics 5 to 8: - Strategy Implementation
Key issue involved in the successful implementation of an agreed social media strategy - active
listening; role of your web site in social media; building relationships with key influencers (‘1-to-
1-to-many’ marketing); participation in external ‘hubs’, forums, networks; development of
proprietary social media channels and action plans covering blogging, twitter, social and
professional networking, multimedia sharing channels etc – agreeing channel objectives, business
benefits, KPIs and targets; Key Success Factors (the 4Cs approach – customers, content,
conversation, conversion); channel actions (set-up tasks, content plan, channel management
tools); channel performance measurement; organisational aspects
Topic 9: Performance Measurement and Business Impact
Topic 10: From Social Media to becoming a Social Business
4. Class Aims
On completion of the Class, participants will have:
 Understood the social media landscape for their organisations; opportunities and threats
 Developed a clear social media vision and strategy
 Agreed the key business objectives, goals and targets to be achieved
 Identified the key social media actions and initiatives to be implemented and an ‘Action
Plan’ for getting there
 Fully aligned their social media strategy to support core business goals and objectives
 Agreed the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), metrics and analytics to be used in
measuring social media performance, business impact and ROI
 Ensured that all key success factors have been considered, especially the organisation,
people and resource aspects critical to successful social media implementation
 Become part of an online mutual support and e-learning community
 Understood the importance of becoming a ‘social business’
Dr Jim Hamill
jim.hamill@energise2-0.com @drjimhamill