Every social media marketing tool, whether it’s a blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Foursquare, or other social networking site, is simply a communication tool. These tools, when wielded skillfully, can create communications “magic.” Yet without direction, focus, and an underlying strategy, they are at best distractions from the business at hand and, at worst, an addictive time suck. Here are five strategic questions to enhance your social media strategy.

1. Building a Solid Social
Media Strategy ͻ Caroline Devereaux,
AIABaltimore
ͻ Katie Hitt, Assoc. AIA,
AIA Dallas
ͻ Sybil Walker Barnes,
AIA National

2. Why create a
social media strategy?

3. Without clear direction, social media
can pull you in many different
directions.

4. Clear goals and objectives can help your
chapter avoid
• Wasted time
• Wasted effort
• Social media fatigue
• Missed opportunities

5. How do we decide
what channels to use, or
what people to engage, and
what conversations to join?

6. social media strategy

7. Like all conversations, the key to
effective social
media use begins
and ends with
listening.

8. From . . .
To . . .
Back to . . .

9. Listen to yourself

10. What channels do you currently use?

11. What tone do these channels convey?
Who is your intended target audience?
Do these channels reach your targeted
audience?

12. More important,
Where do these channels fall short?
Are there people you should be
targeting but aren’t?

13. Who are you trying
to reach?
Social Technographics Ladder,TM
Forrester Research Group, 2009

14. Asking questions
• Reminds you who you are and
who you want to be
• Shows how social media can
complement your overall mission

15. Listen to others

16. Start listening to
•Mentions of your chapter name
•Popular architectural sites
•Blog comments
•Other AIA chapters
•Affiliate groups

17. Free Listening Tools Paid Listening Tools
Google Alerts Radian6
Pipes ScoutLabs (Lithium)
Social Mention Sprout Social
Twilert uberVU
Hootsuite Hootsuite

18. You’ll discover
•Better understanding of your
chapter’s online presence
•Online communities to join
•Targeted members to engage
•Values you should promote
•Attitudes you should change

19. Question 1:
What do you want to achieve?

20. Do you want to
•Build better relationships?
•Raise awareness?
•Increase website traffic?
•Increase membership?

21. Not
•“Because every AIA chapter is”
•“We need a Facebook page”
•“It’s cheap”

22. Can you distill your social media
down to
one sentence?

23. “Putting people before products.”

24. “Humanize the Ford brand and
put consumers in touch with Ford
employees.”

25. “Instill trust in the brand and highlight
that the people behind the brand are
parents too.”

26. “To make people happy.”

27. “Enhancing its service to members
and heightening its visibility and
impact in the region.”

28. “Connecting member and industry
voices to inform, engage, and
influence.”

29. “Engage with our members and
create real relationships in
a virtual world.”

30. That’s your message.
Have all your social media reflect it.

31. Question 2:
What will success look like?

32. What can be measured?
Blog posts Links
Reader comments Inbound traffic
Twitter mentions Clickthroughs
Twitter followers Video views
Retweets App downloads
Facebook friends Search results
Facebook likes RSS subscriptions

34. Who’s Talking About It?

35. User Demographics

37. Question 3:
Who will be responsible for
reaching your goals?

38. Social media will never be a real part
of your organization until it’s
included in job descriptions and
expectations.

39. But . . .

40. Ooops happen . . .

41. Question 4:
What’s in it for your members?

42. Provide your members with
•Insight
•Sneak peeks
•Discounts
•Support
•A good laugh

43. Question 5:
Where do you go from here?

45. Key Principles
•Be transparent
•Be conversational
•Build trust
•Don’t ignore negativity

47. Questions for the presenters?
Caroline Devereaux
cdevereaux@aiabalt.com | 410.625.2585
Katie Hitt, Assoc. AIA
khitt@aiadallas.org | 214.880.1506
Sybil Walker Barnes
sbarnes@aia.org | 202.626.7331