Unleash your creativity to stand out among the crowd - Phi Chi Theta

SOCIAL | MEDIAA Roadmap to Social Media SuccessAs a member, I thinkthat chapters sometimescan find it hardto establish an identityand try to use socialmedia to solve this problem usingvarious social media channels. Ihave no doubt that members aren’tmasters of the social media universe,but creating a social mediastrategy or plan needs to be specificto your chapter’s needs, resourcesand campus visibility. A social mediastrategy is unique. It has specificneeds. You may use the same toolsand tactics that everyone uses, butyour strategy requires particularresources and needs that are differentfrom everyone else’s. Followingthese seven steps will guidetowards creating a successful socialmedia strategy that can complimentyour brand and/or message:Evaluate your resources.Determine how much time youcan spend on your social mediastrategy each day. Next, determinewho will be responsible for maintainingthe social media conversation.Conclude what materialsyou have and which of them youwant to share such as videos, fliers,photos, etc. If you are tweeting,do you have your chapter’s brandingmessage down so that you canconvey it in 140 characters or less?Evaluate your market.Do some research by creatingGoogle alerts and doing searcheson SocialMention.com, Addictomatic.com,HowSociable.com and/or Search.Twitter.com to see wherepeople are talking about Phi ChiTheta. This will give you an idea ofwhat networks might be a good fitfor your chapter and what socialmedia channels you need to be on.Define your goals.What do you expect social mediato do for you? If you don’t haveclear and defined goals, you’ll findit will be hard to solidify your socialmedia strategy and your overallbranding message will suffer.You need to determine whatit is you need to accomplish.Explore social networks.Every social network has its ownunique characteristics. You need tofind the networks that are a goodfit for your chapter and your brand.Take your time and find out whichones will work for your chapter. Perhapsyour school uses social mediain a way that benefits your chaptermore than Facebook or Twitter does.Chapters should ask themselveswhich social networks will membersengage with each other more.Make a plan.Now that you have done the legwork,it’s now time create yourplan. Your plan should designatewhich social networks you’re goingto start with and who is goingto be responsible for what tacticsyou are going to apply. You needto craft the overall message thatpeople will see when they find youon your designated social network.Start talking.Once your plan is in place, you areready to start the social conversation.Social media is about engaging yourmembers and the people who followyour conversation. It’s a give and take.Listen.Chapters should spend at least 50percent of their time on social medianetworks gathering informationand listening to what people aresaying about your chapter and thePhi Chi Theta brand. You have to be willing to answerfollowers and keep your social network updated in atimely and relevant manner. Chapters can use some ofthe social media tools previously mentioned to monitorwhat is being said about the social media strategy.Use what you learn and apply to future endeavors.Following these steps will help your chapter build asuccessful media strategy, but it just doesn’t end there.If your chapter expects to just tweet or Facebook fora few weeks and triple your rush recruitment success,then your chapter is in for a real shock. Creatinga social media strategy isn’t about quick results.It’s about creating a long-lasting relationship withyour audience and maintaining your chapter’s brand.David Casey is the marketing communications managerat the Ammerman Experience. David serves asNew Professionals chairman for the Public RelationsSociety of America’s Houston Chapter. David graduatedfrom Texas State University with a degree in mass communicationand is a Delta Omicron alumni member.Image: jannoon028 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net– social media1819