Posts Tagged ‘integrated social media marketing’

Graphic design work is an essential part of the marketing process. Not sure about that? Think about websites, printed materials, or e-newsletters you’ve seen in the past. You know what “looked good” and what “didn’t” – right?

You know what I am talking about – websites that are so “old” that you forgot sites could even look that way. E-newsletters that are nothing but text and tiring on the eyes. Or printed materials that look like they were created in an old Word Doc template!

Part of planning for strong marketing integration is ensuring you have a great graphic design team in place. And almost equally as important, that you can provide direction on the design work. After all, contrary to popular belief, graphic designers are not mind readers!

Here are some things to think about when getting your graphic design planning in place:

1. What will be your process for getting graphic design work done in a timely and satisfactory fashion?

Do you have a designer on staff? Or on call? Or on contract? Or do you even have access to one at all?

Try to work with the same person/team on an ongoing basis. This allows for branding integration, image consistency, and allows you to develop a “system” that works for you!

2. How will idea sharing occur?

You have to provide direction to your graphic designer(s). This means you need to articulate your vision. How will you do this? Through a creative brief? Fill out a form? Have a meet-and-debate kind of approach?

Figure out a system to work with at the start of the process. This will ensure things are likely to go a bit more smoothly through the graphic design process if everyone understands how it will happen!

3. Have you thought about your integration process?

Clearly consistent, integrated branding must carry through all aspects of your marketing designs. That  is a no-brainer (or at least it should be!). But have you discussed with your designer what things may need to actually be designed?

Flyers, business cards, stationery – those are pretty standard. But what about profile images, twitter backgrounds, or Facebook Ads? Make sure your designer knows what the expectations are so that planning for sizes, looks, etc. can happen well in advance.

4. What is the review process?

The review process can be greatly reduced if your homework is done up front. But regardless, designs notoriously go through a variety of revisions depending on how well the vision is articulated, how the vision is “heard” and the variety of options produced by the designer.  Either way, everyone has to establish a review process.

Do you need to run designs past an approval team? Does the designer need a week or more lead time on changes? How are revision comments shared? These are all things that should be discussed well in advance.

5. Handle your designers with care!

Designers work hard. They often pick up the slack when projects are running behind. They have to put a visual to an idea. The images they produce help build your brand in the mind of your consumers.

So give them some love. And at a minimum, a huge thank you! Go ahead – they deserve it!

“Integration, integration, integration!”

If you’ve been following our posts, you know that we are strong believers in traditional marketing + social media integration (but only if the choice is right for your company!).  If you’ve been thinking through your own efforts, then you’ve also considered a lot of the elements of pre-planning for a social media marketing launch. Now it is time to double check your integration planning!

Five key considerations for any social media marketing manager:

Does your social media marketing plan pull from your current marketing goals and objectives?

The social media marketing plan is just one spoke in your marketing wheel. Therefore, it should feed into your overall marketing goals and objectives. Make sure the excitement of working in social media doesn’t cause you to lose your head and skip this important piece of integration!

Will the brand elements be consistent between traditional and social execution?

Note everything has to be matchy-matchy, but your brand elements do need to be consistent to continue to build your reputation in the mind of your consumers. So make sure your logo is apparent. Ensure people can find your website.  Carry over campaign elements. In other words: I-N-T-E-G-R-A-T-E!

Does your brand messaging match, even if execution varies?

Messaging contributes to the tone of your brand.  If your brand is sassy, sleek or goofy, make sure that personality shines through your messaging. Got a strong call to action? Make sure it shows through your integration efforts!

Are you reaching your target audience?

Make sure your social media integration choices will continue to reach  your target audience. Just because you are familiar with Facebook and Twitter doesn’t necessarily mean those are the social media venues to use. What if your audience is active on LinkedIn? Consider starting a LinkedIn group. And consider integrating in niche market social media activities – there are sites for artists, nurses, and more!

Can you measure impact in a meaningful way so you can compare your efforts to determine ROI?

Measuring ROI can be a challenge with social media, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. On the flip side, you may not want to judge your social media marketing efforts through traditional ROI lenses. Consider your long term plan and objectives, evaluate your execution efforts and then judge from there.  There are tons of great tips on the web on ways to measure ROI through social media (and we’ll be hitting on this topic later!).

So that being said, we go back to our theme for your traditional marketing + social media planning: “Integration, integration, integration!” It can save you a lot of headaches, build your brand, and promote sales. What can beat that?

So you’ve done your due diligence and considered the pros and cons of social media for your business.

And you’ve thought through who will be managing your social media efforts.

Now it’s time to start thinking about your company’s social media policy. Some companies jump into social media without a social media policy in place. Others establish a rigid set of rules. Whatever your company is considering, we believe this topic warrants discussion!

We operate under the belief that developing a social media policy will be a multi-step process: (1) a general overview of guiding policies, and (2) updating elements once you launch your social media marketing plan and know exactly what you are utilizing – and how! Clearly (2) will be something you tackle a little later in your social media process (and we’ll get to that a little later as well!). So backing it up to (1),  let’s make sure you hit the essentials in social media policy development!

Considerations:

• Think integration! I know – we say this a lot. But it applies here just as it applies elsewhere in your marketing efforts. Your social media policy should not require starting from scratch. It should build upon existing marketing/PR policies, as well as overall company policies, then be customized as needed.

• Don’t name names! In other words, consider not naming actual social media platforms in your social media policy. Given the pace at which social media mediums are launching, your social media policy could quickly outdate itself. Not comfortable with this option because of specific issues with a particular social media platform? Then ensure compliance by adding in verbiage that covers all current and future social media usage.

• Be prepared to be flexible! Your company or non-profit may currently block access to social media sites out of concern of abuse by working employees. But what if your events planner uses Facebook to send out requests to volunteers? Or your advertising department needs to load videos on YouTube? Stay abreast of changing trends in social media usage and be prepared to adapt to the changing social media times.

• Know how to speak! Really, we mean it. Determine the tone of your messages; what is and is not acceptable in regards to what can be said or portrayed through social media; and how to respond to both positive and negative comments. You are using a public forum, so ensure you have public relations considerations in place prior to launching!

• Set a schedule! Determine how you are going to handle postings. Do you blog once a week? Send e-newsletters monthly? Post on Facebook one time a day, but three times a day on Twitter? Figure out your posting schedule and stick to it – consistency is part of what branding is all about!

There are many other things you need to consider in a social media policy, but these key areas will help you get started. So while developing the policy may feel like a hindrance, in the long term it should be a huge help in developing your social brand. Good luck and happy social media planning!

Have other ideas about social media policies that should have been considered for this list? Drop us a comment!

The Collective Savvy is the manifestation of Candy and I’s desire to empower others to do more with their business marketing goals. After all the challenges of 2009, we felt strongly that we can make a difference in your business and your life by providing you the tools to make 2010 a bountiful year! We look forward to sinking our teeth into this new endeavor and working with you on topics such as how to integrate your marketing strategy and social media activities. We welcome your feedback on our efforts, as collaboration is key for growth! Happy 2010!