Chapter 2: What is a Social Media Strategy?

 Summary  •  Outline  •  Flashcards  •  Quiz  •  Study Questions

“A good strategy draws power from focusing minds, energy, and action. That focus, channeled at the right moment onto a pivotal objective, can produce a cascade of favorable outcomes.” – Richard Rumelt

Chapter Summary

This chapter addresses what it takes to be a superior social media strategist. Superior strategists make deliberate and conscious major decisions about the following: 1) They begin by assessing the competitive landscape by collecting facts about their organization, their competitors and environment. 2) They make big-picture choices about the following issues: the organization’s goals and their relationships with one another (coordinates), the social media platforms that should be actively and passively managed (channels), the type of content that should be posted and its timing (content), how the organization’s social media platforms should be connected to one another (connections), and how missteps will be corrected and effectiveness will be assessed (corrections). 3) They coordinate the choices by synchronizing the 5 Cs (coordinates, content, channels, connections, corrections) into a coherent and robust structure. 4) They coordinate choices into a coherent path forward, which emerges from coordinating the choices into a vision of the future. 5) As a result, they develop an orchestrated set of tactics which outlines ways to implement the strategy.

Chapter Outline

  • The Essence of a Superior Social Media Strategy
    • Superior strategists assess the competitive landscape
    • Superior strategists make big-picture choices
    • Superior strategists coordinate the choices
    • Superior strategists coordinate the choices into a coherent path forward
    • Superior strategy results in an orchestrated set of tactics
  • Conclusion

Chapter Deep Dive Study Questions

These exercises are designed to enhance your understanding of key ideas, principles and approaches.

#1
Describe three examples of the difference between a strategy and tactic in your personal or professional life.

#2
There are five key features of a superior social media strategy (e.g., making big picture choices, coordinating choices, etc.). Create a two-column table. In column one, rank order these features in terms of difficulty to accomplish, from most difficult to least difficult. In column two, provide your rationale.

#3
Reflect on your personal experiences with leaders. Create a list of five signs that they are thinking tactically rather than strategically. Provide examples.

Chapter Flashcards

[qdeck] [q] Social Media Coordinates
[a] Your strategic goals and their relationship to one another
[q] Social Media Channels
[a] The platforms provided by companies like Facebook and Twitter
[q] Social Media Content
[a] The material posted on social media sites or platforms
[q] Social Media Connections
[a] The links between various social media platforms, websites, non-digital channels, people and departments. For example, a print ad that makes reference to a company's Twitter account would be considered a connection.
[q] Social Media Corrections
[a] Tweaks and changes made to a firm's social media strategy and tactics
[q] Social Media Strategy
[a] Coordinated, big-picture choices that form a coherent path forward, and result in an orchestrated set of tactics
[q] Social Media Tactics
[a] The specific actions that implement the strategy
[q] "Test-post' Content Strategy
[a] An approach that helps regulate what content to post and when to post it. For example, a person might ask these questions before posting content: "Does it need to be said?" "Does it need to be said by me?" and "Does it need to be said now?"
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Chapter Quiz

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