Using Social Media to Achieve our Clients' Goals

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By: Mike Bush

Jay Baer published a list of 8 wrong questions that PR folks might be asking about social media, along with what the questions should be. For example, many PR folks may be asking, “How can we create a killer social media campaign that will get noticed?” when we should be asking “How do we develop a sustainable, ongoing social media strategy that will turn customers into advocates over the long haul?” (direct quotes from Baer’s piece).

It’s a great read if you have a few minutes, but I think Jay missed one important question/correction:

Today we ask: How do I get my client’s name out there using social media?
It should be: What are my client’s goals, and how can I help my client reach those goals using social media?

It’s an exciting new question we can ask, because if we work with our clients well to establish their specific goals, we can have a much more profound impact on the results we generate.

For example, if our client says “I want to significantly increase the number of widgets I sell,” we can work backwards in building a campaign, perhaps identifying influential bloggers to be brand advocates, while also working to build a viral referral network.

Social media has dramatically expanded our ability as flacks to impact our clients’ bottom lines by offering us a larger and more diverse tool kit. Now it’s up to us to make sure we’re taking advantage of the opportunities that are there.