By 
As I consult with more clients on social media strategy, I am always amazed after I do a competitive analysis to find out that most American companies that I run across don’t seem like they know what they are doing on the likes of Facebook and Twitter. I’m not talking about the big consumer brands like Starbucks and Coca Cola that have gathered lots of Facebook Fans and are truly engaging with their customers. I’m talking about most B2B companies as well as those B2C brands that don’t necessarily fall into the Fortune 500. According to Hubspot, 72% of businesses have a social media strategy. Really? Here’s 5 reasons why that might not be the case:
1) Is Your “Strategy” Too Broad?
A mentor that I respect from a previous company once told me that “A strategy is almost about deciding what not to do as it is what to do.” If a business wants to get strategic about social media, you can’t be everywhere and do everything at once. If your strategy dictates that you need to have a YouTube channel, host a Podcast, create a SlideShare channel, launch several Twitter accounts and multiple LinkedIn groups, and create a compelling Facebook Page on top of all of that, consider 1) what exactly your objective is and 2) where your target audience is. From there, do some strategic analysis and you should figure out what things you don’t necessarily need to be doing.
2) Isn’t That Campaign Just a Tactic?
I’ll say it straight out: Social media is a commitment, not a campaign. I met with a local business reporter who lamented about the fact that most brands that he covers approach social media, through their digital agencies or PR firms, as just another channel to launch a campaign on. What happens after the campaign ends and the buzz on the Facebook Page or Twitter hashtag tweets continue? Nothing. The consumer is left hanging. I do believe there is a role for campaigns as part of a social media strategy. But campaigns are the means, not the end. Start thinking long-term in your use of campaigns. Please.
3) What are You Going to Tweet?
Let’s face it: Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter were made for people, not businesses. In this scenario, what will your business share in social media? It really comes down to the content of your conversations. What will they be? In other words, just launching a Facebook Page and importing the RSS feed of your blogs and press releases is not a strategy in itself. It is a tactic. And a poor one at that. You need to have a content strategy, which often includes curation of 3rd party content, if you really want to engage with your potential customers and business partners in a meaningful way. Sorry, but without a content strategy you really don’t have a social media strategy.
4) Is Social Media Just about Marketing?
If your business is only thinking about applying social media to marketing, you are not thinking about it in a strategic way. Social media will overlap every part of your organization and needs to be thought of, in itself, strategically. Take the case study of my experience with Virgin America: You can do a social media marketing campaign, but do your Customer Support people actually use Twitter? What happens when other parts of your organization aren’t ready for your campaign? And what happens when people start communicating with your Facebook Page outside of the scope of the organization that is in charge of running it? You get the picture.
5) Does Your Business Blog?
A blog is the best way for your business to be sharing your unique and resourceful information with the public. Every company, whether you are B2B or B2C, has endless amount of things to blog about. If getting found on the Internet is part of a social media strategy, which it probably is, why don’t more companies blog? There are many reasons why every business should have a blog, but I won’t bore you with them in this post. Suffice to say, before thinking about utilizing Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or YouTube, look in your own backyard and start crafting some stories that can be used as, yes, part of your content strategy!
Do YOU think 72% of businesses really have a social media strategy?
By the way, if you are interested at hearing me speak about the topic of social media strategy, please join me later this month in San Diego at LavaCon 2:0 The Conference on Digital Media and Content Strategies.
Tweets that mention 5 Reasons Why Your Social Media Strategy Isn't a Strategy -- Topsy.com
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ryon Harms, McDermott & Bull. McDermott & Bull said: Member: 5 Reasons Why Your Social Media Strategy Isn’t Really a Social Media Strategy: As I consu… http://bit.ly/drFfUx via @nealschaffer [...]
Theresa Smith
Great post. I am surprised each day at the number of business people and companies that truly don’t understand how social media can enhance the relationship between them and their customers as well as influencers. So many still see it as a way to just push out their marketing information instead of as an avenue to truly transform their relationships.
Phil Lauterjung
Neal,
Great post. You are spot on about understanding who your target market is and where they ‘hang out’ online and offline. I would add one more note in general regarding this topic. Anyone trying to implement social media needs to make sure they communicate in language that reflects normal conversation – not corporate jargon, or, as David Meerman Scott says, gobbledygook.
Keep up the good work Neal.
nealschaffer
Excellent add-on advice Phil…and thanks for the compliment!
nealschaffer
Thanks Theresa…agree with you 100%!!!
websuccess
@Neal, great article BTW. On this point “do your Customer Support people actually use Twitter?” I find that most businesses that take the time to promote on FB pages and Linkedin do not even look at their twitter streams to find out what their @replies are. This essential feedback is a good part of the marketing orchestra and is vastly ignored.
nealschaffer
Thanks for the comment, and, yes, I find the same issue! If you’re not listening to your fans, you’re only broadcasting, right?
Tony Karrer
I agree that 72% is way overstated. I hear about lots of tactics and experiments. I would think that having a solid strategy is challenging right now given our collective understanding of what works. That said, I wonder what percentage of companies have a blog or have a few key individuals blogging? Certainly well below 72% – which makes you wonder.
nealschaffer
Hey Tony, I totally agree with you here. All it takes is a little analysis on any given industry and you get the feeling that very few “average” companies are thinking strategically about social media.
LaurelPapworth
I have a 12 step social media strategy – all longterm engagement stuff. And step 9 is campaigns – viral spiked activities, conversation diary to entertain and educate – then back to more longterm steps. You’d be amazed at how many people go straight to step 9 “we’ve got a Facebook and Twitter strategy”. Reeeeeealllly?
Or maybe you wouldn’t be amazed 
nealschaffer
Hey Laurel, thanks for your comment, and, you’re right, I wasn’t surprised
Thanks for stopping by!
Wayne Breitbarth
Great article, Neal,
There is no way that 72% have a strategy, at least not the folks I run into. I taught six classes this week and I did an informal poll with follow up questions and found that only about 10% even could really define a strategy let alone make the connection from strategy to tactic.I agree with you it is mostly about tactics.
Most users especially “nonfacebook generation” people are still hoping this tool is a marketing and advertising technique and not about establishing a voice around an area of expertise.
nealschaffer
Thanks Wayne. You are bang on, and I also find the same that you do. Thanks for stopping by!
Randy Schrum
Great Article, I don’t think 72% have a social media strategy. I don’t even think 72% are even doing campaigns. I think 72% are involved, but strategy is a totally different thing—backed by real measurables.
nealschaffer
Great to see you here Randy…and I agree 100% with what you are seeing in the market.
Social Media Strategy… is yours working? « Inside the world of Public Relations
[...] reading PR Daily news this morning I came across an article by Windmill Networking: 5 Reasons Why Your Social Media Strategy isn’t a social media strategy. It was a very well written article and offered some valid advice regarding strategies within [...]
Aubrey Zimmerman
Neal, I think you hit the nail on the head! My favorite line from your article is that “social media is a commitment, not a campaign.” It’s easy for outsiders to use social media as another tactic to reach consumers and feel the need to be “out there”– but with no plan in how we’re going to be “out there” how can we measure our effectiveness?… Without time and dedication to engaging and responding to our followers, social media is not be effective for any organization. Thanks for the article!
nealschaffer
Glad you liked the article and thanks for your comment! I first read that quote from @JaffeJuice and it has stuck with me ever since.
Social Media.. What Site or Sites Are Best for My Business? « UPPROACH
[...] The mistake that you do not want to make is to spend time in places where you will not find your customers and prospects or where you have nothing to add to the conversation. My friend, Neal Shaffer, wrote the blog post 5 Reasons Why Your Social Media Strategy Isn’t Really a Social Media Strategy. [...]
Carol Arthur
Neal
What a great blog – so many excellent tips here. I completely agree with you that every business should have a blog – and that it should be your starting point for everything else. I certainly don’t think 72% of UK businesses have a social media strategy. Would love to hear of some B2B social media success stories.
nealschaffer
Thanks Carol. A blog really is where a company should begin to share their stories and provide resourceful information…information that they can start to share in social media.
I have included a link to a great B2B social media success story from last year just in case you missed it:
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/it-pays-to-listen-avayas-250k-twitter-sale/
Should You Buy Your Own TV Media Time and Save the Advertising Agency Commission?
[...] Media Time and Save the Advertising Agency Commission? June 28, 2009 by Philip L. Franckel Esq. 5 Reasons Why Your Social Media Strategy Isn't a StrategyContent Strategy before Social Media Strategy | WORD-OF-MOUTH … Posted in: [...]
Steve
Great article Neil, really useful and important considerations.
nealschaffer
Thanks Steve!
Benn Achilleas
Good article Neil. I understand what you are saying about social media being a commitment not a campaign but I think breaking it down in to campaigns is easier for many clients to understand and implement.I covered something similar in a recent blog post that focuses on the fact that many brands just ‘do’ social media activity but fail to plan the activity so it ‘fails’ to deliver – due to no way to measure success! [Link deleted by webmaster]
nealschaffer
Thanks for your comment Benn. I can understand that companies that utilize digital ad agencies may fall into the camp that you describe. That being said, even if you do “campaigns,” how do you define which ones you do? What are the guidelines for content, channels, branding, et. al.? My customers want an ROI to their marketing budget, and they understand that without strategy they will never be able to calculate the fruits of the labor vis a vis reaching their objectives in engaging in social media in the first place.
The Marketing Power of Social Media – What, Who,Why,How?? « {Social Media Manager} Best Practice
[...] Social media is the big cake, nobody can resist, everybody wants to taste! What are the ingredients?? A blog, 100 facebook fans and a twitter account? Most organisations experience challenges finding the right strategy. I just read 5 Reasons Why Your Social Media Strategy Isn’t Really a Social Media Strategy [...]
Gigi Ramis
Neal, are there Social Media Experts that have reduced rates for Non-Profits in the Northern Suburbs of Chicago?
nealschaffer
Hi Gigi, Thanks for your comment! I would do a search for “social media consultant” on LinkedIn near the target zip code and contact them! Good luck with it!
C7 Social Media » Blog Archive » 5 Reasons Why Your Social Media Strategy Isn’t Really a Social Media Strategy
[...] Read More Here windmillnetworking « test post » [...]
vivek
awesome guide for the beginer social media guy like me
nealschaffer
Glad you liked it Vivek!
Anonymous
[...] Read More Here windmillnetworking « Social Adoption by Consumers Continues to Grow Social Media Strategy Series – Getting Started » [...]
Top 25 Most Useful Social Media Marketing Blog Posts of 2010
[...] sure you also check out my 5 Reasons Why Your Social Media Strategy Isn’t Really a Social Media Strategy [117] and Strategizing Your Social Media Trifecta [16] [...]
Daily 01/03/2011 | AVANTGARDISTE & PIONNIER | birgerh.de
[...] 5 Reasons Why Your Social Media Strategy Isn’t a Strategy [...]
15 Top New Social Media Blogs and Bloggers to Follow in 2011
[...] Always insightful, my favorite post of his covers a similar topic to when I blogged about 5 Reasons Why Your Social Media Strategy Isn’t Really a Social Media Strategy: Social Strategists Aren’t Thinking [...]
3 Case Studies of a Successful B2B Blog | Social Media Marketing
[...] }); });Over the last few years blogging has become a recognized marketing tool as a component of a social media strategy. While businesses used to scratch their head as to why they should be fiddling with something [...]
3 Winning Examples of B2B Blogs Done Right - The Marketing Network - Power to Connect
[...] the last few years blogging has become a recognized marketing tool as a component of a social media strategy. While businesses used to scratch their head as to why they should be fiddling with something [...]
The 5 Hidden Powers of a Business Blog for Sales & Marketing
[...] an increasingly common way to expand a company’s online presence. Six months ago I asked does your business blog? According to Hubspot, the number of companies that blog has risen 17% in the last two years to [...]
Tanya Garrett
Neal, this was a great piece! Thank you!
nealschaffer
Thanks Tanya!
Looking for Quality Web Design, SEO and Social Media Marketing? – A guide for what to avoid… | Day in the life of a Busy Gal…
[...] 5 Reasons Why Your Social Media Strategy Isn’t Really a Social Media Strategy (windmillnetworking.com) LD_AddCustomAttr("AdOpt", "1"); LD_AddCustomAttr("Origin", "other"); LD_AddCustomAttr("theme_bg", "efefef"); LD_AddCustomAttr("theme_border", "cccccc"); LD_AddCustomAttr("theme_text", "666666"); LD_AddCustomAttr("theme_link", "026acb"); LD_AddCustomAttr("theme_url", "026acb"); LD_AddCustomAttr("LangId", "1"); LD_AddCustomAttr("Autotag", "technology"); LD_AddCustomAttr("Tag", "opinion-posts"); LD_AddCustomAttr("Tag", "business"); LD_AddCustomAttr("Tag", "facebook"); LD_AddCustomAttr("Tag", "google"); LD_AddCustomAttr("Tag", "keywords"); LD_AddCustomAttr("Tag", "marketing"); LD_AddCustomAttr("Tag", "meta-data"); LD_AddCustomAttr("Tag", "nikkipilkington-com"); LD_AddCustomAttr("Tag", "search-engine-optimization"); LD_AddCustomAttr("Tag", "seo"); LD_AddCustomAttr("Tag", "social-media"); LD_AddCustomAttr("Tag", "social-media-marketing"); LD_AddCustomAttr("Tag", "source-code"); LD_AddCustomAttr("Tag", "twitter"); LD_AddCustomAttr("Tag", "web-design"); LD_AddSlot("wpcom_below_post"); LD_GetBids(); Share this:FacebookStumbleUponTwitterMoreEmailPrintDiggRedditLinkedInLike this:LikeOne blogger likes this post. By showard76 • Posted in Opinion Posts • Tagged business, facebook, Google, keywords, Marketing, meta data, nikkipilkington.com, Search engine optimization, SEO, Social media, Social media marketing, source code, twitter, Web design 10 [...]
4 Fresh Reasons Why Social Media is the New Farmer’s Market
[...] Sometimes we overcomplicate social media with the technology and tools that we can leverage. If you remember that social media is the new farmer’s market and think how you would represent your company at the biggest farmer’s market in the world, hopefully you’ll see how common sense should be the cornerstone of your social media marketing strategy. [...]
4 Fresh Reasons Why Social Media is the New Farmer’s Market | fb & Business
[...] Sometimes we overcomplicate social media with the technology and tools that we can leverage. If you remember that social media is the new farmer’s market and think how you would represent your company at the biggest farmer’s market in the world, hopefully you’ll see how common sense should be the cornerstone of your social media marketing strategy. [...]
Integrating Social into Your Marketing? Don’t Overlook Your Assets
[...] strategy.Begin with the basics - Integrate social into your most important assetOnce you have a social media strategy, start by making one of your most important marketing assets, your website, social. Here’s how [...]
How Does a Business Generate Traffic from Social Media?
[...] activity to another platform and replicate the good work from the first platform. If you plan your social media strategy carefully then it will be easy to replicate, if you think “all hail the conquering hero” then [...]
Ready to Expose Your Brand to Social Media Users?
[...] Neal Schaffer, Yukari Peerless, Cali Lewis and John PozadzidesConsulting with clients on their social media strategy and implementation for more than two years has led me to one conclusion about how businesses should [...]
2011 Best 15 WordPress Plugins for Social Media and SEO
[...] so I wanted to cover a different angle with this post. I see WordPress and blogging like this: If your company has a social media strategy, chances are you have a corporate blog. Our friends at Hubspot released their analysis some time ago that blogging is good for SEO. [...]