Developing a social media strategy for support does not mean that the organization will have to commit significant resources.
Social media strategies can begin with a very passive approach, such as monitoring communities and learning from customer discussions.
The key is to develop a strategy that makes sense based on well-defined business goals and realistic resource constraints. It’s better to start small than not start at all.
Six Steps For Developing a Social Media Strategy for Support
Here are six steps to consider for getting started with a social media strategy for Support
1. IDENTIFY COMMUNITIES OF INTEREST
The social media universe is extensive and most of it does not matter to your business. Identify the sites and communities where current or prospective customers are talking about your products and services. (e.g. A professional community that is highly likely to use your product, or product user group.)
2. LISTEN AND LEARN
Before investing in technology, increasing headcount, or making changes to the way you do business, monitor discussions within targeted communities of interest. Listen to the topics being discussed.
3. PROBLEM / OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT
Formulate a plan about how you can participate in targeted communities to benefit both members and your business. Establish the problem or opportunity statement. Be prepared to articulate a compelling reason to embrace social media and to justify the time or resources required.
4. ESTABLISH GOALS
Once you have established the opportunity, define goals to describe the impact you want to have. Goals may be as simple as increasing your understanding of what customers think of the company’s products or learning what product related issues cause customers the most difficulty.
5. DEFINE METRICS / MEASURE IMPACT
Define the metrics you will use to measure the impact of your social media efforts. Align your metrics with stated goals.
6. COORDINATE WITH CORPORATE
Many companies are developing social media strategies. These may be corporate-wide initiatives or driven by one or more departments. Be aware of and contribute to the development of a corporate-wide social media strategy, but don’t let it diminish the need to achieve strategic service goals, nor delay efforts to incorporate social media into existing support processes now.
