Dragonflies have a unique ability to maneuver in multiple directions during flight due to the fact that their four independent wings work in unison.

This visual was inspired by The Dragonfly Effect – Quick, Effective, Powerful Ways to Use Social Media to Effect Social Change written by Jennifer Aaker and Andy Smith. I love the dragonfly concept and thought it also represented the perfect metaphor for connecting the major elements of social media strategy:

1. Social Environment
2. Strategic Planning
3. Tactical Implementation
4. Ongoing Management

Environment

• Understanding your business model – What business are you in?
• Having a deep understanding of your internal and external audiences
• Assessing your social capacity and how your culture will affect social media integration

Strategy

• Setting social media goals that connect to business objectives
• Developing a listening strategy – and a corresponding plan to “act” on gathered insight or conversations
• Use tools and tactics that are relevant to your audience – “fish where the fish are”

Implementation

• Have a content strategy that is in sync with audience information needs
• Develop detailed work flows and schedules for all social media tactical components
• Although many of the tools are free, understand that social media requires a labour and time investment

Management

• Create social media guidelines that reflect the culture of the organization
• Develop internal social media training programs for staff and management
• Use metrics that connect back to your business objectives – and measure performance based on both financial and non-financial criteria

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Although strategic and tactical differences exist between B2B and B2C marketing, I think it’s important to remember that, in the end, people buy from people. Whether it’s in-store, online or at the head office, the people connecting with your customers make the difference – things like trust, service and integrity are universal and transcend every marketing sector.

Check out the inspiration for this visual at the Social CMO Blog: B2C vs B2B Marketing: Do the Differences Really Matter?

I’m sure I have missed other key differences – What are some that you think are important?

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Augie Ray at Forrester wrote a great “common sense” post about the problems associated with Facebook fan valuation.

I agree with his argument – assigning  generic dollar values to individual Facebook fans is a futile exercise because of the variables involved. Furthermore, as social media managers or digital agencies, using these figures to recommend strategy or measure performance makes even less sense.

That being said, it’s still important for organizations, brands, etc. to take the time to understand the criteria for assessing value – even if it can’t be measured to the penny.

Thinking about fan acquisition, behaviour, engagement and sphere of influence can help organizations craft better strategies – and improve the value and impact of their Facebook communities.

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Social media is an important part of your marketing strategy. Before entrusting it to inexperienced staff:

• Set up a training program
• Publish social media guidelines
• Communicate how social media connects to business objectives
• Make sure a senior team member is responsible for managing/mentoring

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