Building a Solid Social Media Strategy
ͻ Caroline Devereaux, AIABaltimore
ͻ Katie Hitt, Assoc. AIA, AIA Dallas
ͻ Sybil Walker Barnes, AIA National
Why create a social media strategy?
Without clear direction, social media can pull you in many different
directions.
Clear goals and objectives can help your chapter avoid
• Wasted time• Wasted effort
• Social media fatigue• Missed opportunities
How do we decide what channels to use, or
what people to engage, and what conversations to join?
social media strategy
Like all conversations, the key to effective social media use begins and ends with
listening.
From . . .
To . . .
Back to . . .
Listen to yourself
What channels do you currently use?
What tone do these channels convey?
Who is your intended target audience?
Do these channels reach your targeted audience?
More important,
Where do these channels fall short?
Are there people you should be targeting but aren’t?
Who are you trying to reach?
Social Technographics Ladder,TM
Forrester Research Group, 2009
Asking questions • Reminds you who you are and who you want to be
• Shows how social media can complement your overall mission
Listen to others
Start listening to
•Mentions of your chapter name•Popular architectural sites •Blog comments•Other AIA chapters •Affiliate groups
Free Listening Tools
Google AlertsPipesSocial MentionTwilertHootsuite
Paid Listening Tools
Radian6ScoutLabs (Lithium)Sprout SocialuberVUHootsuite
You’ll discover
•Better understanding of your chapter’s online presence•Online communities to join•Targeted members to engage•Values you should promote•Attitudes you should change
Question 1:
What do you want to achieve?
Do you want to
•Build better relationships?•Raise awareness?•Increase website traffic?•Increase membership?
Not•“Because every AIA chapter is”•“We need a Facebook page”•“It’s cheap”
Can you distill your social media down to
one sentence?
“Putting people before products.”
“Humanize the Ford brand and put consumers in touch with Ford employees.”
“Instill trust in the brand and highlight that the people behind the brand are parents too.”
“To make people happy.”
“Enhancing its service to members and heightening its visibility and
impact in the region.”
“Connecting member and industry voices to inform, engage, and
influence.”
“Engage with our members and create real relationships in
a virtual world.”
That’s your message.
Have all your social media reflect it.
Question 2:What will success look like?
What can be measured?
Blog postsReader commentsTwitter mentionsTwitter followersRetweetsFacebook friendsFacebook likes
LinksInbound trafficClickthroughsVideo viewsApp downloadsSearch resultsRSS subscriptions
Who’s Talking About It?
User Demographics
Question 3:Who will be responsible for
reaching your goals?
Social media will never be a real part of your organization until it’s included in job descriptions and expectations.
But . . .
Ooops happen . . .
Question 4:What’s in it for your members?
Provide your members with
•Insight•Sneak peeks•Discounts•Support•A good laugh
Question 5:Where do you go from here?
Key Principles
•Be transparent•Be conversational•Build trust•Don’t ignore negativity
Questions for the presenters?
Caroline Devereaux [email protected] | 410.625.2585
Katie Hitt, Assoc. AIA [email protected] | 214.880.1506
Sybil Walker Barnes [email protected] | 202.626.7331
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