5 Social Media Musts for Corporate 2012

Social media is fun and games ... but it isn't all fun and games. There's also a lot of serious business to be had, especially for modern marketers who mean business. What should you be doing to make the most of your social media marketing program? Here's a short list of five must-dos for social media success in 2012:  Have a strategy. Create a plan. Stop trying to be everything to everyone and develop a strategy that will help you achieve your objectives. Then, follow best practices for creating goal-oriented tactical plans. Get creative with your content. Social media requires a lot of engaging content if you want to stand out. So, stop being boring and start resonating with your audiences by creating content with personality. Know what you'll do in a crisis. A crisis played out on social media spreads far—and fast. Now's the time to create the necessary plans and polices, and empower your staff to act quickly when a crisis develops. Measure. Measure. And measure again. (Did we say measure?) Start by setting SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound) goals for audience attention, attitude, and action. Make Available a Real-time Purchasing System.  Once a relationship is established in the online community, your fans will gain your trust and want to buy your product or service.  Don't make it difficult for them! Without a plan to reach out, it will be most difficult to win fans over.