This assignment is intended to help you put together the material we have learned this semester. I want you to understand the basics of creating a social media strategy — moving from goals to audience to choosing a platform to what you do on that platform (tactics).
I encourage you to reach out should you have questions or if you don’t understand any part of this assignment. I will be happy to explain, help, and work with you so you can complete this course with the information you will need for your profession.
You are required to submit BOTH a presentation (PowerPoint, video, etc.) and a paper. This is how you will likely present ideas as a professional, both as a presentation that you will make and then a paper which includes supporting material and data.
Instructions for the assignment
Develop a complete social strategy for the brand you have been working with all semester. This
can be one of the three companies, or one political candidate, that I have you at the beginning of
the semester OR a brand you chose to use for the prior assignments.
In your social strategy I expect to find:
-
A brand definition that sums up what you WANT people to think of when they think of
your brand.
o For example: Target is a reasonably priced outlet for cutting edge design, fashion
and housewares. (In truth they NEVER use reasonably priced in their outwardly
facing material, but it is what they believe internally) -
A customer/voter/client persona, which is WHO exactly you think is your target
audience for the strategy (message) you are developing. This must be narrowly defined. You must include an audience persona.
o For example Jet Blue (from Blogspot) JetBlue’s buyer persona is the low budget
traveler that wants a comfortable yet affordable solution to flying. They are
typically a younger audience that likes to be reached through social media
channels and expects quick responses from the company. That audience comes
through in their marketing in the medium they use (Twitter, in this instance), the
words they use (flying like a boss), and even the name of the Twitter handle
(@JetBlueCheeps). Please include the persona you developed in your target audience assignment. - Discuss your competition. Take the competitive analysis you performed and summarize what you learned in a series of slides. You can break it up by channel or by message or however you think it is most useful. The point is to tell me what you learned about your competition that effects your own strategic choices on social media.
- Discuss the opportunities and threats (half of a SWOT analysis) that are afforded by social media for your brand.
-
At least two SMART Social Media Objectives, one communication objective and one business
objective. Use the form from the SMART Objective assignment, BUT only put the actual objectives in
your write up (attach the form as a supporting document). These goals can be put into the
perspective of a campaign if you wish, but do not have to. The goals must BOTH be
social media goals OR the KPI that you are working with must be a social media KPI. For instance if my business objective is to increase net profit by 10% in FYE 2020, I can work with “Increase use of coupons from Instagram by 50% in FYE 2020.” Or, “Increase website visits from Instagram by 50% in FYE 2020.”
o Use social specific communication language to define your communication goals
such as reach, engagement, sentiment, impact/conversion and advocacy. - Identify the metrics you will use to measure the completion of your goals. You can find a list of metrics in Module 12 under the Social Media Framework Menu of Potential Metrics
-
Identify a social channel that will help you achieve your SMART goals. Tell me
why. Go back to your audience persona and determine which channels are most effective
for your brand. (Again there are reference links in the module)- There are two important questions I want answered:
- Is my audience here? (answer needs to be yes, or at least they will be after I’m done)
- If so, how are they using this platform?
- Using this information define the tactics that will be effective in reaching your social media goals.
- There are two important questions I want answered:
- Create an editorial or content marketing plan for one business quarter. (Choose a specific
quarter if you plan on using holiday based content. If you wish to use a longer time frame
let me know.) This plan must outline the theme, campaign, or defining idea behind your social media for that quarter. This is your “BIG IDEA,” the creative backbone of your campaign. It will define your message/messages and show how you will push that message out over the quarter. It must be a cohesive strategy, not just a list of the things you want to do. There must be a common central theme. Your plan must also address these questions.
o What types of content do you intend to post and promote on social media?
o How often will you post content?
o How will you promote the content? - Create a social media calendar for one week in that quarter. It should include the channel, content, day,
time, goal it is related to, and how it’s success or value will be measured. There is a
template for this calendar in this module. This template is designed to be used professionally, so there is more than one week and room for more than one channel.- Definitions for the calendar:
- Time – Time of day, which is important in reaching your target audience
- Content Type – Ad, photo, text with photo, text, quiz, survey, etc
- Topic – How is this related to your content marketing plan?
- Goal – Which objective is it related to?
- Content / Copy – A summary (example: photo of cute puppy chewing on widget with slogan “better get a Marsh Media Widget”)
- Notes – Anything you need me to know, or want me to know. Usually used to communicate with other collaborators on your project.
- Definitions for the calendar:
All this information must be included in a presentation and in a short paper. (The presentation should be PowerPoint exported to .pdf, Prezi, Keynote exported to a .pdf – Use a .pdf so that the layout isn’t changed when I open it.) Please use as many slides as you need to to explain your idea. You may voice it if you wish, otherwise the information in the presentation must be self-explanatory. It should also look decent. The paper should be typed, double spaced, properly spelled with good grammar. The presentation may just include the highlights and does not need to include the calendar. The calendar should be attached to the paper.
Brand Definition A brand definition that sums up what you WANT people to think of when they think of your brand. o For example: Target is a reasonably priced outlet for cutting edge design, fashion and housewares. (In truth they NEVER use reasonably priced in their outwardly facing material, but it is what they believe internally) | 10 |
Target Audience Persona A customer/voter/client persona, which is WHO exactly you think is your target audience. This must be narrowly defined. You must include an audience persona. o For example Jet Blue (from Blogspot) JetBlue’s buyer persona is the low budget traveler that wants a comfortable yet affordable solution to flying. They are typically a younger audience that likes to be reached through social media channels and expects quick responses from the company. That audience comes through in their marketing in the medium they use (Twitter, in this instance), the words they use (flying like a boss), and even the name of the Twitter handle | 15 |
Demographic and Psychographic research – are they in your target area? Further develop this persona into your local target market using the information from your target market assignment. Please attach any SimpliAnalytics or ESRI data as a supporting document). | 5 |
OT + Competitors A brief overview of the Opportunities and Threats to your brand that can be exploited or handled with social media. (This is half of a SWOT or Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis) ◦ This should include a brief competitor analysis of at least one competitor. If you cannot find a competitor then talk to me. | 10 |
SMART GOALS + Social Media Choice + metrics At least two SMART Social Media Goals, one communication goal and one business goal. Use the form from the SMART Goal assignment, BUT only put the actual goals in your write up (attach the form as a supporting document). These goals can be put into the perspective of a campaign if you wish, but do not have to. The goals must BOTH be social media goals. o Use social specific communication language to define your communication goals such as reach, engagement, sentiment, impact/conversion and advocacy. o Relate your business goal to these terms as well, tell me what specific social media action will allow you to meet your business goal o Using the AMEC list of potential metrics, choose the metrics you will use to measure your success with these goals. These measures will allow you to specifically define the related terms. | 10 |
Social Media Channels Identify two social channels that will help you achieve your SMART goals. Tell me why. Go back to your audience persona and determine which channels are most effective for your brand. (Again there are reference links in the module) ◦ Ask yourself two questions: ▪ Is my audience here? ▪ If so, how are they using this platform? ◦ Using this information define the tactics that will be effective in reaching your social media goals. | 10 |
Social Media Content Plan Create an editorial or content marketing plan for one business quarter. (Choose a specific quarter if you plan on using holiday based content. If you wish to use a longer time frame let me know.) This plan must outline the theme, campaign, or defining idea behind your social media for that quarter. It will define your message/messages and show how you will push that message out over the quarter. Your plan must address these questions. o What types of content do you intend to post and promote on social media? Please link each type of content to your goals. o Who is your target audience for each type of content? o How often will you post content? o Who will create the content? o How will you promote the content? | 15 |
Editorial/Content Calendar | 15 |
Writing Grammar, spelling, word choice (and possibly presentation skills): | 10 |