Establish a Social Influence Marketing Game Plan

Marketing via social media means marketing directly to influencers — rather than consumers. And social influence marketing (SIM) requires a whole new game plan. Establish your SIM campaign with these tips in mind:

• Develop social influence marketing (SIM) guidelines for your organization. It provides critical guidance for your employees as they practice social influence marketing.

• Establish clear objectives for your social influence marketing efforts. Don't experiment for the sake of experimenting.

• Create a roadmap for your social influence marketing efforts to help you plan resources, conduct research, coordinate marketing programs, and deploy new tactics.

• Define your metrics for success up front before you execute your roadmap.

• Recognize that SIM programs don't have neat end dates. Plan your resources and budget carefully to allow for continuous nurturing.

• Make sure you understand your customer base — who talks to each other and who influences who — before launching any program.