Focusing on the Basics of Social Media

Nailing down a solid foundation for a social media campaign still comes as the most important element of a social media strategy. Before building apps., micro-sites, widgets or otherwise the communication channels between brand and consumers must be free flowing and continuous. Social media continues to evolve at an exponential rate as new programs, features and connection methods are being developed. While its certainly important to stay ahead of the learning curve in the social media landscape it is most important to foster the conversations occurring in the traditional social networking manor.

It is obvious that demographics and  business goals of each company by in large determine the shape that a social media campaign will take, but for any business, brand or otherwise to see the desired ROI from a social media effort the countless hours of community building, content sharing and conversing must come first, otherwise the innovative tech and development methods fall short. Success in social media depends upon persistence and dedication in terms of providing community members with a desired ROI for their time spent contributing to the community and helping shape the company’s online existence.

We’ve been heading up the social media campaign for northeastern music festival, Gathering of the Vibes, which has been a great experience with great people. Our focus for the entire campaign has been centered on getting fan interaction and engagement, not developing the coolest new app. or strategy. What we’ve seen is exponential fan growth, fan engagement that rivals top brands and festivals and a stoked community that has made social networking with the festival a daily routine they look forward to. That is a favorable ROI that directly correlates with success.