Complete Social Media Plan From Scratch

First question: What is your target audience, where do they spend time? Brand yourself in social media with them in mind.

Here are a few of the major social networks and what you can / should accomplish with them:


1.LinkedIn:
A. Make your profile 100% full of content.
b. Join lots of groups in your field and put yourself out there to network through discussion postings
C. Create an alumni network (group) and drive traffic to that page by inviting all past and current employees to join. You can have all new employees sign up for a company LinkedIn account (I don’t do this)


2. Facebook:
A. Create a designated work profile, or make your personal profile safeguarded and work appropriate
B. Create a company group page. Use this to advertise jobs, post real time company news / events / pictures. Make this a place that is updated multiple times a week and a relevant place for people to go
C. Head hunt profiles by searching jobs and company info…directly message potential candidates and drive them to your web page
D. Head hunt other company and industry groups and drive them to your web page

3. Twitter:
A. Create a Twhirl account, much easier to navigate
B. Join a twitter group on LinkedIn and promote yourself
C. Search Twitters database using keywords and location to “follow” those in your field
D. Make 10-20 tweets a day with about 75% business or advertising related but the rest semi personal…it is a long term relationship you are developing on twitter. You are keeping a real time eye on your specific community

4. Blogs:
A. Create a blog and try to blog once a week or at the least every other week
B. This establishes your brand
C. All blogs / LinkedIn and Facebook posts you need a tag line with your name, company and link info…it will up your Google search engine optimization

5. Viral:
A. Depending on the size of your marketing department you can create a video to post virally and on Facebook.
B. You can consult on second life – very advanced (I don’t do this)
C. Create a company Wikipedia page

6. Social Media Manager
A. Consider designating one or two people to investigate what social media has to offer and make it their job to establish your presence. Make sure they meet with you prior to posting anything on the net to ensure they are keeping your vision in mind.

Consider embarking on social media not as turning your back on traditional recruiting methods, just as a new source of generating candidates and clients. The number one rule is once a connection is made in any social media realm to pick up the phone and establish a “real” relationship. Always move out of social media as soon as possible, use it as a place to court long term candidates and advertise but never primary mode of conversation.