Current data suggests that more than three-quarters of nonprofits now use social media as a component of their communications, messaging, and marketing strategies. And social media usage statistics are similar for commercial, for-profit companies.

And yet, another recent national study – of advertising agencies’ clients – found that nearly 60% of companies using social media have no plan! Of those who did not have a plan, 88% admitted that, yes, a plan would be very valuable ….

It has been our experience, too, that across many organizations the “rush” to embrace social media often has trumped development of a cohesive and comprehensive social media strategy that is aligned both with an organization’s broader communications goals and with its enterprise-wide strategic objectives. Organizations may be well past the early days when the “social media team” consisted of an enthusiastic 20-something junior staffer “who knows that stuff,” but crafting a clear strategic purpose – and establishing the resources, structure, and processes to optimize social media’s deployment – often remains a mission-critical step not yet fully achieved.

That’s simply no way to treat a powerful channel of communications that presents an unparalleled opportunity to engage audiences, members, and key constituencies in a collaborative, interactive, two-way dialogue. As such, social media represents a remarkable opportunity to deepen and expand relationships to and among an organization’s audiences – and to directly contribute to a wide range of initiatives, from member and public education to marketing to advocacy to funding development to event awareness. That social media, properly positioned, is quickly becoming interwoven into and highly complementary to an organization’s full range of digital, print, and event communications channels makes it all the more valuable a vehicle – and all the more critical that social media is effectively deployed, integrated, and managed.

Social media is dynamic, exciting, powerful, and, yes, highly evolutionary – but nonetheless it can and should benefit from the application of time-tested strategic and tactical planning steps. As an organization develops (or more likely today, re-engineers and expands) its social media utilization, we consider the following steps (in quick summary) invaluable:

1.) Developing a clear definition and statement of the organization’s social media communications, messaging, marketing, and/or financial objectives

2.) Defining the specific organizational initiatives (e.g., member education, public service, policy and advocacy, development, et. al.) that social media will support and the manner in which each discipline will be supported by social media

3.) Identifying the specific social media tools and channels that are appropriate to be utilized in reaching, engaging, and impacting the organization’s key audiences

4.) Defining messaging and content scope and engagement guidelines for the organization’s output via social media channels

5.) Employing tactics to optimize the connectivity and audience cross-engagement between social media and the organization’s website and other media platforms

6.) Identifying and engaging key sector influencers who have social media followings

7.) Establishing brand and visual identity guidelines and compliance

8.) Establishing organizational structure, team definition, and operational policies

9.) Documenting social media launch (or refinement) tactics and operating budget

10.) Establishing tracking tools (e.g., the real-time means to track what is being said about the organization across the social media channels)

11.) Predetermining crisis messaging and crisis management processes for quick response should social media commentary turn negative or inaccurate

12.) Establishing checkpoints to assess approach and assure flexibility to make strategic or tactical adjustments as the social media landscape evolves

13.) Establishing specific metrics through which to judge the contribution of social media to the success of the organization’s communications and marketing initiatives, and to organizational mission goals and brand value

No, social media and planning are not mutually exclusive! – Gary Dolzall