Many clients over the last several months have been asking whether they should get in on this “Facebook-thing” and if they should start “Twittering.” The common oversight here is that these are just new tools for communication…and marketing.

The process and the methodology shouldn’t change just because you have some shiny new objects in front of you. What is the typical process to any advertising or marketing campaign?

A. Identify Audience
B. Define Goals
C. Track and Measure

And somewhere in between A and B comes Strategy and Planning, and before A might be Research. This shouldn’t change.

Before you Twitter or Facebook, or blog, or whatever. Ask yourself these questions?

1. Who is my audience? Who am I trying to reach?
2. What am I trying to accomplish?
3. Where is my audience online and how to they best like to be communicated with?
4. What types of content will get my audience excited?

If you don’t have these answers start with a simple customer survey or do some simple research online. Use Google Alerts to identify where and what your audience is saying about your industry, product, or service. Start listening first, this will help you create a plan to be successful online and in the social space.

photo credit: James Cridland