"Get on Twitter" Is Not a Social Media Strategy

Dan Gershenson is Creative Director of The Creative Underground, a Brand Development Agency. He's also a social media expert.

Dan wrote a nice white paper with the questions you should ask yourself before embarking on a social media strategy. Maybe the best advice in the paper is the following...

So once you’ve identified your best areas for audience connections, pick one or two tactics maximum to begin with. Then start getting your feet wet — and don’t put a lot of pressure on yourself as to what you’ll be saying as much as just getting yourself comfortable with the tactics you’ve initially chosen. Send out a post. Read someone else’s blog. Find something worth commenting on? Then do so. Has someone chosen to “follow” you or become a Fan? Then follow them right back and become a Fan too. Ease into your comfort zone but keep going. As you find a steady rhythm that involves using the initial tactics you’ve chosen, think about the next one you can comfortably add to your plate. Remember, you can’t do everything and be everywhere. And you don’t have to be if you’ve gotten a sense that people are responding to your message in particular areas.

This has been my experience. Work one approach at a time and go slow. Get to know the media, how it's used, and what's appropriate and inappropriate. I know some marketing consultants who jumped in with both feet, ignoring the culture of the media, and did nothing but create ill-will before getting tossed out.

Dan's paper is short and in the form of a pdf. Download a copy from Brandchannel here.