The following guest post is written by Phillip Dodd, a current student enrolled in Facebook Intensive Program. Phillip is Social Media Manager for The Children’s Wear Outlet (www.thechildrenswearoutlet.com) and Timeless Settings (www.timeless-settings.com). Over to Phillip now….

Zeno, the Greek philosopher is attributed with a fantastic quote that was shared by Jennifer Polk (@jenpolk1) this morning at the 2nd session of the “Facebook Intensive Program” Training Workshop concerning digital strategy and policy guidelines. The quote is this: “The reason that we have two ears and one mouth is to listen more and speak less.”

This quote is perhaps the best advice that could be offered to someone who is just starting down the road of marketing on social platforms. Social platforms provide an opportunity that brands have previously never had: the ability to listen on an intimate and personal level to what current and prospective customers say, like, dislike, think, and are interested in. Such a powerful ability cannot be ignored.

It can, however, be worthless if improperly utilized. As I learned from Jennifer Polk this morning, having a detailed policy and guidelines set in place is imperative for the success of a social media campaign.  Social media, when approached without clearly defined intentions, can very easily leave you empty handed in exchange for your valuable time. It is a large and confusing place that is filled with things to distract and confuse those that do not have a clearly defined pathway to a clearly defined goal.

I challenge you to review your own company’s social media efforts and gauge whether or not they are being as effectively implemented as they could be. Create a clearly defined general digital policy and strategy defined along with the goals you want to reach. Once completed, create more specific policies and strategies for the social platforms that you choose to be involved in based on what benefit they offer your brand.

I would highly recommend checking out Social Media Governance’s library of social media policies (http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php) whether you have created a clearly defined policy or not. Be sure to sign up for Email updates, and you will receive and email offering review and assistance with your own policy.

I hope that you’ve found my small article helpful, and I wish the greatest of luck to all of you. Please don’t hesitate to connect with me, as I am always seeking new contacts to share information with and discuss business and marketing.

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