The Basic Strategy

We've decided on a basic strategy and have defined the Social Media components that will support our goals for the project. Marketing's goals have been created in support of the upper management's goals, which are pretty specific and, not suprisingly, short term revenue oriented. Luckily, the projects that support long term growth are low-budget ticket items that easily fall within our budget. So the short term projects can take the dollars for now. Our goals for the remainder of 09 and 2010 are as follows:

- Drive x-mas re-orders from existing customers
- Acquire new customers
- Create a comunity of our retail stores/partners directly via Facebook
- Create a community with our consumers to drive awareness, adoption and disemination

So I've mapped out the tactical components that will allow us to reach each goal:

1. Drive x-mas re-orders from existing customers. Our cusotmer base is made up of small collegiate stores who have relationships with a local sales rep that carries our product line. We're starting the x-mas demand by offering a product incentive for our customers... the details for that incentive will be housed on our Retail Buyer's fan page on FB. Once connected we will have a direct, multi-directional (us to customer, customer to customer) communication channel that offers value far beyond an email blast.

The sales reps are our customers as well. They're being offered an incentive program to increase revenue in 09, as well.


2. Acquire new customers. This is a hefty project but is attainable. The first part of the project will be to increase non-existent traffic to our e-commerce site. We've invested heavily on an outsourced SEO strategy along with execution. To support this goal in the longer term we're emplacing an SEO stragey in coordination with a social media plan (FB, YouTube, Twitter... others) and grass roots marketing efforts.

A sales rep incentive program will be created rewarding the opening of new retail stores.

3. Create a comunity of our retail stores/partners directly via Facebook. The better dialogue we have with our retailers the more we can count on them in tough times. This is a long term/low cost/high effort tactic to make our customers love us and want to help us grow.

4. Create a community with our consumers to drive awareness, adoption and disemination. The holy grail of social media success. Creating a meaningful connection with your customer via social media. The possibilities are endless and mind-blowing. The goal in 2009 is to win 500 followers. The goal for 2010 is to win 5000 followers.

We're trying to sew social media, which is low cost but high effort, into our existence to make it meaningful and support our vision and goals. I'm beginning to see these tools as integrated parts of our strategy rather than 'extra' or duplicative.

As usual, your thoughts are welcome.

jb