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Ever notice a business that makes a social media appearance…then disappears?

Many companies start off strong and are excited to create their social media accounts and execute their campaign. The excitement to launch is energizing and really fuels the success of the campaign, that is if it doesn’t disappear.

A social media campaign will only be as good as the execution and if the execution fizzles a few days or weeks into the campaign, the energy will fizzle and the campaign will flop.

There are ways to prevent a social media campaign from falling flat.

• Plan it. The idea of proper planning cannot be emphasized enough. The more explicit the plan, the easier the execution. The easier the execution, the more likely it will achieve its goals. A great suggestion is to complete a monthly a calendar (prior to the start of the month) outlining all outlets, which will be used and all activity. Once the calendar is finalized, it can be distributed to all who are participating in execution and it will leave little overlooked. The responsibilities can be delegated and the plan becomes clear.
• Tweak it. Be sure to keep an eye and ear out for what is going on during the campaign. Give the initial execution 1-2 weeks and then evaluate its effectiveness. If the execution is not lending itself to achieving the goal, tweak it after some time, but don’t wait too long.
• Keep it fun and interesting. If interactions start dwindling a little too much, execute more interactive and fun tactics. For instance, it might make sense to execute a weekly contest. The contest could be placed on a Facebook fan tab or on a microsite. Each week the contest can be held on a consistent day at a consistent time, but the topic of questions or prize can change. This will keep an on-going buzz, give the business something to talk about, and encourage consistent participation among users.
• Use a media mix. Use a mix of just words through status updates, links, images, videos, etc. Plan your calendar keeping in mind the need for variety in content and a subtle combination of 10-20 percent promotion and 80-90 percent interactive.

Most importantly, keep the social media campaign a priority. Social media execution should be a few minutes to an hour on a daily basis, but execution should not take up an entire day, everyday. Remember, social media is a component of a marketing plan and an initiative requiring proper maintenance for success.

Jen Cohen is a social media and marketing maven knocked down many times in 26 yrs. Something Creative http://somethingcreativemarketing.com

Tags: authenticity, Business, community, Marketing, online marketing, recommendation, Social Media, social media tools, social network, social networking, Strategy, the right way, trust, twitter tools