Today kicked off with a good read from John Jantsch on Social Media Today about 5 ways to get more out of Facebook. The tips are great if you’re already engaged on the platform, but if you’re just getting started here or on other services like (soon to be Facebook) FriendFeed, there are some key questions that your clients will immediately ask.
From John’s post, asking questions like what vanity URL they should use is a good start for any platform, but there’s four major points I’ve come across that you should proactively answer for your client when pitching a new platform.
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1. “Which department will own this project?”
This question has many different parts – and one you should spend LOTS of time thinking through. Among all the consumer-facing departments, consider elements like: who is best positioned to develop the backend framework, who will develop the creative content, who manages the day to day activity, what type of measurement you need and who controls that, and most of all – who is signing the check and what type of success do they need to see.
2. “Which external agency should handle the workflow?”
Every external agency may claim they’re best suited – so it’s key to understand what your client’s role is in the process and address that directly. Do they want to just wind it up and have someone else manage? Do they want full hands-on access where they’re directly contributing each day? Once you gauge where your client will sit in the process, you can understand how to best build your social platform workflow around them.
3. “Who approves the content?”
If your client is unsure of who signs off on content, they’ll most likely do the logical thing and pass it up the chain of command to the appropriate person. If you can proactively source where pre-approved content will come from, as well as precedents for approval of other content, you can help them understand how the overall process will work (aka how you can make their lives easier).
4. “Who takes the credit or the fall?”
For many clients, your experience may be their first big venture into a social media platform – so pay close attention on the success milestones and how you can best position them to meet it. For example, if your client wants 100 new paying customers from the platform, focus your short term tactics around getting to customer conversion like offers and personalized deals. If your client wants audience numbers, try contests that will help reward audiences for joining your network. If your client is unsure, find the key goals and strategies that apply to your existing scope of work and expand from there.
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I’m sure there are more questions to answer, but these should help get you started with the top of mind concerns for your client – saving everyone time and money.