The Social Media Road Map

This book is designed to provide a roadmap for senior members of organizations.

It describes what to look for and what questions to ask as they develop a social media strategy and perform internal management functions to execute the strategy. The book will guide the reader through a brief history of social media, the most popular social media tools and an understanding of how social media has become the newest vehicle for business marketing and communication, all for the purpose of providing background information necessary to formulate a solid strategy to manage social media tools and/or initiatives within an organization. There will be directions for developing the key sections of a social media strategy, what questions to ask regarding particular social media tools, how to conduct research, perform a social media audit, and resource planning which are integral parts of a social media strategic plan.

There will also be a discussion of activities and documents needed for the internal management of social media focused on the delicate balance between people, processes and technology. This includes the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY and How questions that when properly answered form the foundation of an effective social media management strategy. These questions and answers will expand on topics of decision making regarding social media, determining roles and responsibilities, creating social media governance which may include developing a social media policy, assessing technical requirements, coordinating across business units and understanding the impact of organizational culture when deciding to implement social media.