When it comes to your social media plan, do you know what you should be asking?  I’ve outlined steps to take to begin your social media plan in the past, but, before you begin taking steps to initiate your plan, you should ask a few questions.  These questions will help determine how you will go about executing your strategy.  You will learn what you are optimizing for and where you should be in social media.  Below are some questions you should consider in the initial phases of your social media strategy.

1.  What are your goals for social media? This could be SEO, downloads, web traffic, or something else.  Your goals will also define how you are going to measure your social media success.

2.  Who is your target audience or buyer persona? This will help you carve out the right niche and form a real community.

3.  What keywords do you want to rank for? You may want to do a quick Google search for your keywords and see which ones you need the most help with.

4.  What keywords or competitors will you start watching? It’s important to listen and find out what social media networkers are talking about.  Define what terms you will be listening in on.

5.  What blogs will you be active on? It’s important to find industry blogs where you can share your voice and your own content.

6.  Do you have any documents currently created that you can share on document sharing sites like Slideshare?

7.  Do you have any videos already created? What content do they cover or will they cover?

8.  Do you have any audio recordings already available from webinars, interviews, etc. that you can share?

9.  Do you have any press releases currently circulating that you can share?

10.  Are you an expert on any topics or in any industries?

11.  Do you have any ideas for giveaways or contests?

12.  Do you have a database of contacts that you can upload in order to find your customers in social media?

13.  Do you have photos you can share on your profiles and upload to sites such as Flickr?

14.  Are you currently blogging? Whether you are just starting or already blogging, you can integrate your blog into social media.

15.  Who will be performing social media? You may want to train your staff on social media policies if they will be taking part in your social media activities.

16.  What types of postings will you be using to engage your audience?

17.  How will you be posting your social media updates? Will you do this manually or using software such as HootSuite?

18.  What are the media consumption habits of your target audience?

19.  Who or what influences your target audience?

20.  What content is your target audience consuming and why?

I’m sure there are tons of other questions out there you can be asking yourself or your potential client.  This list provides a good general outline of things you may want to be asking during an initial consultation or at the beginning of your own plan.  If you want some more social media basics, you can download our Social Media eBook for Newbies.

What questions would you add to this list?

Photo from Flickr Creative Commons by Horia Varlan

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