Social Media or New Media are just tools. It helps to not be afraid of them. My job, as a communications professional, is to make those tools work for you.

I get asked a lot for a sample proposal and I have those available. But perhaps the questions that’s really being asked is, “What do I get for my money?” and the answer to that is not someone else’s proposal with the names blacked out. The answer to that is an explanation of the process.

When I meet with a new client, the very first order of business is to find out what their budget is and what their timeline is. Once those two things are figured out, we can proceed with a much better understanding of how a social media consultation works.

(Note: Even if the answers to the above questions are: $0 and RIGHT NOW, Red Branch can usually help, with a quick brainstorming session or the suggestions of a hidden cost saving measure that might create funds for a social media campaign or strategy.)

Once budget and timeline are established, we can move on to marketing history. This is usually a casual conversation regarding where the company is currently spending resources to engage potential users or clients. Notice I said resources rather than money. We methodically establish what has worked for the company and what is currently not working. I also take an inventory of what resources the company does have (in house staff, design talent, travel budget, great network) that can be used to stretch their social media dollars.

Okay, by now we’ve established budget, timeline, history and resources to some extent. Next, we’ll talk about the GOAL. It really helps clients when we clarify exactly what their goals are. This way everyone can be held accountable for what they need to accomplish to reach those goals. Sometimes the goal is to increase sales, visibility, create a brand, attract advertisers. It all depends and is company specific. This is a very important part of the entire beginning meeting because without a clearly defined goal, there is no way of knowing which tools and strategies you can use to get there.

Now, this is where my expertise comes in. I take all this information and create a plan that charts out what you need to do, how long it will take you to do it, which goals you are hitting with which tactic and whether or not this is a task you should outsource or keep in-house. I explain which things must be carried out in chronological order and why. There are a lot of variables that go into creating a roadmap like this, which is why a sample rarely does it justice.

Once the document is finished, we all meet again so that I can explain which things are “musts” and which are “nice to haves”. I explain how the plan can complement (not replace) your traditional marketing plan and offer tips, suggestions or in-depth consulting to train your employees, if that is necessary. We establish how much of the plan is “do-able” and how we want to go about implementing that. If there is hiring to be done, I can assist with job descriptions and interview protocol. If the company should choose to want me to stay on to implement all or part of the plan, we discuss rates and calendar options.  My goal for this meeting is that you leave with three consecutive action steps for the client to accomplish and NO questions left unanswered.

Hopefully, this explains what you should expect from a social media marketing consult and what you CAN expect from me. If there is anything else you’d like to know, please call me at 402-215-4440 or email me at maren@redbranchmedia.net