In 2009, I encouraged marketers with no idea how social media works to simply get out, create accounts and post information they are already creating.I hope they did that because in 2010 I think it’s time for marketers who were just getting acquainted to take things a step further by creating a strategic content plan.Creating a Content Plan
- Like a magazine, break your year down by months or quarters.
- Brainstorm subject matter and subject matter experts.
- Assign 1-2 main topics for each time period. Remember to assign them strategically, for example, if you are promoting clothing, you should promote summer clothing in the months when people are most likely going to be shopping for summer clothes.
- Determine the social media sites where you want to share your content (blog, youtube, facebook, twitter) and make sure you are familiar.
- Work backwards to determine the time you will need to produce content and start scheduling your time and interviews.
After completing those steps you should be ready to start creating content of interest that will increase your brand awareness and revenue. Along the way, don’t forget to listen to your audience and adjust your content plan accordingly.
The driver behind successful social media campaigns is no different from the driver behind successful traditional marketing campaigns.Success in social media marketing starts with product differentiation. Companies must first examine what makes their product or service better than the competition. Hopefully this should come easy. Examples of product differentiations could be the features and functionality, it could be an interesting story about how a product was developed or it could be simply the price.Either way, when entering the social media stratosphere, it is important to take note of what sets you apart from the competition.People on the Internet – bloggers in particular – are interested in discussing product ideas and solution approaches that are new and different.A current example would be the new 
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