Spring hath sprung in many areas all around the country. And this is traditionally a time to clean up, clean out, make changes as needed – and start new and afresh as needed. (Think of cleaning out a garage, basement, attic….or even your ma

rketing.)

Yes, cleaning your marketing – or more specifically, your social media strategy.

So here is MMC’s take on social media channels as of early April 2012 to give you some ideas on how to “clean house” – agree or disagree, we thought we’d put it out there and let you weigh in as you wish.

1. Facebook – important and still a powerful way of carrying on conversations with people. BUT, make sure you have updated your page to reflect the new timeline and graphic requirements…..otherwise your page is looking so 2011.

2. Twitter – still love it. Love it. A great way to engage in one-to-one conversations and build a network. The power of Twitter is not diminished.

3. LinkedIn – still not going anywhere, and a fabulous way to keep your online “Rolodex” up to date and current. Are you using LinkedIn for your business or brand? For many businesses, this is also an important tool. No matter how you use it, don’t forget some of the basics like ensuring your profile is up-to-date, and posting status updates.

4. YouTube – video is growing. It can tell a great story, it can be a great way to engage with people, and, despite popular opinion, it doesn’t have to be expensive to produce. YouTube is an excellent repository for all your videos that you can then use on other marketing channels.

5. Blogs – still important for SEO and for sharing thoughts and ideas so that you (and your company) are portrayed as idea-generators, content contributors, and hopefully as experts in your field. In addition to more traditional blogs (like the one you are reading right now), Tumblr is also a way to curate content and generate blogs (and is growing in popularity).

6. Google+ – this is a tricky one. It is good for SEO – a very important part of online marketing – but in other ways I am not convinced it will do a good job of reaching many target audiences. It seems that there are very select audiences who G+ can reach – many of which are business people themselves. Some have had good experiences with G+ reaching a B2C market, while others have not. Analyze this channel carefully before jumping in.

7. Pinterest – this is the channel I am so excited about. Its use for business – both B2C and B2B – is amazing and has enormous potential. It’s not for everyone – BUT if you don’t look at it carefully to see if there are potential ways it can work for your business, you might be missing a key marketing opportunity.

These are the key social media channels I’ll focus on for today – but keep in mind much depends on who your target audience is and where you can best reach them. That is one of the most overlooked areas when business people execute social media – they don’t stop to figure out where they can best reach their targets. (And this really is perhaps the first thing to do…..)

Now is a great time to look at the social media channels you are using – and assess if you are using them “because everyone is using them,” or because they will help you connect with your target audiences. Use social media strategically – take some time right now to ensure your channels are helping reach your business goals. “Clean out” those that are not. Add in those that will be effective for your business.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic as well. Which social media channels are key ones to focus on? Are there any you feel are growing in importance, or diminishing in the value they provide?

Filed under: Audience, Branding, Emerging medias, Marketing Campaigns, Messaging, Social Media, Strategic marketing on April 3rd, 2012