There seems to be a persistent (and disheartening) belief amongst marketers, both client side and agency, that social media is akin to the wild west - a place bereft of rules or reason where outlaws shoot first and ask questions later. I’m frequently amazed by how often I come across brands whose social media efforts not only feel totally arbitrary but are also totally off-brand. A lot of marketers still seem to see social media as a place to throw stuff up and see what sticks. This approach is irresponsible on two fronts. For one, creating brand accounts and campaigns just for the sake of not feeling left out is a big waste of marketing dollars. But the second, more disconcerting, risk is that these efforts can often be really damaging to your brand. 

An effective social presence is predicated on two things, the first is clearly defined business objectives and the second is a strategy that outlines how you intend to achieve those objectives. Within weeks of announcing the launch of Google+, Google received almost 40,000 requests from brands and businesses to take part in their pilot business profiles. Of those brands submitting requests, how many do you think had plans for how they were going to activate and engage on Google+? How many do you think planned on simply re-purposing content from their Facebook and Twitter accounts? How many do you think just wanted to be part of the shiny, new network? 

None of this is intended to suggest that we shouldn’t be experimenting and trying out new things. The social landscape is in constant flux and experimentation and iteration are integral if you hope to be a leader in the space. Having said that, experimenting without clearly defined goals and a plan to achieve them akin to flying blind and just hoping that things work out. It’s time we tame the wild west and get smarter in how we approach social media.