Four Steps to Social Media Plan

I just finished reading Courtney Spencer's "Implement a Social Media Marketing Plan with These 4 Easy Steps."

Courtney minimizes the process to four basic steps:

1. Decide Where Exactly You Want to Be Online
2. Come Up With Multiple Options
3. Implementation
4. Search the Web

All in, I think Courtney did a good job of summarizing the basics. I would have liked to see a little more meat, particularly on the Implementation stage. But all in, not a bad summary.

If I had to focus in on one area, it would be the sections that speak to the resources needed to "maintain" the effort. Unlike other marketing channels that may be somewhat forgiving, social media is one that can truly require anywhere from weekly to daily to hourly effort once the campaign is launched. The media is so fluid and interactive that ignoring it could result in lost opportunities or reputation risk. Think Community Manager when you roll out an effort to ensure you give the appropriate attention to the plan.

Give it a look and provide Courtney your two cents.