First in the ‘seven-sentence' social media plan that Jay Conrad Levinson and Shane Gibson lay out in Guerrilla Social Media Marketing ( www.tatamcgrawhill.com ) is the statement of ‘goals' – the purpose of your marketing. Examples of SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely) goals given in the book include: increasing ‘Web site revenues by 32 per cent within 120 days,' consistently generating 10 ‘additional reservations per week,' and increasing ‘blog traffic' by 1,500 visitors per day from a specific area.

Big goals

When setting goals, try not to make them too safe, the authors note. Their recommendation is that your goal should be ‘so big that it scares your neighbours'! “You don't want goals that far outpace your abilities, but you do want goals that make you stretch. Your goals should keep you up at night (or, more importantly, out of bed early and excited).” An important tip that the authors offer is to ensure ‘values alignment' by simply listing all of the core activities, people, and daily disciplines associated with the goal and then comparing with your values. If 70 per cent or more of the activities and disciplines fulfil your core values, then chances are the goal will be an energising, pleasurable milestone to work toward, they add. “If it is less than 70 per cent, you should build a new path to the goal or find a new goal that satisfies your core values and drivers.”

Competitive advantages

The second sentence in the ‘guerrilla social media attack plan' should be about the competitive advantages you have and the problems you can solve for your target audience, the book instructs. To do this, you must first know the needs, pains, and goals of your clients and prospects, the authors explain. “It's not enough to save people time or money. Your advantages are your compelling marketing offer. Don't just promote the same stale benefits everyone else does.”

Urging that the talk about competitive advantages should drive content of your social media marketing calendar, the authors advise that all of your tweets, blog posts, videos, photos, and conversations should together tell a story about the unique way you deliver your product or service, your process of doing business that no one else can deliver as well as you.

Maintain focus

Target market should be identified in the third sentence of the social media plan; and this is about establishing and maintaining focus, as the authors elaborate. They remind that while most people are comfortable with the 80/20 rule, guerrillas don't want 80 per cent of their efforts going to waste.

On a related note is ‘positioning' which appears as a subsequent sentence in the media plan. For, within your target market, there are nano-markets which you focus on to develop a high level of intimacy and engagement, the authors reason.

The authors goad you to be a dominant player in multiple segments within your broader target market instead of being one of many people in a large market. They insist that, once chosen, you must stay committed to your specific nano-markets, because consistency and focus there will make you a dominant and profitable player.

A vital sentence in the media plan is the one about identity, which must be ‘more than a façade or polished image' in a now transparent online world. “It can't be what you would like people to believe about you and your brand. It must honestly and authentically state the personality and identity of your business and include the values you live by… Your authentic identity is what establishes trust and credibility with your specific audience.”

Wealth of takeaways.

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