A Sector Without Precedent; Why Due Diligence Is Key To Social Media Success

Life moves pretty fast in the world of social media. The opportunities that the sector presents are rapidly being grasped by brands keen to grow and engage with new and existing audiences; continually developing new and pioneering means of providing the quality and quantity of content that these audiences demand.

Given the competition amongst brands for fan numbers and engagement methods, it is not surprising that brands invest considerable resource in development teams to produce new and compelling engagement campaigns. The sector almost encourages this, given its ability to continually invent new technologies and new methods, from specific design and development tools, to the opening up of new opportunities through social networks. This is particularly true of Facebook.

As a result, social media users are regularly rewarded with first-of-its-kind tools and content with which to engage. However, whilst there is understandably significant enthusiasm to pioneer new techniques, it should come with a warning attached: that no matter how new or exciting, engaging, or rewarding, if you fail to prepare, then you should prepare to fail, as the old mantra goes.

Or look at it another way; brands need to plan for the unknown, despite how contradictory that might sound. As the sector is still relatively young, most major brands – particularly those who can number their Facebook fans in the millions - often rely upon a number of differently skilled third party agencies, consultancies and experts in developing their overall strategy. These may include technical build agencies, strategists, content providers, PR, marketing or numerous others.

In short, there can be lot of parties involved, across a range of very different skills, that each contribute to a single brand strategy. Whilst this approach has its merits and can certainly lead to some fantastic collaborative campaigns, given that all parties will be keen to demonstrate their creativity, encouraged by the can-do charisma of the sector, efficient and open communication between agencies is essential in a sector with few precedents.

Consequently, as there are often no precedents and the campaigns being developed are literally first-of-its-kind, the requirement for due diligence is paramount. Transparency and openness between agencies is key to success in this arena; sharing learnings and best practice, and benefiting from each other’s strengths and minimizing weaknesses.

It truly is a sector of unparalleled opportunity, but as pioneers without precedent, due diligence is king.