Engaging your social media network can be tricky; without proper planning, it can be even worse. The good news is that simply using the tools is free or relatively cheap; the bad news is that it’s hard to understand when you need to hire a strategist versus having your teen post on their favorite network.

WARNING: This post is inspired by Tanya Ferrall’s “4 Types of Social Media Marketers and the 1 You Never Read About”. I insist to, not only be the “one you never read about” but, offer some insight as to why this type is crucial to your ROI.

Questions to ask your social media marketer:

• Why social media? Like everything else you do for your business, you need to consider the business case for using social media. Without one, your campaign will be less effective and difficult to justify.
• How will we be measuring the ROI? At what point should you measure an ROI? Whether it’s qualitative or quantitative, you’ll need this information to ensure that expectations are met (or exceeded!).
• How do you identify the tools we will be using? If the marketer starts listing off the names of the social media tools (Facebook, blogs, podcasts, etc), a red flag should go up. This question will help you decide whether or not the marketer has a grasp on marketing as a whole. There are many out there focused too much on the tools, rather than why the tools are effective. Solid social media strategies start with identifying relationships, then pairing tools that will be most effective for each.
• What role will I (or a representative) be playing in this campaign? To keep a campaign genuine, you should at least have a “check in” point to ensure the correct communication is being relayed and a personality is kept fresh.
  
• What are my competitors/What is my industry currently doing in this area? Excuse me, but duh? If they don’t know, don’t hire them.
  
• What will I do to differentiate myself from my competitors? If it’s the same, forget it-unless you have a plan to do it better, more effectively, and easily translatable.
• How will this strategy compliment my existing advertising and public relations initiatives? Social media is most successful when the strategy compliments existing mediums. This is why half of Biznet’s (where I work) business is dependent upon supporting advertising and public relations agencies. In fact, social media is an extension of the two and should be handled accordingly.

Just because you’re unfamiliar with a certain marketing medium doesn’t mean you should trust everything you hear. Maintain the same rules for using these tools as you do for all things business, while being willing to understand the way they work. If you need help getting started with social media, developing a network, or engaging a network, follow the links!