Social media has created an exciting and challenging world of new possibilities for marketers. But many marketers are exploring this unfamiliar terrain without a compass – or strategy – to guide them. Captivated by the hype and the ease of implementing social sites, many are ignoring proven marketing principles. They are launching social media marketing initiatives by creating blogs, Twitter and Facebook accounts without any plan or purpose.
But a momentous change is taking place in the use of social media for marketing purposes. Social marketing is maturing to the point where the mainstream is now transitioning from the trial-and-error tactical phase of the learning curve to the strategic phase. Marketers are learning to begin their social marketing initiatives by researching the medium and monitoring target audiences to determine realistic objectives. Then they formulate tactical plans and roll-out the social platforms required by the plan.
The Strategic Solution - Sherpa's Social Marketing ROAD Map
To help marketers ascend this steep learning curve, they need a practical method for mapping their social media strategy. They need to develop a coherent process for achieving objectives that can be easily and routinely performed. MarketingSherpa’s Social Marketing ROAD Map Strategy Training Course was created to fulfill this need.
MarketingSherpa’s ROAD Map is an acronym representing the following four chronological stages of our social marketing methodology:
Research—Gather intelligence on target audiences, social use and competition
Objectives—Define objectives based on target audiences and social metrics
Actions—Create a social marketing strategy with a tactical plan of action
Devices—Select platforms that fit social marketing architecture and tactics
Based on this methodology, our full-day program takes you step-by-step toward mapping your social marketing strategy through each of the four phases. The class is filled with research-based insights on proven practices, hands-on exercises and real life success stories from marketers like you.
By the end of the day, you will have mastered the Social Marketing ROAD Map methodology and developed an actionable framework for your social marketing strategy.
Here's What Recent Attendees Have Shared:
"This workshop was fantastic I've been to a few seminars from other "Social Media" experts and this was the perfect blend of introductory and advanced strategy development and concepts and tactical techniques."
Meghan Doyle, Maidpro
"Excellent workshop that brought relevant content in a practical format that could easily be followed."
Melissa Rossi, Teledyne
"The MarketingSherpa seminar I attended was inspiring. I left the meeting room ready to get to work. I took away a number of practical social media tactics to produce measureable results."
James Doyle, Maidpro
"The workshop flowed very well from 30,000 foot view, right down to details and actionable tactics. The framework crystalized a lot of thoughts and plans that have been floating around."
Christopher Knight, Lightower
Training Course Dates and Locations
To celebrate the launch of MarketingSherpa’s Social Marketing ROAD Map Strategy Training Courses, for a limited-time, you can save $100 of the regular price of $995.
However, you need to order today, as there is limited space available for each location. This special savings of $100 can only be extended on a first come, first serve basis. See below for tour locations and dates.
Sergio Balegno is Research Director at MarketingSherpa. Sergio is the lead author of the 2010 Marketing Benchmark Reports on the topics of Social Media, Email and B2B. He researches, writes and frequently speaks about these topics at MarketingSherpa summits and professional training workshops, industry conferences and educational institutions including Harvard. He is a thought-leader responsible for the development of new methodologies that improve the performance of marketing programs and advance the careers of marketing professionals.
As principle analyst covering the topic of social media, Sergio created the Social Marketing ROAD Map, a systematic approach to mapping an effective social marketing strategy. He is also credited with developing the research model for Social Marketing Maturity. This model demonstrates the disparity in the performance of social marketing programs by organizations in each phase of the maturity lifecycle.
Sergio has worked in marketing since 1980, first on the brand-side as Vice President of Marketing in the airline industry, then on the agency-side as founding partner of a B2B communications firm that was an early innovator of digital marketing practices. He was also Managing Director of an online marketing consultancy. Sergio joined MarketingSherpa in 2008 and is a frequently quoted authority on the topic of online marketing research and best practices.
The Research Group at MarketingSherpa consists of knowledgeable analysts who conduct primary research on a broad range of marketing topics for the creation of benchmark reports, how-to handbooks, training curriculum and other research-based content.
Jen Doyle
Jen Doyle is a Research Analyst at MarketingSherpa covering search engine marketing (SEO and PPC), B2B marketing and social media. She is the lead author of the 2011 Search Marketing Benchmark Report, a speaker at MarketingSherpa and partner events, a MarketingSherpa newsletter columnist, and blog contributor, and a speaker for MarketingSherpa and partner webinars. Her research has been instrumental in the development of new media marketing practices.
Prior to joining MarketingSherpa, Jen managed search, social media and direct marketing campaigns for companies in the computer software industry, consumer retail, B2B services as well as nonprofit. Jen has been recognized for her successful experience specifically in the practice of search engine marketing programs targeting a wide variety of audiences.
FREE 184-Page Course Textbook ($397 Value)
This one-day training is based on MarketingSherpa's Social Marketing ROAD Map Handbook. You'll receive a FREE copy (a $397 value) to be used as your textbook during the course that you can take back to your office for future reference. Use it as your on-the-job reference guide to plan, implement and manage an effective social marketing strategy that will meet and exceed your goals.
The Social Marketing ROAD Map Handbook includes:
27 real-world examples of what works
11 case studies from leading companies
20 charts and tables
3 special reports
9 checklists and worksheets
Course Outline 9:15am - 4:15pm
Social Marketing Workshop Outline
8:30-9:15
Registration
9:15-9:30
Introductions and Expectations
Instructor and attendee introductions
Class discussion: Shared expectations for the workshop
9:30-10:30
Setting the Stage for Social Marketing Success
The state of social media – a new world of marketing opportunities
Three questions to ask ourselves before getting started
Social Marketing ROAD Map: A method for mapping your social marketing strategy
Class exercise: Determining your organization's phase of social marketing maturity
10:30-10:45
Break
10:45-11:30
ROAD Map – Research: Gathering Intelligence
Stop, look and listen – monitoring social media
What to monitor, benchmark and tools to use
Target audiences segments
Recruiting internal resources and defining roles for the social marketing team
Identifying your existing content for social marketing repurposing
Class exercise: Profiling your target audiences by social influence and behavior
11:30-Noon
ROAD Map – Objectives: Targeting and Alignment
Defining targeted and measureable objectives for social marketing purposes
Prioritizing target audience segments
Identifying metrics and reporting specifications
Class exercise: Aligning your objectives with target audiences and success metrics
Noon-1:00
Lunch
1:00-1:45
ROAD Map – Actions: Social Marketing Tactics
Effectiveness versus “fast and easy”
Tactics for the effective use of social media platforms
Blogging, microblogging, social networking and multimedia content sharing
Engaging the social minority and pitching the social authority
Case study: Lessons in developing your social marketing tactical plan
The importance of a social media policy and how to draft one
Social Media’s share of the online marketing budget
1:45-2:30
ROAD Map – Actions (cont.): Social Media Integration
Integrating social media with other tactics in the mix
Extending the reach of email campaigns with social sharing
Inbound marketing’s powerful pair – search and social
Case study: Key trends and tactics in search and social integration
Class exercise: Outlining your tactical plan of action
2:30-2:45
Break
2:45-3:45
ROAD Map – Devices: Technology and Architecture
Creating a strategy that outlives technology
Analyzing social platforms for strengths and weaknesses
Identifying hub sites for content and conversion
Prioritizing platforms for community building and engagement
Class exercise: Constructing your social marketing architecture
3:45-4:15
Review of Top Takeaways for Mapping Your Social Marketing Strategy
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Sergio Balegno
Jen Doyle