Questions to Ask

Below are questions you might consider when creating your social media plan — and are worth discussing with Clark’s social media manager:

• What social media, if any, have already been established by colleagues or the University for this purpose? Answering this question will help you avoid duplicating efforts or mixing messages.
• What do you hope to accomplish with this social media presence?
• What communications goals will social media help you accomplish that other media, such as a website, couldn’t?
• Who is your social media audience?
• What content do you want to have contributed on a regular basis to the social channel?
• Which of the social media platforms available to you will best help you fulfill your goals for reaching your key audiences in an efficient way?

Study various social media channels to answer the above question, and consider these issues:

• Each social media platform has its own set of strengths and weaknesses in such areas as ease of use, type of content included, popularity with users, privacy controls, and community user expectations.
• Understanding what you’re trying to communicate will help guide your decision in selecting a platform or platforms. For example, if you’re interested mostly in sharing “headlines,” Twitter may be your best platform. If you’re more interested in developing a community dialogue, Facebook may be the better choice.
• Learn what the individual platforms offer and how their communities work when developing a channel plan.
• Choose only one or two platforms, especially in the beginning, to focus your plan.