Social Media Machine

Presented by Mark Vang

The complete four part series.

● [RSVP] Part Introduction to Social Media Machines⓵● [RSVP] Part Build the Social Media Machine⓶● [RSVP] Part Tune the Social Media Machine⓷● [RSVP] Part Social Media Machine Q&A and Summary⓸● [playlist] Rise of the Machines HOA Event - full playlist including supplemental

videos.

Introduction to Social Media Machines

○ Platform automation vs. machine automation.○ Pros/cons - how they work together.

■ pro - machine offers output configuration■ pro - machine offers one to many dispersal■ con - the more intermediate steps, third party

apps, etc. the more likely something will break down.

Conduct a social platform inventory.● Facebook, Twitter, G+, website, etc.

○ Include inactive accounts. ○ This is an opportunity to review

account information like “about” text, links and contact information.

● Do the current access/posting permissions work?

○ Identify which staff can post to each account.

○ Do current permissions create account security issues?

Chess Club+ was selected for the demo because it is a “clean” project that already has a number of social media accounts set up.

● [as a spreadsheet]● [as a document]

● [inventory form]

step ①

Use a form to record account data.● Respondents do not need a Google+ account

to complete the form.● The form can be published and embedded on

a public website or a forum restricted to clients.

Additional resources:● Chess Club+ Platform Inventory [form]● Chess Club+ Platform Inventory (responses) [

spreadsheet]● How to create a survey using a Google Form [video]

Review strategy and goals.

○ Identify media types used for content. (video, blog, other).○ Chart current content paths.

■ How is content posted to each platform?○ Rate platforms by the amount of attention they get and how important

they are to the company’s content distribution.○ List metrics used to measure ROI/other for each platform and media

type.■ Estimate how much time is spent on social media tasks.

step ②

Map the current distribution system.

○ Try to include as much detail as possible while keeping the drawing simple to understand. This will become the “before” picture and may be one way to measure the effectiveness of the machine later on.

○ Three questions should be answered:■ What platforms are in use?■ How does content get posted to them?■ Who has access to the platform?

○ Include current follower numbers for all platform assets.

This sounds a lot fancier than it is in real life...

step ③

Chess Club + is doing a poor job!● The Chess Club + project reflects how

some businesses approach social media.o Set up a bunch of accounts - because we’re

supposed to be on social media, right?o Have poorly defined areas of responsibility.o No real plan for creating content, managing

engagement or measuring success.o Or, no documentation of how the plan is supposed to

work.

Is a machine needed?

⚠ Before moving forward take a look at the way content is currently distributed to see if the current system is in alignment with the content strategy and marketing goals.

1. Does the system (execution) match the current content plan?2. Are the business needs such that a social media machine is needed?

a. Is simple platform automation sufficient?

Maybe the problem all along has been that there was no plan or any organized effort to use social media effectively in conjunction with marketing and content strategies.

THE PURPOSEFUL MACHINE

● Reduce the number of actions needed to distribute content to platforms.

● Completely automate some tasks so staff can focus on content production and measuring results.

i.e.

● Knock some stuff off of your “to do” list.

● Let you focus on creating quality content.

● Free up time for analysis to determine what is working, or not working.

● Instead of jumping around platforms making posts, you can use the time to check post engagement and start conversations.

Social Media MachineThe +HOA Calendar event promotion system is a social media machine prototype built by: