Strategic Social Media: Building Relationships & Creating Conversations
It’s time for a new conversation! I love social media. I love the idea of social media. The visions, philosophies and the challenging discussions that go on every day about the whys and the whens drive my curiosity. I love the potential of social media and I am fascinated by the drawbacks.
This conceptual course focuses on the why and when of social media for the purpose of building relationships and creating conversations with stakeholders and key audiences.
Objectives
- To introduce students to core concepts of social media including interactivity and conversation-building.
- To understanding the history of social media and the core principles and theories that inform their use for organizations.
- To understand the ethical decisions organizations must make when engaging in social media.
- To understand the risks and responsibilities associated with social media and the importance of transparency and authenticity.
- To be able to provide strategic counsel, based on their understanding of core concepts of social media, to organizations about why and when to use social media tools in communication.
- To create a social media plan that chooses the tools (tactics) designed to meet the objectives. Emphasizing that some companies don’t need or aren’t ready for social media… and some objectives can’t be met with social media.
- To engage with tools and understand how to measure social media campaigns.
Readings
Required
- Tactical Transparency: How Leaders Can Leverage Social media to Maximize Value and Build Their Brand Shel Holtz, John C. Havens
- Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff
- Engage: The Complete Guide for Brands and Business to Build, Cultivate and Measure Success in the New Web Brian Solis
Online readings: Long Tail (Anderson), Cluetrain Manifesto (Chris Locke, Doc Searls, David Weinberger) and much more.
