marketing + sales: The 5 'P's' of Social Media Marketing Success

Small businesses face a different set of circumstances when it comes to social-media marketing than their larger counterparts—namely, smaller budgets, fewer employees and a greater priority on traditional forms of marketing.

For those charged with marketing, the biggest first step toward making social media an integral component of the plan may be convincing your organization. Despite widespread use of social networks for personal connections, the leadership of smaller organizations often questions its effectiveness as a marketing tool and whether they'll see a return on their investment.

I've developed and implemented social-media strategies for a variety of organizations—for-profits, nonprofits and individuals. For all of them, I've discovered that when it comes to social media, it's important to remember the 5 "P's":

1. Plan

Identify what you hope to accomplish and create a strategy to take you there. Too many small businesses dive into social media because they "have to," and don't consider a plan of action before they do so. Make a list of what you want to accomplish. Is it to gain more exposure? To get a higher attendance at your annual fundraiser? To increase sales?

Make it a priority to identify goals so you can create the social-media strategies for meeting them.

2. Patience

Nothing happens overnight. It takes time to develop relationships and establish credibility with your brand and your target audience. Over time, events and a steady pace will win out. Rushing leads to mistakes.

This type of patience requires a long-term mindset. When day-to-day activities seem arduous and, at times, unfulfilling, know that each day builds to the greater goal.

3. Persistence

You must be stubbornly committed to your goals and your strategy. Keep plugging away and give your plan a fair amount of time and analysis before you pull the plug. If you know the plan is a good one, don't panic and change course simply because you're not seeing results as quickly as you'd like.