Are you are still trying to figure out how to implement a social media strategy in your organization? If so, you should take a look at this post on Social Media Today: 6 Steps for Creating a Social Media Marketing Roadmap & Plan. While it may be yet another plan in a long string of similar plans, I think that what we are seeing is a formalization/crystallization of what does and doesn’t work based on experience. This maturation process lends itself to better strategies and more simple approaches and make it a lot more accessible for late adopters.

While it may not tell you everything you ever wanted to know I think the six-step plan is a really good starting point, especially for those who still haven’t taken the plunge either because of uncertainty or fear. The highlights of the article are as follows:

First take time to determine the following:

1. Your goals – SEO, PR, traffic ( to drive awareness? advertising click-thus? conversions?)
2. Your audience – where does your target demo hang out?
3. Your resources – you, you plus an intern, internal team, agency?

After you figured out those aspects you are in a much better position to implement a durable strategy following the authors six-step plan:

Step 1: Understand What Social Media Is: The best way to look at social media is to view it as one of many Internet marketing channels, one that has the amazing power to go viral.

Step 2: Understand What Social Media Can & Can’t Do: Social media can engage your audience, encourage online conversations that are user-generated, increase your web presence, expand brand awareness, generate publicity (both good & bad) and provide SEO benefits.

Step 3: Determine Where Conversations are Happening: You will need to respond to conversations that are already happening.

Step 4: Divide: Next, you want to expand into unchartered territory. Before venturing out into the vast unknown, create your social media road map – a map of the social web as it pertains to your business.

Step 5: …and Conquer: Now comes the tactical deployment.

Step 6: Trust in the Force: Finally, trust is a huge factor in social engagement. Understand that social media marketing is most effective when users in the community know you.

Some may call the plan too basic/remedial. I feel that that is exactly why this approach is so appealing and would likely work well – especially for those who are just starting off. Start small, keep things simple and make sure you can analyze and measure what you are doing. If you go too big out of the gates you’ll never know exactly what is/isn’t working but if you start small you can always make incremental changes and add or subtract from what you are doing with very little problem. Good food for thought.