Chefs "Get" Social Media - they just didn't know it...

The key to making a culinary delight isn't that you know all the best ingredients, it's knowing how to put the ingredients together that makes a difference. It isn't any different with social media. Just having someone who knows the right "tools" doesn't make social media turn out the right way or work for you - they are just the ingredients. What makes social media work is act like a "great chef".

Great chef's start with a PLAN - what do they want the culinary delight to look like, taste like, and the overall experience they want to deliver. Then they decide which INGREDIENTS they feel need to deliver what they have envisioned and they go find the ones they need. Then they ASSEMBLE these ingredients in just the right "order" and in just the right "amount" and with just the right "timing" to make it turn out the way they planned in the beginning. Then they TEST IT with their customers - did it deliver what they originally "planned" or do they need to make changes the next time they make the dish.

What part of this DOES NOT sound familiar to the way a successful experience should play out with our customers/members/clients/partners/employees? NONE is the correct answer. These are all the steps we need to take to deliver what our audience wants. We PLAN, SELECT the appropriate TOOLS, ASSEMBLE the CONTENT, and finally EXECUTE the plan. After we have delivered the MESSAGE, - then we LISTEN for feedback and make the appropriate modifications to the original PLAN. This is illustrated graphically below for those that are more visual. 

This is the basis for creating and leveraging each of these aspects to create "WORD-of-MOUTH on STEROIDS.  We'll talk about what goes into each of these in subsequent posts, breaking down each element as it would be if you were creating your own culinary delight and how it can help you move into getting more of the right people talking more about you. ENJOY...