5.1.1 Strategy definition application 2: Social media objectives, content strategy

Initial situation

Let’s start with the information base. We know

• the business benefits that we can generally achieve with social media for our business model and other corporate objectives.
• the topics of our business model and any other corporate objectives and their priority and social media affinity
• the options for action that we have for the topics of our strategy/strategy version and the competitive situation within these topics and options for action.

Definition of social media objectives

Using social media objectives, we define the performance that must be achieved in the individual strategy components so that the strategy objectives can be achieved. The basis for defining social media objectives are the strategy objectives of the social media strategy. These are defined by

• the topics and
• the company benefits to be realized there
• as well as the leading competitive position to be achieved

Strategy Hierarchy	Objectives	Content	Sources/Basis
Corporate	Benefit of Social Media Strategy	Corporate Benefit, Topics	Social media performance potential and social media options for the topics of the business model and other corporate objectives
Social Media Strategy	Number and focus of strategy versions	Strategy versions for different topic sets / corporate benefits and core strategy components	Benefits of the social media strategy, social media options for the topics of the strategy / strategy versions
Social Media Strategy	Topics Competition positions	Strategy topics and competitive positions that can be realized in the topics	Use social media strategy, options for the topics of the strategy
Social Media Objectives	Objectives of the strategy components	Contents and measures of the strategy components with which the social media objectives of the strategy components can be realized.	Strategy objectives, Social media options for action on the topics of the strategy / strategy version

Our social media objectives must therefore be able to achieve a leading competitive position in defined topics for one or more defined company benefits under the existing competitive situation. When evaluating the social media objectives or the content to implement these objectives, we take possible competitive reactions into account. We record the social media objectives for the strategy components in the strategy components. In this way, we ensure the continuity of the objectives from the company objectives to the strategy objectives to the social media objectives that day-to-day work should be based on.

Definition of content of strategy components

We develop the contents of the strategy components in two stages because the contents of the core strategy components are necessary for the contents of the other strategy components.

Definition of the contents of the core strategy components

The core strategy components whose content we derive are

• User benefits
• Usage formats
• Participation
• Motivation

We have already defined the content of the core strategy component topics.

We carry out the practical application and documentation within the strategy components. This means that we have both the content of the respective strategy components and how they came about in the respective strategy component available. This makes it easier to check the topicality and validity of the content.

General practical tips

Make sure not to mix up/confuse the goals, content and measures of the strategy components.

• Objectives: Objectives describe a desired result. Example: we want to achieve and maintain the leading position in the competition in the ABC topic area.
• Content: Content describes how the desired result is to be achieved. Example: we use user benefit XY, an audience as a usage format, the motivation methods/structure ABK, and the participation offers XYZ.
• Measures: Measures describe the activities with which we create content. Example: we build an audience on our own platform.

We therefore derive social media Objectives from what content we need for the core strategy components of user benefit, usage formats, motivation and participation as well as social media channels in order to secure the leading competitive position.

All of this is deliberately formulated in general terms because you should be able to use the method in a wide variety of cases and corresponding general guidelines are therefore helpful.

Inhalte der Kernstrategiebestandteile und Handlungsoptionen

Für die Bestimmung der Kerninhalte einer Strategieversion orientieren wir uns an unseren Handlungsoptionen, die aus dem für uns verfügbaren Leistungspotenzial von Social Media und der Wettbewerbssituation in den Themen unserer Strategie bestehen.

Unsere Handlungsoptionen haben wir nach ihrer Wettbewerbsqualität eingeschätzt. Vor der Übernahme der Handlungsoptionen mit der höchsten Wettbewerbsqualität empfiehlt es sich einen Blick auf die Konsquenzen zu werfen, die sich daraus ergeben.

Die Entscheidung für eine Option ist auch die Entscheidung gegen andere Optionen. Bevor wir uns für eine Option entscheiden sollten wir also Klarheit darüber gewonnen haben, welche Optionen uns damit nicht mehr zur Verfügung stehen und welche Konsequenzen sich daraus ergeben. Entscheiden wir uns also für eine Handlungsoption sollten wir sicher sein, das wir damit nicht eine wertvollere Handlungsoption blockieren.

For the practical derivation

The practical application of these general guidelines using examples is helpful for understanding the method. Therefore, the following examples show different social media goals based on comparable strategy goals:

Example A

Strategy goals for a topic area with a focus on the company’s customer relationships and thus a similar focus of the strategy as well as the company’s benefit from relationships with and between the company’s customers. In this example, the topics are suitable for a community

If the topics of a strategy are not suitable for a community and the company uses this usage format, the strategy will fail. The task of social media management in this case is to recognize this deficit and design the strategy accordingly.

Social media goals arise for usage formats, user benefits, motivation, participation and social media channels. The specific goals that arise depend not least on the competitive situation.

Example explanations for

• Social media goals usage formats: if we already have competitors in our topics who operate successful communities for these topics, the task of gaining and maintaining the leading competitive position is completely different than if there are currently no communities for these topics / topic areas. In the latter case, it still makes sense to set up your own community so firmly that no competitor has an easy time taking over our position. If we are dealing with powerful competition in the same usage format, we must present more powerful and attractive offers for our strategy in the core strategy components. If our competition and its community already have structural weaknesses in the implementation of the usage format (for example in communication between users, in the self-presentation of users or in the networking of users), it still makes sense to make our own offering more efficient in order to still be able to achieve a leading competitive position in the face of competition. The time frame for implementation and the means for this depend on the specific usage format and its development and must be determined. This can be challenging in the case of an individually produced community. If our competition has no weaknesses in the usage format, we must be successful with the other core strategy components.
• Social Media Goals User Benefit: Installation of a user benefit to secure the leading competitive position. To do this, we need a topic-based or topic-oriented user benefit that is relevant to broad circles and cannot be covered by the competition and, if possible, cannot be understood in the short term. It is wise not to make this user benefit dependent on an existing customer relationship, even with a strategy that focuses on customer relationships, if you do not want to block the opportunity to acquire new customers through satisfied customers. The better we have done our homework in the search for meaningful user benefits for the topics of our business model, the faster we will make progress here, but above all the more likely our strategy will be successful even in difficult competitive situations. The time period for implementation and the means for this depend on the specific user benefit and must be derived.
• Social Media Goals Motivation: Use of a motivation method and structure that supports securing a leading competitive position in the existing competition. In the case of a community, this support can consist of using motivation for activity as well as for community recommendations and can include, for example, reward and recognition systems. The time period for implementation and the means for this depend on the specific motivation system and must be derived.
• Social Media Participation Goals: Successful implementation of participation offers that secure the leading competitive position in the existing competition. The offer ensures the participation of users in the topics of the strategy. The period of implementation and the means for this depend on the specific participation offer and are to be derived.
• Social Media Goals Social Media Channels: Use of social media channels that enable the content of the core strategy components and reduce dependencies as much as possible. The period of implementation and the means for this depend on the specific participation offer and are to be derived.

Example B

Strategy objectives for a strategy with a focus on the company’s customer relationships and the company’s benefit from relationships with and between the company’s customers. The strategy’s topics are not suitable for a community.

Social media goals usage format: In this example, we use the format of an audience. The general social media goal is to install/build and operate an audience that has the leading competitive position in the topics of the strategy. In practice, we will analyze existing audiences and identify and exploit their weak points. This analysis will result in further social media goals for the usage format, which will specify the general goal for implementation. The clearer and more precise we are in setting the goals for implementation that can lead to success, the more likely the strategy will be to be successful. The period of implementation and the means for this depend on the specific content and can be derived.

Social media goals user benefit: our social media goal is to install a user benefit from an audience with which we can achieve the leading position in the competition (the user benefit). This is not quite so easy with audiences, because it requires a very clear idea of ​​the interests of the audience’s users and assumes that these interests and the user benefit that we offer for them can also be addressed precisely – which is a prerequisite and requirement for the social media channels. The implementation period and the means for this depend on the specific content and are derived from it.

Social media goals Motivation: We determine the motivation method and structures that we use and which enable the leading competitive position due to their competitive performance. For audiences, the motivation can lie in the motivation to spread or recommend, curate, evaluate, etc. and motivation structures can be status-oriented, for example. It is relevant that we also use the opportunities here to enable the leading competitive position in competition with a more effective motivation method and structure. The implementation period and the means for this depend on the specific content and are derived from it.

Social media goals Participation: We determine the participation offers and structures that we use and which enable the leading competitive position due to their competitive performance. For audiences, the active participation of users is usually reduced to liking, sharing and commenting. This gives more innovative participation offers a competitive advantage as long as they generate corresponding benefits for the users. Social media goals for the strategy goals in the Audience usage format are participation offers with which we can secure a leading competitive position by generating greater user benefit through participation, which increases with participation.

Summary of social media strategy

It is helpful to summarize the company goals that are to be achieved with the social media strategy

• the strategy goals of the social media strategy
• the social media goals of the core strategy components

in an overview. With this overview, you have presented the core of the strategy in a compact way. As soon as you have worked out the contents of the respective strategy components, you can supplement this overview with the essential contents of the strategy component resources and assumptions / prerequisites and risks. This gives you the benefits, goals and effort of the strategy / strategy version in a compact form. This is helpful both for comparing strategy versions and for a brief presentation / explanation of the strategy where you do not have to go into detail.

Problems with goals and content

The biggest fundamental problem we have to deal with is the tendency to “play it safe” and “go for it”. Strategy is largely about focusing and deciding what not to do. In any case, avoid getting bogged down in goals, content and measures or overextending and overstretching your resources. This is the most popular and surest way to fail.

In addition, there are other external problems waiting for us that we must solve as best as possible in order to implement a strategy that enables success.

Here are some classic strategic problems:

Strategies and competitive advantages

Advantages should be found in our strategy on 3 levels and in a convincing form:

Company level: company benefit

The company benefit is the reason why we use social media. A company benefit through social media is a competitive advantage if it makes the company’s business model more successful.

We can see whether a company benefit of a strategy is convincing by comparing the possible company benefits from social media for business models of our type with the company benefit that is being sought with our strategy / strategy version. This also shows the problem with social media strategies that were developed without taking performance potential and the business model into account. Due to their methodologically limited approach, they only enable a much more limited company benefit.

In other words: a strategy with a single company benefit – even if it is economically valuable in itself – is not convincing if other meaningful possible company benefits have been dispensed with without reason or strategic focus – consciously or unconsciously.

Rule of thumb: we can only judge whether a strategy has a convincing business benefit if we know the entire potential business benefit of social media for the company and the strategic arguments that speak for focusing/limiting it to this business benefit.

If our strategy does not have a convincing business benefit, this raises the question

• whether no convincing benefit for the company is possible with social media – that is then the question of the purpose of using social media. This possibility cannot be ruled out 100 percent, but is very unlikely.
• whether we could not find a convincing business benefit. The reason for this could be that we only focused on a small section of the social media performance potential or a small area of ​​the business model, or that we only saw social media as a communicative extension of a function – i.e. as a hidden information channel – or whether our strategy was too modest or one-sided for other reasons (resources, skills).

Practical tip: strategic focus is correct and important. It is based on knowledge of the potential business benefit, the company strategy and the goals of the social media strategy and the competition. Arbitrary focus is problematic and even harmful. Arbitrary focus occurs when we focus on a benefit without considering the alternatives and strategic options. Arbitrary focus is a common consequence when we stop looking at the first solution that sounds reasonably convincing when we find a focus.

Market level: User benefits

Through user benefits, we offer users an advantage/several advantages through our social media strategy. This advantage is the basis on which the success of our strategy is built.

The user benefit must not only be relevant but also very attractive for the users we want to address. And it must differentiate us from the competition. It makes little sense to compete with the same “proven” user benefit in a strategy that is already being used successfully by dozens of competitors. This clone lacks the attractiveness to direct the user’s interest and commitment to our social media offering.

The user benefit must be immediately recognizable and easy to use. Social media offerings whose user benefits are not immediately apparent or which cannot be used immediately have major competitive disadvantages.

We can only find a convincing user benefit through convincing knowledge of our users. We cannot find a unique user benefit by copying competitors or orienting ourselves on their strategies. Me-too solutions should be avoided wherever possible. This means we are building the success of our social media strategy on sand.

Social media strategies without convincing user benefits start the competition with an enormous handicap. We must be able to compensate for this handicap – as far as possible – with other competitive advantages.

Competition level

In social media, we are in the most intense competition imaginable. Starting this competition with a strategy that has no competitive advantages does not make success in this competition likely. We can only hope that all other more powerful competitors fail due to their own mistakes and problems. All of them, mind you.

Ideally, our competitive advantages should lie in all core strategy components (user benefits, usage formats, motivation, participation). However, this “best case” is rather unlikely, but that should not stop us from bringing about this situation anyway. As you know, competitive advantages in the core strategy components are of different quality and effect. Therefore, you will build your competitive advantages in the most effective strategy components if possible.

As a reminder:

User benefits: the benefits that extend across the entire strategy and the entire resulting social media offering. Weaknesses are extremely dangerous and strengths are extremely helpful.

Usage formats: the structural side of the social media offering and its benefits. Competitive advantages here are structural in nature and not so easy for competitors to offset.

Participation: this is how we gain the support of social media users. User participation makes our social media offerings significantly more successful and attractive – if it is relevant and useful for the user. Competitive advantages here multiply the effect of our social media strategy.

Motivation: This way we provide the motivation for users to engage with our content. Motivation and user benefit should be as well coordinated as possible.

Strategy with weaknesses in individual topics

We know the options for action that we as a company have in social media within the individual topics/topic areas. If it is not possible for us to build sufficiently promising competitive advantages within individual topics/topic areas with our strategy, we are faced with the decision

to expand the strategy to these topic areas anyway. In this way, we invest resources in topics without the expectation of being able to achieve the desired competitive position there – and thus sufficient impact in social media. This is justified if we can safely assume that we can expect greater disadvantages without this decision. For example, if we assume that if we withdraw from this topic in social media, we will suffer greater disadvantages for the success of our business model and cannot compensate for this disadvantage through other measures (in other functional areas).

to delete these topic areas from our strategy. In this way, we focus on topics in which we are more successful in social media and can achieve greater impact. This is justifiable if we can work on and secure the topic areas (market potential) in other ways in other functional areas of the company to such an extent that we can do without social media.

to avoid or replace these topics where possible. This can be done, for example, through similar/neighbouring topics or – which is far better in my opinion – through upstream topics in the customer journey. For example, in the case of business benefit prospects/customer generation, we would choose topics that come before the topics in which we cannot achieve a leading competitive position due to the competitive situation.

Strategy with weaknesses in all topics

If, during the course of defining the strategy, we come to the conclusion that we cannot develop a social media strategy that enables competitive advantages in the desired subject areas, this is a very sobering realization.

Before we draw the conclusion that the company is not competitive in social media within the topics relevant to the business model, we should critically examine the phases of our strategy development again. In my opinion, the probability that we have limited our approach in strategy development too much is higher than the probability that it is not possible to find approaches to competitive advantages in the topics of our business model.

An actual objective inability of a company to compete in social media does not paint a positive picture of the general competitiveness and future viability of a company.

In particular, check whether

• all relevant topics of the business model and the company’s goals have been taken into account.
• the lack of competitiveness is the result of a lack of company resources or the result of a lack of promising options for action.
• all sensible options for action for the company’s topics / topic areas have been taken into account. You may have limited yourself to the known, already used options for action, which of course exacerbates the competitive situation and makes problematic competitiveness more likely.
• the quality of competition was accurately assessed. For example, a second and more in-depth look at competitive activities often reveals structural weaknesses that can serve as the basis for your own competitive advantage.

Assume that approaches to competitive advantages can be found even in a challenging environment, rather than that this is actually impossible.

Definition of the contents of the other strategy components

We also derive the individual contents of the other strategy components within the strategy components.

The core strategy components are crucial for the success of the strategy. Therefore, both the contents of the individual core strategy components and their effect and interaction must be secured. This is only possible if the mutual dependencies and effects are so clear that we can identify (and solve) problems. We create this clarity through the formulated

• Requirements between the strategy components
• Interactions between the strategy components.

This means that we check the defined contents of the core strategy components to see which requirements arise from these contents for the performance of other strategy components and how these requirements are met in the strategy. We do the same with the interactions, i.e. the effects that arise from the activities of one strategy component for other strategy components.

As a reminder: Requirements arise unilaterally and necessarily from the content of a strategy component as a task for another strategy component so that the content of the requesting strategy component can be realized.

Example of user benefit – social media channels In order to create user benefit for our strategy, the strategy’s social media channels must technically enable certain services (requirement).

If the requirements of the user benefit cannot be met through the social media channels, we have an interaction. If the user benefit affects other components of the strategy (for example, reach or motivation), we have another interaction.

Interactions arise reciprocal and multidirectional – that is, in more than one direction from the effect of strategy components and on several strategy components.

Help with understanding: Requirements must be met in order for an effect to occur. This effect can affect other content.

Resource requirements

Using the measures in our strategy components, we can estimate the expected resource requirements for the individual measures and, in turn, the resource requirements for the strategy as a whole. We record the resource requirements for the measures of a strategy component in the respective strategy component. We use this information to evaluate the performance of the strategy.

Strategy content and assumptions and prerequisites

When we determine the core content of our strategy/strategy version, we generally start from assumptions and prerequisites. Sometimes without even being aware of it. However, the success of our strategy depends to a large extent on whether these assumptions and prerequisites are met or are permanently present. Therefore, it makes sense to take the assumptions and prerequisites into account when deriving the content of a strategy. For the sake of simplicity, we record the assumptions and prerequisites of a strategy component in the respective strategy component.

By prerequisites we mean factors that must be permanently present. There is therefore an overlap with assumptions here, as is clear from the example of social media channels.

Example: if we plan to use certain external social media channels in our strategy version, we assume that these channels will be permanently available in their current form and with the current functions. This is an assumption. If this assumption, i.e. the availability of the performance potential of the external channel for the social media strategy, is relevant or decisive for the success of the success, we are dealing with a prerequisite for the success of our strategy. In terms of its significance, this is more than an assumption. To assess the quality and risks of social media strategies / strategy versions, it is helpful if we highlight the prerequisites for success and qualify them according to their risks. To keep the evaluation as simple as possible, a division into

• Conditions that the company can ensure
• Conditions that the company cannot ensure

helpful.

Based on the conditions for the success of a social media strategy that the company itself cannot ensure, we can see the degree of dependency of this strategy.

The more dependent the success of a strategy is on conditions that the company cannot ensure, the more critical this strategy must be viewed.

Benefit of assumptions and prerequisites

• We recognize the quality of the strategy based on the assumptions and prerequisites from our strategy components.
• The results from the assumptions and prerequisites of a strategy are essential for evaluating and deciding on the use of the strategy.
• We receive important information for implementing the strategy content and are made aware of possible risks at an early stage.

The consideration and evaluation of assumptions

We use assumptions to determine how certain or risky the success of the content of our strategy component is and to be able to compare the quality of the content of different strategy versions at this level.

Typical of an assumption is the assumed success of the content of the strategy component. Of course, we assume that our strategy will be successful and this assumption may be very well founded, but it is usually based on a situation that does not have to remain this way permanently. This means that changes are possible for many strategy components and their content that call this assumption into question.

In order to get an overview of the risks of the content of our strategy version, we not only record the assumptions on which the expected success of the strategy component is based, but also examine which changes could endanger these assumptions.

Example of the strategy component User Benefits

We expect a competitive advantage from the content of our strategy component User Benefits because our user benefit does not exist yet, is unique and offers significant added value for the user. The success of our user benefit therefore depends on the following assumptions:

• Uniqueness of the user benefit
• Added value of the user benefit
• Relevance of the user benefit for the user

If one of these assumptions fails, this has a negative impact on the desired and expected success of the strategy component. Due to the importance of the strategy component, this has a negative impact on the success of the entire strategy/strategy version or on the corresponding quality.

Changes that can have a negative impact on the content of the user benefit strategy component are:

• the loss of uniqueness: if a competitor comes along with the same or an even more attractive user benefit, a success factor of our user benefit is lost.
• the loss of added value: if a competitor offers more attractive added value than our user benefit, this success factor of our user benefit is lost.
• the loss or reduction of the relevance of our user benefit: the relevance of our user benefit is based on the interests of the users. Changes in interests – for example due to a shift in interests – can make the user benefit less relevant for parts of our markets/target groups.

The risks of the content of a strategy component do not have to be obvious. Unfortunately, even risks that are not immediately recognizable are still risks that can jeopardize the success of our strategy. We are therefore well advised to check the content of our strategy drafts for recognizable and hidden risks before they are finally adopted and implemented in the market. It is better to recognize a weakness in advance and correct it than to be punished by the market for a problem.

Reviewing the core components of a social media strategy version for weaknesses

• User benefits: we define the prerequisites for the success of the user benefits and the risks/factors that could jeopardize this success..
• Usage formats: we define the prerequisites for the success of the usage format(s) we have chosen and the factors that can prevent or reduce this success.
• Participation: we define the factors that enable the success of the strategy component and the risks that prevent or reduce this success.
• Motivation: we define the factors that enable the success of the strategy component and the risks that prevent or reduce this success.
• Social media channels: we define the factors that enable the success of our social media channels and the risks that prevent or reduce this success.

Risk assessment

Once we have identified potential risks to the content of our strategy components, we try to assess these risks. We do this based on our assessments of

• how likely it is that these risks will occur. To do this, we list what would have to happen for these risks to occur and what suggests that this will happen.
• how likely it is that these risks will not occur. To do this, we list the factors that prevent these risks from occurring and how certain these factors are.

In processes like these, we very easily run the risk of wishful thinking or being too optimistic. It is advisable to assign someone the role of devil’s advocate when making the assessment in order to reduce this bias.

Additional benefit of this risk assessment: if we know the risks to the success of the content of our core strategy components, we are much better prepared and sensitized to the implementation of the content. We will recognize factors that limit the success of our strategy earlier and deal with them accordingly.

Strategy components and functions

Classification: in the strategy components we determine what is to be achieved and we determine how this is to be achieved. In order to achieve an effect in the digital space, we need appropriate measures that are based on functions. Functions are the technical basis of our measures and the (technical-conceptual) interfaces of our measures in the market and with the users.

Examples of functions: communication with other users, commenting on content, posting content, recommending content, networking, setting up and maintaining your own profiles, having content displayed – all of this is based on functions.

Explanation: Why we define the content in our strategy down to the function level. Functions are often seen as tactical elements and their content is only defined when the strategy is implemented. That doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing, but with a bit of bad luck it can have fatal consequences. Functions and their quality are very important to the success of the strategy, because the functions in a social media strategy are what the user perceives in terms of their usefulness and usability and reacts accordingly. If we understand functions as elements that are crucial to success, we should define them accordingly in our strategy so that they are sure to have an effect. If we don’t do this, we leave the design of the function to the people who will implement the function from a technical point of view. Implementing a function that is detached from the strategy does not always and necessarily take the strategic importance of the function into account.

Application: For each strategy component that leads to measures, we record its measures in the respective strategy component. For each measure, we define the functions with the help of which we implement the measures in the market. We record these functions in the measures. For each strategy component, we have an overview (worksheet) of the measures and at the same time the functions required for these measures. Later – during implementation – this content forms the basis for the development of the individual functions. By describing the functions and their performance potential as specifically as possible, we contribute to an implementation that does justice to the strategy.

Checking the quality of the strategy using social media strategy goals and social media goals

The competitive quality of a strategy can be shown by comparing the social media goals/content of the corresponding strategy components with the offers of the strongest competitors.

This may also enable us to see whether and through which social media strategy components/social media goals we can secure the leading competitive position. Here, too, we should pay attention to the possible competitive reactions and their effects.