Preparing for a New Year in social media.

• Author: Kincy, Jason
• Position: SOCIAL MEDIA

MANY BUSINESSES AND INDIVIDUALS MARK THE NEW YEAR as a time to assess their plans, look back on accomplishments and to set new resolutions to improve for the future. The same can apply to your social media strategy and processes. Take a few moments to prepare for an even better and more productive 2012.

Assess your process and do maintenance

An important step in preparing for coming year is to look back at what you've been doing that has worked and has not worked. Take some time to meet with your bank management and other team members to discuss their views on successes and failures from the previous 12 months. As you examine these findings, there are some additional items you can specifically review as well.

* Check for outdated information on your social media properties. Make sure all phone numbers, addresses, links and other data are completely up to date.

* Work with your compliance for a quick internal audit of your properties and policies.

* Evaluate who currently has access to your social logins and ensure your backup procedures are in place and the right team members can access them in an emergency.

* Re-evaluate your department goals for social media. Your initial goal of starting a Facebook page or launching a Twitter account has been accomplished--but now what?

New resolution ideas for 2012

Taking the next step in social media marketing for your bank is often more difficult than the initial launch. More research and planning are required to start, but to take it to the next level requires much attention to strategy and focusing on priorities. Here are some ideas to challenge you to improve your social strategy for the coming year.

* Establish a consistent and effective planning tool for content and management. Provide reporting to management on your ability to stay on plan for added accountability.

* Take another step in your social marketing plan. If you've conquered one social platform, do an analysis of the landscape and find another space where you can connect with your customers and...