by Catherine Mitchell

… Social media can support marketing, communications and brand awareness. It can help increase business, attendance at events or programs and elevate your facility’s profile in your community.

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o matter what you think about social media, it has one thing in common with skating. If you don’t practice, you don’t improve.

If you’re the sort who’s competitive, then you may have been

frustrated by the 24/7 changing nature of social media, especially as it relates to marketing your business. Because you want to win, right? But the rules keep changing, the choices of platforms or channels keep growing, and your precious minutes are focused on other things. Even if you’ve tried your hand at a social media strategy for your facility, chances are that your success was limited. (More below about options to improve that result, by the way.) Te good news is that it’s not too late to add social media to your marketing mix and reap benefits or ramp it up to improve your results. Like any good coach, I’ll ask you to start by evaluating your basics. Let’s quickly review where you are.

Does your facility already have established social media channels?

• Yes, and we rock them! • Yes, but we sporadically, rarely, or never use them • No, we are complete beginners • I don’t know what this question means

As you can see, there’s a wide range of possibilities. No matter

what your answer is, though, you can advance your goals with a strategic plan for social media, one that starts with some basics and builds on successes. If that sounds like a familiar strategy, read on.

FIRST STEPS: SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIES

How you choose to use social media can be quickly determined by identifying your goals in any of several categories. For instance, social media can support marketing, communications and brand awareness. It can help increase business, attendance

ISI EDGE SUMMER 2016

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