At
Strategic Communications Group (Strategic) we've been through the cycle.

From
start-up to execution and now ROI evaluation, we have lived the maturation
of social media and digital public relations programs.  Our client work
has also covered
a broad spectrum of organizations, with representation of global firms like
British Telecom (BT), Microsoft, Spirent Communications and BearingPoint, as
well as emerging growth companies such as GovDelivery and Epok.

During the
last few weeks I have made the swing visiting with clients to share the best
practices and lessons learned we've picked up along this journey.  It was
during one of these discussions at a Starbucks tucked in a corner of a shopping
mall in Washington, DC that a client helped define the three
phases of a social media initiative.

Phase
One:  Pockets of Innovation

Strategic
typically engages with a client in a pilot program environment, with the scope
of work aligned with a funded requirement, such as a product launch, thought
leadership campaign or industry conference.  I assumed this pilot methodology
was easily digested because it kept the budget (and risk) relatively modest.

While this
is partly true, it's also apparent that certain individuals within an
organization emerge as champions of social media.  They may recognize that
their customers and partners have become engaged in social networks and online
communities.  You have to fish where the fish are, right?

Or, perhaps
it is a competitive threat in which an upstart has stolen away mindshare and
momentum through their use of social media as a thought leadership platform.

Regardless
of the reason, the social media champion correctly concludes that how companies
position, brand, promote and identify leads has shifted.  Their desire is
to drive innovation in their communications program in a meaningful and
measurable way.

During this
initial phase, the social media program wins funding, a strategy is defined, an
editorial content direction is agreed upon and tactics move to execution. 
The benchmark is to attract a community of readers, which is carefully tracked
on an ongoing basis.

Phase Two:
Bridging to Pervasive

There is a
proverb that states success has many fathers, while failure is an orphan. 
This has proved to be spot on when it comes to a social media campaign.

As
readership grows, the word spreads internally about the traction generated
through social media tactics.  There may even be instances in which direct
sales and business development opportunities are identified through online
channels.  This resonates across multiple departments within a company,
such as marketing, sales and product development.

This
internal buzz stimulates action.  Others in the company closely track the
campaign and begin to invest more time engaging in their own social media
activities.  LinkedIn profiles are updated. Discussion groups are
joined.  Twitter feeds spring up.

For our
social media champion, this second phase is about accelerating readership and
encouraging dialogue.  The editorial content strategy may evolve and
multi-media elements -- such as video, podcasts, customer Q&As, etc. --are
incorporated into the program.  We also see a more consistent flow of
comments, as well as other examples
of readers reaching out to engage. 

The
promotion strategy to drive interest and among target audiences also becomes
more effective and efficient. There is now a baseline.  Readership and
participation is measured with hot topics and themes fed to the sales organization
as a form of real-time market intelligence.

Phase
Three:  The Last Mile

With the social
media program now established and clicking along, our champion turns to the
issue of ROI attached to measurable benchmarks.

At
Strategic, we view community, conversation and awareness as merely the starting
point.  Is there an appropriate way to cross this last mile to identify
members of our engaged community as sales leads, potential partners or new
hires?

It's in
this phase that interaction with the organization's sales team becomes paramount.
Thought leadership-based lead generation tactics -- such as educational
Webinars -- combined with good old fashioned sales outreach must be defined and
put in place.

Although we
never stray from what's appropriate in social media participation, the last
mile phase is all about justifying the spend to date and making a business case
for continued investment. 

What has
your experience been with the implementation of social media programs? I
welcome your comments to this blog post or you can add specific content to this
article at this wiki:

http://strategicguy.pbwiki.com/Three-Phases-of-Social-Media-Maturation