Earlier in the week at the Digital Toolbox luncheon, there was some great discussion after Ramonna Tooley’s presentation. At my table, we talked about the ROI of Twitter, had a semantic discussion about social networking vs. social media and discussed location-based services such as Foursquare and their privacy implications. We were all over the map, but it was a good discussion. One question remained unanswered, however.
We talk a lot about getting started with social media — monitoring, developing strategies, building communities — but we rarely talk about finishing them. Many social media initiatives are ongoing, but others are finite campaigns. Have you put any thought into how they’ll end?
If your campaign was successful but has a limited duration, will you shut it down or forget about it and let the digital tumbleweeds roll through until someone pulls the plug? How will you drive your followers and fans to the next big thing? It’s natural to feel excited about starting new things, but sometimes finishing them well is also important.
Do you plan the end of your campaigns as meticulously as you do the beginning? If so, what do you plan for?
Leave a comment below. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
By Glen Turpin (glen@glenturpin.com)
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I think this is an important consideration for a short-term campaign or project, and one I am guessing is not always thought of during the initial planning. As social networks age, we will see more and more “tumbleweeds” floating around. It would be ideal if it was seamless and the community could migrate into another project, but if this is not possible, and they are completely abandoned, you could risk in losing ground and credibility with some great ambassadors/advocates you have nurtured.