Social Media has become the frontrunner of marketing innovation. Businesses can now access huge audiences through free and highly accessible mediums. By themselves, Snapchat and Instagram wield over 978 million daily users (Fogel). However, although social media is widely popular and over 77% of marketers are using at least one platform, it is rarely used to its full potential (Data & Marketing Association). A 2017 report by the Social Media Marketing Industry stated that only 38% of respondents agreed that they can measure their social activities (qtd Fogel). This statistic indicates that companies are losing valuable data. General attempts at imitation and unquantified tracking will not yield the highest potential return. Without a purposeful and focused social media strategy, the Taubman Museum of Art will forfeit significant earned media. This proposal will outline initiatives to establish specific social media objectives, focus methodology, and quantify results.

 

 

Objectives:

 

Successful social media objectives are not isolated from traditional marketing. Rather, they combine with the overarching business objectives through a digital and evolving medium. Keith Quesenberry writes, “Unless you connect your social media actions to broader business goals from the beginning, ROI [return on investment] can be elusive, and social media becomes an end unto itself” (Harvard Business Review). The below objectives combine the overall marketing efforts at the Taubman with social media counterparts.

 

I.) Help People Discover, Learn and Enjoy art: This objective is in direct correlation with the Taubman’s mission statement and favors meaningful content over purely promotional messages.

           

II.) Increase Brand Awareness(York): This objective focuses on creating a singular personality for the Taubman and widening its followership base.

 

III.)Create a Loyal Fanbase(York): This objective focuses on gaining positive feedback from followers that results in excited participation.

 

IV.) Create Opportunities for Audience to Engage: Interacting with the audience is crucial to fostering engaged followers; it shows that the Taubman cares about the individual experience, the bedrock of social media.

 

 

Methodology & Results

 

            Without a methodology, objectives never become accomplishments. Although the above goals are specific, they do not indicate a proposed set of initiatives. The below recommendations all work to realize individual goals and the objectives as a whole. In addition, tracking results is a necessary part of making significant improvements. The abundance of quantified data is perhaps social media’s greatest marketing tool.

 

I.) Increase Ephemeral Content:SnapChat and Instagram Story are both examples of ephemeral content. This type of media provides real time content which is often ordinary and creates authenticity (Wade). Ephemeral content provides the occasion for audience engagement, promotes loyal followings, and can shape a singular identity.

 

II.) Use More Video: In 2017, 90% of all content shared on social media was video (Wade). In addition, only 37% of viewers watch until the end of a video (York). Thus, the challenge is creating video which captures attention and communicates within the first 5 seconds. Videos with striking images or novel perspectives will perform better. The Taubman recently employed time lapse video for the Sidewalk Art Show; this is an example of engaging video content.

 

III.) Involve Through Comments: Every drop in the social media bucket creates a rippling effect. A single post that is seen and discarded creates a single ripple. However, if a post includes hashtags, elicits comments, tags people, or includes audience involvement, the ripples can be numerous. Posts should involve as many people as possible. Every follower leads to another group of followers. A tangible way of increasing social media clout and prevalence is by commenting on relative posts. If the Taubman is mentioned, the Taubman needs to comment. This also includes re-posts, re-tweets, and comments on Taubman posts.

 

IV.) Use Platform:The amount of data available for social media is astounding. However, it can be very difficult to navigate. Social Media platforms are becoming the industry standard for businesses across the country. They provide a singular forum to manage, comment, and track several social media accounts. This consolidates efforts into a focused portfolio. There are numerous features which allow businesses to quantify results and track improvements. Although there are many platforms available, I recommend Zoho Social. For $8.33 per month, this platform offers the features that would benefit the Taubman at a price below competitors.

 

 

Conclusion:

 

            Social Media has left its dawning phase and is in full light. Within the last decade, social media has become incredibly sophisticated. The Taubman Museum of Art is already using social media to promote events and exhibitions. This presence is helpful, but efforts are not consolidated into goals and the ROI is not measurable. By adopting the outlined objectives and initiatives, the Taubman can improve its social media presence, helping accomplish its mission to bring people and art together for discovery, learning, and enjoyment.

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

 

Fogel, Elaine. “Is Social Media Marketing Really Effective?” ElaineFoge.com.9 Jan 2018.

 

Quesenberry, Keith A. “The Basic Social Media Mistakes Companies Still Make” Harvard

 

            Business Review. 2 Jan 2018.

 

Wade, Jessica. “Social Marketing Trends 2018” Smart Insights. 02 Apr 2018.

 

York, Alex. “7 Steps in Creating a Winning Social Media Marketing Strategy in 2018”

 

SproutSocial.