Hey, “bro”, “dude”, “man” or whatever your wave shredding name of choice may be. I just wanted to let you know that the “Surf’s Up” and so  is social media. Call it a glorified analogy, but I believe a “rad” day in the waves is very similar to a “killer” social media strategy. Here’s why:

1.) You gotta earn it kid! Quality participation in social media isn’t like turning on a switch. Nor is surfing. There is no rope tow, chair lift or magic sea creature waiting to pull you out past the break. You have to paddle your way out to the promise land and earn your spot. The same goes for social media—you need to get familiar with your environment and earn your desired spot.

The good news? You learn all along the way—for Suring you might ask yourself  “how are the waves breaking?”, “are there any rocks?”, “do I know anyone out here?”. For social media the questions are slightly different—“how is my target market engaging?”, “are there any danger zones?”, “do we have any customers out here?”.

2.) Understanding of variables—you’ve now paddled through the break and are positioning yourself for success. You are eager for a ride but must remember that resources may be limited. For surfers resources come in the form of energy and for marketers they come in the form of dollars. Optimal results become dependent on your ability to understand multiple variables and make an intelligent decision. “Will this wave double up”, “Should I wait for the next set?”, “How fast should I paddle?”, are some variables a surfer might consider. For social media marketers it may be more like “Will Facebook ads lead to a positive ROI?”, “What topics will drive engagement?”, “What’s our ideal demographic?”.

3.) Swift action with responsive reaction—Good surfing requires a swift and concentrated effort—so does social media. Once you know your wave, or your audience, you need to take action quickly. Once you are up and running you need to tweak your strategy for optimal performance. “Can I turn left?”, “Can I extend my ride?”, “Should I bail now?”, are some reactive and tactical decision surfers face. For social media marketers it may be “Can we turn on geo-targeting?”, “Can we extend user-generated content?”, “When do we end this campaign?”.

4.) Rewarding and fun experience is the end goal—This one is short and sweet. Riding a wave is an exhilarating, run and rewarding experience. Effective social media should be no different!

Looking to shred some waves of the aquatic or social media variety? We would love to be a part of your next session. Feel free to drop us a line or give us a call to set it up!

-Drew

Twitter: @drewschulthess