Have you ever planned a big trip? I’m talking about a longer-than-a-weekend vacation or a major relocation trip. It takes a good tactical plan to make the trip enjoyable and worry-free.
I made it to the Colosseum — barely!
Back in the mid ’80s, I had the opportunity to spend 21 days traveling by myself through Italy. I’d been working on an Italian cruise ship, met some great Italians and I learned the language — sort of. (Being fluent in Spanish, I picked up Italian fairly easily, but I ended up creating “Spantalian”! But I was understood and that’s what matters.)
So, the strategy was to stay on a certain budget, research where I wanted to go in Italy and where I should stay.
Good Strategy!
I turned the corner and the sight of the Cathedral of Milan took my breath away.
Question — how do I get around? Rent a car or rail pass? I figured there was less chance, traveling alone, to get lost if I took the train. I got an Ital-Rail Pass — just hop on a train anywhere at any time. I’d fly into Rome, then go north to Milan for the day, then take the train to Bologna and spend the first night there. Then it was Florence, Pisa, Rome for 3 days, then south to Naples. From Naples I’d take day trips to the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Afterwards, take the train back to Rome and fly home from there.
With my camera and guidebook in hand I took off from Puerto Rico to New York to Rome. It was a red-eye. There was a storm in Rome so the plane was diverted to Turin, but the airline arranged for a bus to the Rome airport. That was an extra, rather nice, unplanned tour. Things happen.
However, I didn’t have Tactical Plan Regarding Hotel Reservations.
I loved the Ponte Veccio (Old Bridge) in Florence.
With my American Express Card I could go to any AmEx kiosk, in any train station, where I could book a hotel. I took my chances. That worked well until I got to Florence. Turns out it was not just the weekend, but there was an art festival. The line at the Amex Booth was long! I wasted 2 hours there!
My next stop was Pisa. No problem there, but I was concerned about Rome. So I booked my hotel before I left Pisa.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a great example of a plan gone wrong!
Living Dangerously
In both Florence and Pisa, I was impressed by the people on scooters who zipped around the traffic. In Rome, I thought, “that’s a good way to get around!” So, I rented a moped — bad idea #1. The guy asked me if I wanted a helmet, I declined — bad idea #2. Well, as you can imagine, I almost killed myself trying get around like the locals — “when in Rome…”
Anyway, my trip was a great experience and an inspiration for my first novel.
What does this have to do with having a Social Media Marketing Tactical Plan?
Just because you know how to post on social media doesn’t mean you know how to effectively market on social media.
The first steps to effective and successful social media marketing campaigns are:
How am I going to create the new content? Am I a good writer? I can do videos, but how do I edit them? Podcasting? How do I create graphics? (Hint: Use the free tool Canva.com they have all the templates.)
Which hashtags should I use? Create my own? Which are trendy? How many should I use on each network?
What’s the right call-to-action to get people to download the freebie or the offer to generate leads?
What tools do I use to monitor responses, mentions, replies, comments, retweets, etc.
Where do I find quality, relevant content to share on the social networks that’s of interest to my target market? Don’t just share your stuff!
Do I know the lingo? Hanging out in some of these networks is like traveling to a foreign country! You want to relate to the natives, not stand out as a newbie!
It’s OK, if you’ve made some mistakes attempting social media marketing on your own. Hey, I lived to enjoy my trip to Italy! But for the next big trip, I’ll have a better tactical plan.
Don’t Travel into the Social Media & Digital Marketing World without a Guidebook!
