Launching the first social media campaign for your company can be intimidating. With so many ways to engage consumers online (blogs, podcasts, social networks, Twitter, etc.), the feeling of anxiety is inevitable. You know it’s important to get involved in social media, but where do you begin?

First, understand who is online and what they’re doing. Participation in social media can differ among men and women and every demographic you can think of. For example, teens and Gen Y are more open to seeking entertainment online through video-sharing websites such as YouTube than older generations and are more likely to download their favorite songs[1].

With this information, how do you decide between launching a social network and adding a review system to your website? Which medium will your customers flock to?

To understand what your customers are ready for, I recommend using Forrester’s Social Technographics® Profile tool available here. Based on Forrester’s survey data, you can research how participation in the groundswell varies among different groups of consumers not only in North America but globally as well.

The next steps in planning your social media campaign are to define your objectives, create a strategy, and then identify the appropriate technology to launch your campaign. If this sounds familiar, that’s because it’s covered in Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff. This book is a definite must read before starting any social media campaign. In fact, if your CEO or VP or Marketing hasn’t read it yet, grab a copy for them.

Create a Forrester’s Social Technographics Profile Tool

To create a Social Technographics Profile[2], first access the tool here. Then select the appropriate age range, country, and gender and a profile will be created. Unfortunately, the tool doesn’t allow you to export your graph. If you’d like more information, you can contact their sales team.

Social Media Strategy: Incorporating Forrester’s Social Technographics Profile

You’ve recently launched a social media campaign that asks consumers to submit a video of why they would love to win a $5,000 shopping spree at your store. While the campaign is open to participants ages 18 and older, you’re curious as to why majority of the videos submitted are created by women ages 18 - 24 versus your actual target audience of women ages 35 – 44.

Using Forrester’s Social Technographics Profile we can compare how each demographic participates in the groundswell[3] [Technically, you should have created your target audience profile before launching your campaign to decide which type of social media campaign you should use but just in case you haven’t, you can still leverage the tool.]

Fig. 1.1 Females Ages 18 – 24 in the US.

Fig. 1.2 Females Ages 35– 44 in the US.

Based on the profiles above, we see that females ages 18 – 24 are more likely to be Creators online versus their counterparts. So while the majority of the Creators in your social media campaign may be from a different demographic, your target audience can still participate in the campaign as Critics and Spectators. It’ll be a good idea to analyze the reviews and ratings in the campaign as this is where your target is most likely to participate.

So before you launch your next social media campaign, be sure to research what your customers are ready for. I hope you found this information useful when planning your next social media campaign. If you have other steps in your planning process, please feel free to share.

[Image: Who Participates and What People Are Doing Online]

[Slideshare: Social Technographics Explained]