The golden trifecta for any successful campaign

I was sitting in on a Women Who Tech conference webinar yesterday to learn all about social media ROI -- also known as "how to make the shiny object pay." And lo and behold, what does the presenter outline as the most important things to know upfront?

Who are you trying to target?
What are you trying to get them to do?
How do you define success?


What?? Huh? You mean, to know social media ROI, you need to know the EXACT SAME CRITICAL ELEMENTS you should know for ANY communications project or campaign??? Incredible! Shocking! Egads!

Note the sarcasm.

Also note that I am not bashing the presenter. She's exactly right. What floors me is the every comms/content person in the world knows this, and they say it in every presentation, and they repeat it in every meeting, and nobody listens, and this is why (most) projects suck.

I'll type it again anyway:

Who are you trying to target?
What are you trying to get them to do?
How do you define success?


Now, I will acknowledge that figuring out and executing these answers can be tough. It takes research, brand awareness, clear leadership, and a host of other factors to arrive at meaningful conclusions.

Still, it being "hard" is no excuse for not trying. And it's our job as comms and content smarties to beat this drum until it breaks, and then buy another one and beat it again.

Who are you trying to target?
What are you trying to get them to do?
How do you define success?


I can tell you're upset and daunted by this. Fear not. We can do it. Others have. Look, here's a case study from Beth's Blog featuring Scott Henderson of Mediasauce! His company did it. And you can too.

Oh, and one last thought before you go:

Who are you trying to target?
What are you trying to get them to do?
How do you define success?