photo by DoBeRaGi'sIn all my years of communications, I’m still amazed how many people run head-long into a project without determining the most important factors – why are you doing this? What are you hoping to achieve?

With social media as the sexy new toy that everyone wants a part of, this is happening at an alarming rate. I’m seeing more and more projects with the same consistent thread – “Get me into that social media space at any cost.”

With almost no thought to audience or desired outcomes, companies desperately want to lather themselves in social media suds. They’ve seen everyone else doing it and don’t want to be left behind.

While this is commendable, before you unleash the dogs and set your communications staff running in every direction on the web, stop and ask yourself a few questions.

What are my goals? Set a goal and then chase it down. Without one you’ll just keep going in circles achieving nothing and wasting everyone’s time. It sounds obvious, but it's usually the most ignored part of the plan.

Who’s my audience? Depending on how your online efforts evolve, this might not be the same audience that your other marketing efforts are geared towards. It might also be a more segmented, micro-audience than you’re used to.

What tools suit your goal? Pick the social media efforts that are going to help you achieve your desired goal. Don’t invest your time in every online tool just for the sake of it. This brings me to my next point;

Don’t invest time and effort into something just for the sake of it. I know this isn't really a question, but your brand doesn’t necessarily belong in every web space, so concentrate your efforts where they’ll be most effective.

Do I have the skills to do this? Be brutally honest with yourself here. Do you know the landscape well enough to risk your company’s time and potentially their reputation? If the answer is no, then ask for help. Find someone who knows this stuff, maybe they already work in your organization or maybe you’ll need to hire an outside consultant, either way the web can be an unforgiving place, so try and get it right the first time.

Before you answer, head over to Dave Fleet's website. He's written an insightful post speaking to how valuable an outside agency can be in these circumstances.

Thoughts? Rebutals? Suggestions?