Wasn't that Super Bowl Amazing?! or Proactive Social Media

New England. Seattle. What a game that was! Yes I said was. No, this article wasn't posted a week early. It's in fact timed perfectly because it's not about the big game, it's about the social media game around scheduled events.

Good luck getting your post noticed nonetheless your message received next Monday morning. The Web will be overflowing with Facebook posts, Tweets, Instagrams, blogs, and commentary on the successes, failures, bad calls, and great plays of Super Bowl 49 (Sorry. English Major here. I don't do Roman Numerals).

But today, rather than my words getting lost in a sea of Monday morning social media mayhem, you're reading this Super Bowl themed article. I've got your attention and you'll listen to what I've got to offer. Touchdown, and the extra point is good.

First rule in social media event strategy is say it first. You can run the risk of saying the wrong thing, but that can be avoided if you've got the right people in place. But first mover's advantage has never been stronger than in social media. You are rewarded for your forethought in a society based upon content regurgitation.

Second rule is anticipate what your audience wants to hear. Easier said than done but the good NFL quarterbacks do it routinely with their receivers. He throws the ball where he wants them to be, not where they are. Social media is no different. Know now what you will say when it happens before it happens. In fact, right now the locker rooms of both the Patriots and the Seahawks are filled with shirts that read Super Bowl XLIX (OK. So I was an English Major but my scholarship was in Math. But I digress). The winners will wear theirs, the losers will never see them, but they exist.

Third Rule? Have a game plan but don't be afraid to change it. Most social media posts are made with little thought, some are well-planned but set in stone. The best social media is planned but leaves room to change. Just like football halftime. That's why some teams play completely different in the second half. They adapt. And so should your social media plan.
Of course your "super bowl" may be a new product launch, user conference, or board meeting. But the rules still apply. So enjoy the Big Game. I can promise you. It was a great one.

Follow Frank Bocchino, a Los Angeles-based writer, designer, and digital marketer who helps organizations create qualified strategies that generate new business using the latest tools for lead generation, SEO, and social media.

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