By BluEnt

07/31/2014 We are all familiar with Stephen Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", a highly acclaimed non-fiction bestseller that has sold more than 15 million copies. The book talks about ways to set goals, achieving them effectively and climbing up the ladder of success. I received this book as a gift from one of my best teachers on my 16th birthday. After more than a decade, I decided to go through it once again. As a social media blogger, I realized that 7 habits talked about in this book could be applied to successful social media strategists. Let me explain how:

1st Habit: Be Proactive (Initiate)
Stephen Covey asks us to take initiatives in life. They give us the ability to control our environment rather than have it control us. Similarly, it is very important for a social media marketer to be proactive and take initiatives. An effective social media strategist learns the latest social media tools & trends, shares this knowledge with his organization and takes the company forward. He takes initiatives to test, learn and respond to customers.

If you too want to be a social media expert, make it a habit to constantly update your social media skills. Moreover, do not hesitate to take initiatives and calculated risks.

2nd Habit: Begin with the End in Mind (Creativity)
Clarity about your goals in life is very important according to Stephen Covey. Similarly, successful social media experts establish their social media plans and targets. To build a strong social media presence, it is important to:
· Have a specific plan in place
· Listen to and understand your target audience
· Set a goal and build a marketing strategy to achieve that goal
· Use appropriate content and tools
· Track and measure the performance of your strategy
· Review and make changes if needed

3rd Habit: Put First Things First (Productivity)
Covey advises to identify key roles that one wants to take on and prioritize them over other things. Social media experts also need to prioritize the areas they need to spend their time on. For example: When you log on to Facebook, you can view both negative and positive comments by your customers. Replying to negative comments should be prioritized. It is wise to finish the most important tasks first and then take on the rest.

4th Habit: Think Win-Win (Interdependence)
According to Covey, one should seek agreements and relationships that are mutually beneficial. If it is not a win- win for both the parties, it is better to cancel the deal. Most social media marketers entirely focus on either what a business wants or entirely on what the users want. However, the key to a successful campaign is balancing business objectives with user requirements. The more value we can create for the audience, the more value they will create for us. Effective social media experts consider both options as they build and implement their social media plan.

5th Habit: Seek to Understand First, Then to Be Understood (Empathy)
Covey says that being a good listener is an important part of developing interpersonal relationships. If you listen empathically, you will create a caring and problem solving atmosphere. Highly successful social media strategists spend time listening and understanding what their audience wants. It is important to connect and build relationships with your customers first.

6th Habit: Synergize (Valuing Differences)
Combining strengths of people through positive teamwork helps to achieve goals a single person could not have achieved, explains Covey. Similarly, for a successful social media strategy, the strategist should coordinate between different functions of an organization including marketing, public relations, advertising, customer service or legal etc. An experienced social media strategist will be well-synchronized with marketing and sales plans. This is just one example of a successful social media marketing campaign and can lead to a marked difference between a successful social media strategy and an average one. The social media world is very dynamic. Social media experts monitor the progress of their campaign at every stage of execution, read reports and tweak the strategy if required.

7th Habit: Sharpen the Saw (Consistency)
Renewing your resources, energy and health create a sustainable, long-term and an effective lifestyle. Social media marketers also need to continuously invest in their skills to stay relevant and effective. Effective strategists create a plan for training and education. The desire to stay on top of trends is key to success for a social media marketer.

At BluEnt, we leverage the best industry resources to execute social media marketing plans for the world's most valuable brands. Our expertise in social media and technology helps our clients create maximum brand awareness and new business opportunities on popular social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+ and YouTube. To know more about our social media services, click here.

About the Author Ava Smith

As Social Media Strategist at BluEnt, Ava Smith spends a lot of time keeping up with online marketing trends for the benefit of our customers. She participates and conducts seminars, webinars and events on Social Media Marketing and Online Marketing. She has successfully consulted number of social media campaigns for top enterprises and Fortune companies in Toronto, Ontario. She can be reached at ava.smith@bluent.com

BluEnt

Formed in 2003, BluEnt is a leading software and web application development company in Toronto, Canada. It specializes in proving custom websites, mobile apps, e-commerce, and Internet marketing services for companies running an online dependent business, or looking to develop a tool to automa…

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