How to build a social media command center
Organizations including Coca-Cola and Southwest Airlines have social media command centers to better engage with customers online. Here’s how you can build a successful one.
Many organizations have established social media command centers to amplify and accelerate their marketing and engagement with customers.
Creating a command center involves establishing policies and procedures for interactions, installing hardware and software to manage the war room, and selecting dedicated staff.
Organizations such as Coca-Cola and Southwest Airlines have created physical spaces and hired dedicated staff (typically with deep backgrounds in digital analytics). Smaller organizations are considering doing so, too.
However, some organizations have created command centers without establishing a clear strategy and purpose. Marketing teams that create social media command centers simply because they’re trendy run the risk not only of wasting money, but of setting back their digital marketing efforts. An unused or poorly run center is a tangible marketing failure.
One of my clients established a social media command center without a detailed purpose or dedicated team. The center is now a squatter’s office. Employees use the large-screen TVs to tune in to sporting events more than to engage with customers.
Start with why
To set up your social media command center for success, begin by defining your goals. Here are some possibilities:
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