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Select and Implement a Social Media Management Platform

Vendor Evaluation

Client Challenge

  • The proliferation of social media networks, customer data, and use cases has made ad hoc social media management challenging.
  • Many organizations struggle with shadow IT when it comes to technology enablement for social media; SMMP fragmentation leads to increased costs and no uniformity in enterprise social media management capabilities.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

  • SMMP selection must be driven by your overall customer experience management strategy; link your SMMP selection to your organization’s CXM framework.
  • Shadow IT will dominate if IT does not step in. Even more so than other areas, SMMP selection is rife with shadow IT.
  • Ensure strong points of integration between SMMP and other software such as CRM. SMMPs can contribute to a unified, 360-degree customer view.

Impact and Result

  • The value proposition of SMMPs revolves around enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of social media. Using an SMMP to manage social media is considerably more cost effective than ad hoc (manual) management.
  • IT must partner with other departments (e.g. Marketing) to successfully evaluate, select, and implement an SMMP. Before selecting an SMMP, the organization must have a solid overall strategy for leveraging social media in place. If IT does not work as a trusted advisor to the business, shadow IT in social media management will be rampant.

Research & Tools

Start here – read the Executive Brief

Read our concise Executive Brief to find out why you should implement an SMMP, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand the four ways we can support you in completing this project.

Name Actions
Select and Implement a Social Media Management Platform – Executive Brief
Select and Implement a Social Media Management Platform – Phases 1-3
Select and Implement a Social Media Management Platform – Phases 1-3

1. Develop a technology enablement approach

Conduct a maturity assessment to determine whether a dedicated SMMP is right for your organization.

Name Actions
Select and Implement a Social Media Management Platform – Phase 1: Develop a Technology Enablement Approach for Social Media
Social Media Maturity Assessment Tool
Social Media Opportunity Assessment Tool
SMMP Use-Case Fit Assessment Tool

2. Select an SMMP

Use the Vendor Landscape findings and project guidance to develop requirements for your SMMP RFP, and evaluate and shortlist vendors based on your expressed requirements.

Name Actions
Select and Implement a Social Media Management Platform – Phase 2: Select an SMMP
SMMP Vendor Shortlist & Detailed Feature Analysis Tool
SMMP Vendor Demo Script
SMMP RFP Template
SMMP RFP Evaluation and Scoring Tool
Vendor Response Template

3. Review implementation considerations

Even a solution that is a perfect fit for an organization will fail to generate value if it is not properly implemented or measured. Conduct the necessary planning before implementing your SMMP.

Name Actions
Select and Implement a Social Media Management Platform – Phase 3: Review Implementation Considerations
Social Media Steering Committee Charter Template

Onsite Workshop: Select and Implement a Social Media Management Platform

Onsite workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost onsite delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.

Do-It-Yourself Implementation

The slides in this Best Practice Blueprint will walk you step-by-step through every phase of your project with supporting tools and templates ready for you to use.

Project Accelerator Workshop

You can also use this Best Practice Blueprint to facilitate your own project accelerator workshop within your organization using the workshop slides and facilitation instructions provided in the Appendix.

Module 1: Launch Your SMMP Selection Project

The Purpose

  • Discuss the general project overview for the SMMP selection.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Determine your organization’s readiness for SMMP.

Activities Outputs
1.1 Identify organizational fit for the technology.
  • Organizational maturity assessment
1.2 Evaluate social media opportunities within your organization.
1.3 Determine the best use-case scenario for your organization.
  • SMMP use-case fit assessment

Module 2: Plan Your Procurement and Implementation Process

The Purpose

  • Plan the procurement and implementation of the SMMP.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Select an SMMP.
  • Review implementation considerations.

Activities Outputs
2.1 Review use-case scenario results, identify use-case alignment
  • Vendor shortlist
2.2 Review the SMMP Vendor Landscape vendor profiles and performance.
  • SMMP RFP
  • Vendor evaluations
2.3 Create a custom vendor shortlist and investigate additional vendors for exploration in the marketplace.
  • Selection of an SMMP
2.4 Meet with the project manager to discuss results and action items.
  • Framework for SMMP deployment and integration