There’s a lot of information out there about setting objectives and strategizing over social media programs. But I see very little about a key facet that is essential to the success of any social media marketing effort: Preparation.

Before your company jumps into social media, you need to understand the demands of the undertaking. Despite its using a digital interface, social media is a time- and labor-intensive enterprise revolving around honest, human interaction that necessitates timely responses on your part. Additionally, there are new technologies that must be learned with their inherent communication streams and protocols. Finally, understand that unforeseen issues will arise because anything that has human interaction at its core will also have some amount of unpredictability. My inner Boy Scout warns you - Be Prepared!

To start, the heart of the decision is how open or constricted your social media communications will be. Jeremiah Owyang of Altimeter uses this slide to show three levels of openness and a topline of how they might be organized.

Once you settle on the general organization, however, there are still lots of other decisions. It’s important everyone involved is on the same page regardless of how tight or loose you run your program. Here are some questions to consider:

• Who is involved in the process? They need to be well-versed themselves in social media and have the right knowledge set for your target.
• What will they be communicating? Is it a coordinated effort or is it ad hoc?  Do you want to get the word out on some particular news or a product introduction?
• When should they be monitoring and posting? Will your team members be motivated to write and post on a regular basis?
• How should they comport themselves online? Will there be governance policies regarding topics, language, etc.? How will you respond to comments and media inquiries?

Then there are the legal issues: content ownership, trademarks, copyright and privacy concerns, for example. These are even more important in highly regulated industries such as healthcare and financial services.

As is the case with all marketing endeavors, a great strategy is not enough. Your success in social media marketing will come from being prepared before you execute. Scout’s honor.