For staff members not regularly involved in digital marketing, such as C-level executives, they may not have immediate clarity on whether the company has the resources needed, and how to measure social marketing’s results. Even if your company has made initial steps into involving social media, such as opening a Facebook page for your business, your marketing department may be operating in a silo, and requires further approval to implement social more broadly.

We’ve found that the best approach to getting buy-in on your social media calendar is solid preparation, and we’ve outlined some of the hurdles, here:

What are our goals?

Know your objectives when implementing your plan. Do they include some or all of the following?

Building brand recognition

Developing a community around our product

Having a real-time line of communication to our customers

Keeping an eye on the market and competition

Delivering social advertising

Planning for crisis management

Speak to each objective and identify gaps in your current marketing, as well as the potential opportunities.

What will it cost?

How does your plan affect the bottom line? What tools will you be using, and what will they cost? What internal resources will you need? What are the potential losses to the company if a social media plan is notapproved? Providing clear numbers up front will make it easier to illustrate and support your case.

How will we measure success?

According to Forrester Research’s Q4 2012 US Interactive Marketing Online Survey, the top challenge in social marketing was ROI. “Marketers indicate that return on investment and success measurement are the top two challenges they face — which in turn leads to a lack of resources and a lack of budget”, says Forrester’s Kim Celestre.

Knowing what you want to achieve is the first step. Each company will have different metrics and KPIs individual to their goals. Grow your content library to have content on hand, and use analytics to measure how your content is landing. Track conversions, and monitor your reach. Pay attention to your objectives, and watch your metrics regularly to develop your content strategy.

Who do we need to involve?

Think about your key stakeholders ahead of time. Discuss and brainstorm your social media ideas. Getting involvement across your organization will help you present your plan initially, and help your social media plan to thrive once implemented. See more about successfully implementing a social media plan in our FalconCast, How to Create an Effective Organization.

How will we implement the plan?

Know your plan of action. Have your plan mapped out on a calendar, as well as an initial stab at an editorial calendar to outline your strategy. Being able to show implementation ahead of time provides a better idea of what the plan will look like to the unfamiliar.