COM 310 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric
Overview
The final project for this course is the creation of a social media consultation document.
Social media often reaches multiple departments within an organization such as human resources, legal, marketing, operations, sales, and more. Planning strategically offers an organization a blueprint of sorts that can be communicated to these various stakeholders. These plans help set direction and also help prioritize initiatives while keeping everyone on the same page. Equally important is planning for social media mishaps. It is never more apparent that strategic planning was not done or did not include a contingency plan than when social media engagement snowballs into a public relations disaster.
In this assessment, you will explore strategic social media use for an existing organization of your choice. This paper will cover two platforms you feel are relevant to the organizations goals and detail how these platforms can be used in tandem to reach organizational goals. You will be both creative and strategic and align goals to specific tactics on each platform of your choice. You will also include a plan of action to guide decision making when negative comments make a community toxic or when opportunities present themselves to engage the audience in positive communication.
The project is divided into two milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Three and Five. The final product will be submitted in Module Seven.
In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:
Illustrate social media best practices for achieving organizational goals
Choose appropriate social media content for meeting the communications needs and goals of organizations
Analyze the effectiveness of social media strategies for various personal, professional, and organizational goals
Devise effective approaches for constructively addressing audience feedback on social media
Prompt
For this assessment, you will first identify a local business with little or no social media presence (if there is an issue with access to a local business, work with your instructor to identify one you may use). Assume you have been asked to create a social media consultation document to help executives understand and plan for social media. This paper will be informational and is not specifically a social media strategy. Instead, it is meant to inform decision makers and provide them the information they would need to begin creating a social media strategy.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
I. Social Media Overview: This section will give you the opportunity to research the history of social media and identify best practices regarding the use of social media. This will allow you to set the stage for your clients and help them understand what the use of social media can and cannot do for their business.
A. Overview how social media has been used by businesses over the past decade. Support overview with research. B. Summarize established best practices regarding the use of social media by businesses.
C. Explain the opportunities and limits of social media as a communications tool.
II. Business Goals: The purpose of this section is to help the organization uncover specific goals related to social media use. These goals will dictate what platforms you choose, what content you share, and what best practices the organization would follow. Identifying the target audience will also ensure the organization uses appropriate platforms and shares appropriate content.
A. Analyze the businesss current state and identify gaps that you will use social media to address. Consider how the organization communicates with its target audience, how well it retains customers, or how frequently it updates its website.
B. Select two of the following four goals for the business, based on the identified gaps. Justify your selections.
Drive traffic to website
Increase brand awareness
Connect with customers and clients
Demonstrate expertise
C. Explain how audience engagement through social media can help the business achieve its goals. Support explanation with examples.
III. Social Platforms: The purpose of this section is to explain why you are recommending the platforms you have chosen and how the business can use them. Ground your choices in research and best practices to be sure your choices are clear. You need to make clear what the opportunities and limits of each platform are, so providing an explanation of the terms of service is necessary.
A. Propose two appropriate social media platforms and explain how each will help the company reach the target audience and achieve its goals. B. Develop a strategy based on best practices that the company will use on each platform.
C. Describe what types of content should be used on each platform to reach the target audience and why.
D. Assess how the terms of service impact use of your chosen platforms by your organization. Provide specific examples.
IV. Examples: Now that you have explained to the business how it should use the social media platforms you have identified, you need to provide the executives with examples of what effective and ineffective use of social media looks like. This will give the business a sense of how best practices drive content, target audience engagement, and ultimately help businesses achieve their goals.
A. Using a real-world example, describe a situation in which an organization demonstrated exceptional use of social media for the particular goals and objectives you mentioned in Part I. This will show the executives specific examples of social media done well by another company. This could even be a competitor of the company you are working with.

B. Using a real-world example, describe a situation in which an organization did not adhere to best practices. This will show executives specific examples of social media misuse or abuse.
C. Develop a plan, based on best practices, for how the business should handle feedback (positive and negative) on social media.
D. Explain how appropriately responding to feedback on social media can help the business achieve its goals. Support explanation with examples.
V. Conclusion: Conclude your paper by making recommendations for next steps should the business decide to move forward with developing a presence on social media. Remind them that keeping up with a social media presence is a long-term commitment and will constantly be refined and measured.
A. Explain how the continuous use of social media can help the organization achieve its goals. Support explanation with examples. B. Offer recommendations for measuring success and explain its importance.
C. Develop hypothetical next steps for the organization should they decide to move forward with a strategic social media plan.
Milestones
Milestone One: Social Media Overview and Business Goals (Sections I and II)
In Module Three, you will submit a draft of your social media overview and business goals. Research the history of social media and identify best practices regarding the use of social media. This will allow you to set the stage for your clients and help them understand what the use of social media can and cannot do for their business. Using this information, help your clients uncover specific goals related to social media use. These goals will dictate what platforms you choose, what content you share, and what best practices the organization would follow. Identifying the target audience will also ensure the organization uses appropriate platforms and shares appropriate content. This milestone is graded with the Milestone One Rubric.
Milestone Two: Social Platforms and Business Examples (Sections III and IV)
In Module Five, you will submit a draft of proposed social platforms and business examples. Explain why you are recommending the platforms you have chosen and how the business can use them. Ground your choices in research and best practices to be sure your choices are clear. You need to make clear what the opportunities and limits of each platform are, so providing an explanation of the terms of service is necessary. Now that you have explained to the business how it should use the social media platforms you have identified, you need to provide the executives with examples of what effective and ineffective use of social media looks like. This will give the business a sense of how best practices drive content, target audience engagement, and ultimately help businesses achieve their goals. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.
Final Submission: Social Media Consultation Document
In Module Seven, you will submit your final project. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded with the Final Project Rubric.
 
Final Project Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: Your social media consultation document should be 8 to 10 pages in length (not including screenshots), double-spaced, have one-inch
margins, and use 12-point Times New Roman font and APA format.
  Critical Elements
      Exemplary (100%)
    Proficient (85%)
  Needs Improvement (55%)
    Not Evident (0%)
  Value
    Social Media Overview: Social Media
    Meets Proficient criteria and research chosen provides keen insight into the evolving use of social media by businesses
  Overviews how social media has been used by businesses over the past decade, supporting overview with research
Overviews how social media has been used by businesses over the past decade but overview is cursory, verbose, or not supported by research
    Does not overview how social media has been used by businesses over the past decade
4.8
    Social Media Overview: Best Practices
  Meets Proficient criteria and main ideas provide exceptional insight into the use of social media by businesses
Summarizes established best practices regarding the use of social media by businesses
Summarizes established best practices regarding the use of social media by businesses but summary is cursory or is missing key details
  Does not summarize established best practices regarding the use of social media by businesses
4.8
    Social Media Overview: Opportunities and Limits
      Meets Proficient criteria and details communicate a unique perspective on the capacity of social media
    Explains the opportunities and limits of social media as a communications tool
  Explains the opportunities and limits of social media as a communication tool but explanation is cursory or lacks clarity
    Does not explain the opportunities and limits of social media as a communication tool
  4.8
    Business Goals: Current State
  Meets Proficient criteria and identified gaps provide exceptional insight into the businesss needs
Analyzes the businesss current state and identifies gaps that will be addressed using social media
Analyzes the businesss current state and identifies gaps that will be addressed using social media but analysis is cursory or unclear or gaps are not clearly identified
  Does not analyze the businesss current state or identify gaps that will be addressed using social media
4.8
    Business Goals: Identified Gaps
      Meets Proficient criteria and goals exhibit a nuanced understanding of the needs of the business
    Selects goals for the business based on the identified gaps and justifies the selections
  Selects goals for the business based on the identified gaps and justifies the selections but justification is cursory or illogical
    Does not select goals for the business based on the identified gaps
  6
    Business Goals: Achieve Its Goals
    Meets Proficient criteria and examples exhibit keen insight into the potential positive impact of audience engagement
  Explains how audience engagement through social media can help the business achieve its goals, supporting explanation with examples
Explains how audience engagement through social media can help the business achieve its goals but explanation is cursory or not supported with examples
    Does not explain how audience engagement through social media can help the business achieve its goals
8
   
  Social Platforms: Target Audience
    Meets Proficient criteria and explanation cites specific platform features that illustrate the platforms potential
  Proposes two appropriate social media platforms, explaining how each will help the company reach the target audience and achieve its goals
  Proposes two social media platforms, explaining how each will help the company reach the target audience and achieve its goals, but not all proposed platforms are appropriate or explanation is cursory
  Does not propose two social media platforms or explain how each will help the company reach the target audience and achieve its goals
  6
    Social Platforms: Best Practices
      Meets Proficient criteria and makes detailed connections between specific best practices and the features of each platform
    Develops a strategy based on best practices that the company will use on each platform
  Develops a strategy that the company will use on each platform but the strategy is cursory or not based on best practices
    Does not develop a strategy that the company will use on each platform
  6
    Social Platforms: Content
    Meets Proficient criteria and description offers keen insight into how each platform targets specific audiences
  Describes what types of content should be used on each platform to reach the target audience and why
Describes what types of content should be used on each platform to reach the target audience but does not describe why
    Does not describe what types of content should be used on each platform to reach the target audience
6
    Social Platforms: Terms of Service
  Meets Proficient criteria and chosen examples show keen insight into the limits terms of service place on platforms
Assesses how the terms of service impact use of the chosen platforms by the organization and provides specific examples
Assesses how the terms of service impact use of the chosen platforms by the organization but assessment is cursory or lacks specific examples
  Does not assess how the terms of service impact use of the chosen platform by the organization
4.8
    Examples: Exceptional Use
    Meets Proficient criteria and details offer insight into how the power of social media helps companies achieve goals
  Describes a real-world situation in which an organization demonstrated exceptional use of social media to achieve its goals
  Describes a real-world situation in which an organization demonstrated exceptional use of social media to achieve its goals but description is cursory or lacks clarity
  Does not describe a real-world situation in which an organization demonstrated exceptional use of social media to achieve its goals
  4.8
    Examples: Did Not Adhere
    Meets Proficient criteria and details offer keen insight into the consequences of not adhering to best practices
  Describes a real-world situation in which an organization did not adhere to best practices
  Describes a real-world situation in which an organization did not adhere to best practices but description is cursory, unclear, or contains inaccuracies
  Does not describe a real-world situation in which an organization did not adhere to best practices
  4.8
    Examples: Handle Feedback
      Meets Proficient criteria and plan demonstrates insightful connections between best practices and audience feedback
    Develops a plan, based on best practices, for how the organization should handle feedback on social media
  Develops a plan for how the organization should handle feedback on social media but plan is cursory or not clearly based on best practices
    Does not develop a plan for how the organization should handle feedback on social media
  8
   

Examples: Appropriately Responding
Meets Proficient criteria and examples exhibit a nuanced approach in responding to feedback on social media
Explains how appropriately responding to feedback on social media can help the organization achieve its goals, supporting explanation with examples

Explains how appropriately responding to feedback on social media can help the organization achieve its goals but explanation is cursory, unclear, or not supported with examples
Does not explain how appropriately responding to feedback on social media can help the organization achieve its goals
  8
Conclusion: Achieve Its Goals
Meets Proficient criteria and examples show keen insight into effectiveness of continuous social media use
Explains how the continuous use of social media can help the organization achieve its goals, supporting explanation with examples

Explains how the continuous use of social media can help the organization achieve its goals but illustration is cursory or examples provided are not cogent
Does not explain how the continuous use of social media can help the organization achieve its goals
  4.8
Conclusion: Recommendations
Meets Proficient criteria and recommendations exhibit keen insight into the importance of measuring success

Offers recommendations for measuring success, explaining its importance
Offers recommendations for measuring success, explaining its importance, but recommendations are cursory or lack clarity

Does not offer recommendations for measuring success
4.8
Conclusion: Hypothetical Next Steps
Meets Proficient criteria and next steps make cogent connections with the organizations goals
Develops hypothetical next steps for the organization should it decide to move forward with a strategic social media plan
Develops hypothetical next steps for the organization should it decide to move forward with a strategic social media plan but next steps are cursory or inappropriate
Does not develop hypothetical next steps for the organization should it decide to move forward with a strategic social media plan
4.8
Articulation of Response
Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format
Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization
Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas
Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas
4
Total
100%