Social media strategies are something we have seen a lot of "experts" comment on and promote particular ways of going about implementing. The sad fact is that there is no "one size fits all". We have put together a list of important aspects for you to consider that could make or break your company's success with social media
Social media isn't free
It is extremely time intensive and comes with associated costs. Whether it be posting to Facebook, Tweeting or posting in other forms of social media, the amount of time that is required to maintain and monitor social media cannot be underestimated or undervalued.
Your social media strategy is a marketing strategy
As with any marketing strategy, the first step that you need to take is around segmentation. There are numerous ways to segment your audience; demographically, psychographically (personality, value, attitudes) and by functionality. These are a few examples of potential methods. If you have not already developed a clear identity for your customer segment(s), it is advisable to research this before entering into social media.
Develop a clear strategy
Create a plan with your social media manager to ensure they are not wasting their time and ensure that they are creating value for your company and followers. This plan could involve aspects such as the timing of posts and updates, topics to be covered, media to be active on and responsibilities for those involved with your social media pages. Ensure your content keeps your segmented customers interested and is relevant to your business's service or product.
Separate personal social media accounts from your company's social media pages
This is important as your company doesn't want a potential client locating the administrator of your business's Facebook page only to see photos of them partying and acting in an unprofessional manner. This will create instant perceptions in your customer's mind of the type of people your business employs. Ensure your social media managers have separate accounts set up to be used for managing your business's social media pages.
Social Media is based on conversations
Identify who is vocal in your area of expertise and industry. They will have plenty of followers, will be influential and are vital to have on board for promoting your business. After spending time on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, you will notice people who are more influential than others. You want these people to be following your pages, commenting on your links and sharing or re-tweeting your links. Essentially you want these people talking about you. Social media is based on trust and building trust is much easier through utilising well-known social media influencers rather than building it yourself.
Utilise social media to improve your business's product arsenal and services
Listen to your customers and learn from the problems they are having with your business. They may be constantly complaining about payment methods, lack of quality etc. Take these comments on board and do something about them. Look at the types of people who are interacting with your company online. Is there a customer segment following your page that your company isn't catering too? Think outside the box and analyse your followers, their comments and any trends you can identify.
Create a consistent tone for your business on social media
The tone of the content posted on your business's social media pages needs to reflect your company's brand, maintain consistency every time and it must resonate with your followers. For example, conveying an informal tone in a B2B group on LinkedIn will not receive a warm reception from followers.