Sharing is caring!

Social media best practices put into perspective

Social media is just that—social. Dialog between company and consumer is a two-way conversation. Long gone are the days of marketing brands from the top down, broadcasting campaigns and controlling messages. Today's marketing landscape is a much more level playing field. Starts-ups can compete right along side established brands in the social media arena.


So what is the best way for a company to build a social media presence which will lead to a strong brand?


Here are some tips, tactics and best practices that can be implemented into any company's social media strategy.

Quick Tips

    1.    Know your audience and what makes them tick
    2.    Share your knowledge
    3.    Get involved with the online conversations
    4.    Be transparent, genuine and real—let your passion and personality show
    5.    Post frequently, add new content
    6.    Provide tips, insights and info that is easy to share
    7.    Be responsive—answer questions promptly
    8.    Listen to feedback and suggestions
    9.    Learn from mistakes, be humble
    10.    Link to and share others' relevant contact

Who are you?

Have a clear message and voice that is targeted to your audience. Not sure who that is exactly? There are free tools to help you learn more—two of my favorites are Buffer and FollowerWonk.

Build a giving relationship

Interact with your customers in such a way that they want to engage with you; be open and authentic. Create a win-win relationship by providing value to customers while gaining their insights and loyalty. Offer tips, information and incentives to your followers to keep them coming back for more. Always give more than you receive—good life tip too!

"How may I help you?"

Listen to customers. Be responsive. Keep track of the online conversation by using mention alerts like Google Alerts or Mention to see who is talking about you. Customers expect that social media is the new customer support center, so it is critical that you can monitor and respond to your customer’s questions quickly. "More than 40% of people who post a complaint on social media expect a response within 1 hour." - Convince and Convert

Hashtag, Hashtag

Create brand awareness by using hashtags to help you reach your target audience and help connect to people already engaged in your market. Check out Hashtagify.me to search for popular hashtags and the top influencers who use them. By engaging with influencers in your industry and sharing their content within active conversations you will build your own relationships within that community. Communicate diligently and consistently and your industry influencers will send new followers your way.

Implement!

All these tips won't help a bit if you don't take the time to implement them! Seem like a big job? Well, that's the beauty of the new way of marketing...it's not just up to the Marketers any more! Get everyone in your company involved in collecting and sharing information online—from CEO to intern, we can all play a role in sharing our company's message.


For information about creating a Social Media Policy check out "Don't be that guy".