Social Media is everywhere. We are currently living in a world that allows businesses the opportunity to reach millions of people with just a few clicks. Creating an engaging social presence is important because it’s a cost-effective way to increase brand awareness, improve customer service and boost search engine rankings.
After you’ve branded your social pages with the appropriate logos, descriptions and graphics, here are a few of the “DO’s” when preparing an effective social strategy:
- Know your customers. Research online by performing simple hashtag and keyword searches to get an idea of who your target audience will be. About 80% of your content strategy should be geared towards them.
- Maintain a consistent social voice. This works best if the social voice is clear and consistent. 100 people talking in conversation at the same time would be hard to understand. This same concept applies to social media.
- Follow a checklist. Create a content plan and stick to it. Your followers will appreciate the consistency and look forward to your content.
- Provide great customer service. This can make or break a company. Happy customers will be more likely to review products and return as repeat customers.
- Be Original! Take risks with your posts and get people talking. You want to show your brand has personality.
Now that you know what to do, here are some of the “DON’T’s”:
- Don’t like your own posts. Don’t “like” or “favorite” your own material. Encourage your employees to share and like your content! Employees can be your brand’s greatest ambassadors.
- Don’t forget about privacy settings. These settings are important on personal social pages and even more important on business pages. Remember, what you share on the internet can never be erased.
- Don’t forget to network. Just as you would in everyday life, make connections and grow your brand by building quality relationships and making impressions online.
- Don’t ignore comments. It is vital to your business to engage with your followers. With little to no engagement, your customers may feel that you don’t care about their question or concern. Use this opportunity to show that your business can properly address positive and negative instances.
- Don’t solely rely on automation. When working with multiple social platforms, it may be easier to automate responses and content. Relying heavily on these practices can de-humanize your brand. Make the engagement personable, less computer generated.
By following these best practices, creating a diverse content mix and proving a great customer service experience, your business’ social pages should be successful tools within your overall marketing strategy.