Social media is very complex and a constantly evolving medium. It’s no
wonder why many businesses struggle to figure it out and keep up. While a
number have enjoyed quantifiable success, there are also many who failed, and
the rest have still yet to figure out their social media strategy.
Failure is often brought about by overlooking the importance of
understanding the concept of social media. The very basic question as to “why
people engage in it?” as well as “what are the unwritten rules governing it?”
While it is true that social media gives businesses free exposure, many
organizations fail to carefully plan the message they want to convey, as they
would have normally done for any expensive ad campaign.
Consider this: In
the joint study conducted by Facebook and Nielsen back in 2010, the report revealed that the following benchmarks are used on social media for
enterprise: brand awareness, ad recall and purchase intent. It is not
surprising to note that in the study, it was found out that social media has
been able to generate significantly far better results than traditional
marketing approaches and campaigns.
Much like dating, any organization needs to woo, nurture and meet the
needs of their network. To help you out, below are the following rules that
apply to any type of social media user, whether individual, business or
non-profit. If you seriously want to harness a powerful platform to propel your
business, acquire new clients, increase sales as well as enhance brand awareness,
here are the golden rules you should abide by and respect:
Social media is all about building relationships, not business transactions. Any attempt to overtly sell a certain product or service can easily damage your online presence. Consumers no longer have to think of excuses and come up with a polite “no” to a persuasive sales person, all they have to do is to click the “unfollow” button. Don’t make the blunder of using an autoresponder to thank individuals who decided to follow you on Twitter.
Social media is all about building relationships, not business transactions. Any attempt to overtly sell a certain product or service can easily damage your online presence. Consumers no longer have to think of excuses and come up with a polite “no” to a persuasive sales person, all they have to do is to click the “unfollow” button. Don’t make the blunder of using an autoresponder to thank individuals who decided to follow you on Twitter.
Organizations must assign a dedicated social
media expert. Don’t make the mistake of assigning anyone to handle your
social media campaign. The person must be qualified and work independently as a
social media evangelist and report directly to top executives.
Organizations should focus on cultivating
engagement and not on figures. The number of followers, likes
and the size of network should not be considered as a performance indicator.
There is greater value in maintaining a smaller network with regular
interactions and active engagements.
Define your target audience and identify specific
area of expertise. Don’t try to cater everyone by being all things to all people.
If you are truly keen to reaching power users, key decision makers and
influencers, your content should be designed around your market.
Content still reigns supreme in social media. As stated, social
media is not a place to publish your award-winning sales pitches. Posts
should be clear and concise, not emotional or impulsive. It should be carefully
constructed and always politically correct. Twitter posts in particular should
be free from any gimmicks or hidden strings attached but instead provide
information, free resources and best practices.
Updates should be frequent and consist. Social media
campaigns are long-term and ongoing efforts, and work as an integral
part of the company’s online presence. It is not an 8 to 5 weekday job. It is
generally best for posts and updates are published daily, no more than 7 to 9
times.
Social media platforms should be manifested. All social media
streams and accounts should be lined to all pages of the website,
include all the “like”, “follow” and “tweet” buttons.
Social media profiles MUST be impeccable. Profiles are the
first and most viewed page in social media platforms. But all too often,
it is the most ignored aspect. All elements, including background, images and
messages should be consistent with the corporate image and brand.
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