Things To Consider For Your Social Media Strategy

First of all, recognizing you need a social media strategy in the first place is a good step. Many business owners know they need social media but think they can just tweet or post on Facebook once in a while and see success. This just isn’t true. You need a refined, comprehensive strategy if you want your social media efforts to pay off. Before you jump into the tweeting, pinning, G+ing pool, there are a few things you need to consider:

Time Commitment 

Social media takes time, both to show results and on a daily basis. There’s a labor intensive portion that a lot of people take for granted. When you write a blog post, it must be socialized. This means writing and scheduling posts on all relevant social networks about it. You have to do this the day the new post goes up. But you also need to post daily about other things. You need to recycle old content. You need to share other people’s content. You need to respond to what your fans and followers say. See what we mean? It takes time.

Knowing What You Know

Not everyone is an expert in every social media platform. You have two options here: play to your strengths or post where your community is. This requires some research to see what social media site your target demographic is using. It also requires leveraging your current knowledge for the best possible outcome. If you know Twitter inside and out, place your emphasis there–not on a platform you’re not as familiar with. 

Develop Your Voice

Take some time to think of how you want your company represented on social media. Will the tone be casual or professional? Would injecting a bit a humor into your posts be acceptable? Are there key phrases you like to emphasize when talking about your business? Jot down your ideas and look at what some of your competitors do to come up with a cohesive social media strategy.

Be Authentic

Your fans and community members can spot insincere posts from a mile away. Consumers are smart and you need to recognize that fact lest you pay for it handsomely. The “trick” for success here? Be real. Be authentic. Represent your company and the people behind it in an honest and open way. Think of it this way: would you follow a company online that only tweets about business 24/7? That is, they don’t let a bit of personality come through at all. Can you say, boring? Don’t be this company. Write posts (or have your employees write posts) that feel real because they are real. Just recently, a user tweeted at Sony Entertainment about a funny thing their kid did to their subwoofer:

Sony actually responded in a humorous way:

The fact that Sony corporate allows employees to respond like real people (because they are!) is refreshing and stands out. This mean to stand out you need to sound like a real person on social media, too.

Create a Schedule

Though related to the amount of time involved in maintaining social media, creating a schedule is a bit different. You need to sit down and plan out where you’re going to post (and when) then stick to it week after week. It’s a lot of work but the pay off potential is huge. Not only will your audience come to expect to see your posts on specific days, they’ll expect to see your face pop up on social media often. You’ll become a familiar face. And that’s a good thing.

To review: understand these things take time, acknowledge your strengths, create a consistent voice, act like a real person, and post consistently–these make up the recipe to a successful social media strategy. 

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