A question we’ve been asked by clients before now is shouldn’t we do everything? Social media is free so it’s a good opportunity, isn’t it?
In short no, you probably shouldn’t be everywhere. It might be true that there is a fee to set up a profile on some platforms but to have a successful social media presence takes time and effort. The best strategy for social media is to pick the platforms that are most relevant and to use them effectively. Think about your business, your target market and what you would like to achieve through social media. This should help you pick the right platforms.
For example if you are a financial service company then Pinterest probably isn’t relevant whereas if you are an interior design business then a visual platform like Pinterest is almost certainly perfect. Is one of your objectives to improve your corporate image with a view to encouraging the right candidates to want to work for you? Then you should be looking at LinkedIn. Of course you can pick more than one medium and use them to achieve different goals. The key is to think about it strategically. Understand what you are using, why you are doing it and set objectives.
Once you have chosen the right social media for your organisation make sure you have the resources in place to manage it and then commit to it. Ensure you post regularly, but not so frequently that you bombard your audience. Make your content relevant, useful and appropriate for that medium as well as in keeping with your brand and values. People expect a quick response so make sure you can deliver this before you embark on a social media presence. This is another reason not to try and do everything at once. Whether you are managing it in-house or using an agency make sure you have a plan for dealing with any negativity, think about who is going to be responsible for monitoring your social media presence and how. Remember to review how it is going at regular intervals and change things if it isn’t working.