Social media is a balancing act. Where to spend your
efforts, how often to post/share and what to share. This week we'll talk
about how to manage the many components of social media.
By Samantha Scott, APR
Social media is one part of the communications mix, but it involves many
different components and channels. From Facebook to YouTube to Google+ and
LinkedIn, it can easily consume your workday (and beyond) if you let it. So, how
can we wrangle this part of our PR plan and be sure to effectively
communicate?
HAVE A PLAN
As professionals in the public relations field we live and breathe by plans.
Social media needs to have a plan too. Just putting up a business Facebook
page or creating a Twitter account isn't enough. Put together a plan to
include:
• Who will manage the
account(s)?
• Where will content come
from?
• How often will you post?
• What happens in the case of
an emergency or natural disaster?
• Who will measure your
efforts? (Facebook Insights, Google analytics, audience growth, etc.)
I advise developing a content plan - a spreadsheet that lists all the social
networks you're on, the topics or things to be shared and the dates that
information needs to be shared on and which channel. This will be your guide
and an easy way to make sure you have content regularly and you maintain a
quality ratio of content (promotional vs. value added).
FOCUS ON RELATIONSHIPS
What makes someone a friend or fan of your business in real life? A common
ground or interest, need, etc. With social media for someone to 1) like
your page and then go a step further to 2) maintain a relationship and if
you're lucky, 3) engage with your company you must have a RELATIONSHIP
with them. You have to establish a common ground and/or a pain point which you
can then resolve. If I liked a business page, but all they did was spam me
with sales info or product information, I'd unlike them and leave. You have
to give your audience something worth coming back for.
Example: If every time I see my friend I tell her about my business, my current
sale, my services, etc. and never share any other (useful) information OR
ask about her, eventually she's going to stop seeing me. It's like I'm constantly
offering commercials and it's all about ME. People have Tivo and DVRs for
a reason. Businesses are terrible about this. Go visit a few small to medium
sized business pages and see what they're posting. We have to engage like
people. That's what other people connect with!
BE MINDFUL
Below I provide some tips for using social media effectively for business.
These are just things to keep in mind and help balance the content
you/your company puts out.
• Post useful, engaging
content. This may seem like common sense, but we’ve all seen posts that
were clearly made when someone was bored. While this probably won’t drive
people away, how does it help build relationships?
• Provide a variety of
content! Be careful of over-inviting people to your events, meetings,
groups, etc. This also includes sending updates to fans. All of
these actions result in a notification message being sent to other
Facebook users. It’s important to keep the 4:1 ratio when inviting
your fans. (For every 4 posts that provided added-value, you can post 1 about
your company/services.)
• DO NOT: Continually try to
sell something, broadcast/promote blatantly, talk about yourself/your company
only!
Social media can be powerful if used correctly. Take these tips to heart, start
practicing and go succeed!
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