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social media

The Secret to Social

If you’ve come here to unlock the secret to effectively implementing and managing social campaigns, well… I’m sorry to disappoint you.

Because if there’s anything I’ve learned after 10+ years of community management and implementing social strategies for clients – it’s that there really isn’t a vault of secrets yearning to be opened. In a landscape that is constantly changing and evolving, the best tool in your social arsenal is good old fashioned common sense.

Content is King

Newsflash: Audiences don’t follow you on social media to be harassed with hard-sell messaging. Yes, of course you have product to sell – and yes, of course, the goal is to get your followers to buy it – but there’s a less intrusive, more engaging way to get your message across without hammering your audience over the head with ‘Buy Now’ buttons.

To truly engage your audience and keep them coming back for more, you need to deliver content that matters to them. Obviously, the type of content varies greatly depending on what your line of business is – but you should be thinking along the lines of video, infographics, whitepapers, photographs, and interactive elements that compliment your product and resonate with your audience.

Consistency + Focus

Never underestimate the value of consistency. The easiest way to stay top-of-mind with your audience is to bring them the information they want (or don’t know they want yet) on a regular basis. This doesn’t necessarily mean sharing every single day (and never post something for the sake of posting), but you should be looking at 2 – 3 times a week as a bare minimum.

Yes, it’s time consuming – anything worth doing effectively is. But every day you’re not speaking to your followers is a wasted opportunity to make that sales pitch.

My advice? Allocate some time each month to review your talking points, and implement an editorial calendar with dates and details. This, accompanied with the various scheduling features on social networks, will help alleviate the burden of deciding what you’ll talk about tomorrow and focus on the key messages that matter.

Pay to Play

If you’re apprehensive about spending money with Facebook, here’s a quick little fact: No matter the size of your audience, only 6% of them see your posts organically. So, for every 1,000 followers you have, only 60 of them are seeing your content – and that’s on your best day.

To truly get the most out of Facebook (and Instagram), you need to implement a social media budget. The budget doesn’t need to be excessive – and Facebook’s highly advanced targeting tools will ensure that you’re reaching the right people to maximize its effectiveness. $100 can be the difference between reaching 60 people and 10,000.

Listen. No, Really.

If you’re using social media simply to talk at your followers, do everyone a favour and quit right now.  Social media is not to be used as a megaphone pointed at your followers whenever you have something to say; it’s a powerful tool to be used to facilitate a dialogue and engage with them – it’s called social media for a reason.

Keep your ear to the ground about what your followers are saying about you and your brand – and use tools like Sprout Social and HooteSuite to monitor these conversations via keywords and hashtags. By actively listening, you can gain valuable insight into your brand’s public perception and what influences customers.

Extending Customer Service

Like it or not, your social platforms are viewed by customers as a direct line to air their grievances and ask questions – and they expect to be answered in an appropriate amount of time. Gone are the days of phone calls and emails – now, customers expect a reply to a tweet within minutes.

It’s absolutely paramount to check your accounts every single day so you don’t miss any opportunities. Ensure that your followers get their questions answered and their concerns addressed.