There is a common misconception in many businesses that anyone who uses social media, personally, can run or manage a business social media campaign. This can prove a costly mistake as happened with one cleaning company who predominantly used Twitter to market their new business. When the service was not up to customer expectations, where did they go to complain? Twitter – with devastating effect as the company had no idea how to positively respond and turn an angry customer into a valued one.
Likewise, many businesses are wasting valuable time, energy and money using social media only to pump out their marketing messages. Often with no strategy, thought of content or how to engage and grow the customer base they blunder on regardless. Many are oblivious to the need for regular analysis of the effectiveness of their use of this marketing and communication medium.
Social Media Is So Much More Than Just a Marketing Tool
The purpose of Social Media within a business context differs from personal use of the platforms. To be effective in business terms it should be an integral part of a blended marketing strategy. It is a communications medium that affords instant access to clients and critics alike and therefore should also be integrated into your communications and customer service policies. Getting your response wrong to negative customer feedback can do immeasurable damage to any brand. Get it right and you build an even stronger following and customer base.
Engage Someone with Business Social Media Skills To Manage The Team Strategy
Social Media platforms are not a medium through which to only push out your own marketing messages. Imagine you are in the middle of a very large networking event. What would you think if someone only communicated information about themselves and their business, never listening or responding to what you had to say? Would you want to engage in communication with them again? Social Media platforms are there to engage with people, not constantly communicate ‘Look at me’ messages!
CHOOSING THE RIGHT SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
It is important to choose your Social Media Platforms carefully, taking into consideration the market you are aiming at, their personal use of social media, your time to consistently use the platforms and how you will build a following. This is not a communications medium to only push out sales and marketing messages. It is a medium through which to share information and build relationships locally and globally.
Consideration as to how many platforms you choose to use is also important to its use and consistency. Effective Social Media campaigns are time consuming, requiring well thought out and planned content and implementation strategies and overall management, to be fully effective. Social Media management also includes regular weekly use of the analytical tools for each platform. Without such evaluation much time and energy can be wasted on ineffectual social media content and communication.
It is not about the quantity of followers but the quality of engagement you create
Where each member of a team is involved in producing content, sharing, interacting and following, and a dashboard such as Hootsuite is used (including its analytics) the ability to be consistent, time effective and engaging is increased. If people in the same team have their own twitter accounts with different types of followers e.g. students, business people, staff etc., where a need to communicate the same message arises, e.g. an event, the reach of communication is exponentially multiplied by the number of followers in different people’s accounts. This way of working also reduces the amount of time and engagement on Twitter needed by each individual.
Resources: http://www.techiemania.com/how-to-use-social-media-to-drive-your-business.html
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