Business Management. Going Social

Over 3 billion people use social media every month. These users are your friends, family, customers and potential customers. Social media isn’t a passing fad – it’s here to stay. When you are looking to establish a ‘social presence’ for your business it can be confusing – when to post, what to post, where to post are all key questions you need to answer before you ‘go social’.  If you answer these questions in advance you can build a social media strategy which will help you achieve a desired business outcome. There’s not much point putting a social strategy in place for your business unless you get an ROI through increased sales, renewals or increased brand awareness. We can help you consider some of the crucial steps you need to take to get started.

Platform

Facebook, Pinterest, Instragram,Twitter, Pinterest, Linkedin – which should platform should you use? There is no one-size fits all and it really depends on the nature of your business. If you are selling goods or services targeted at teenagers or young adults then Instagram is definitely a good place to focus your efforts and will lead to a better return than prioritizing Linkedin or even Facebook If you are targeting a predominantly female audience then Pinterest is definitely where you need to focus your efforts.It’s not advisable to choose one or all platforms for your activity. The ideal platform mix will optimize 2 or 3 carefully chosen based on your target audience.

When to post

In the UK, studies have repeatedly shown that the busiest time for online shopping is 9pm on a Monday night. Saturday afternoon is the least active time of the week. If your business is selling online and you are scheduling your social activity to take place during office hours then you may need to seriously reconsider your approach. Social media is a competitive space and if you want to get noticed you need to schedule accordingly.

How often?

Every ‘expert’ you ask will tell you something different about this. Some experts will tell you that you need to post at least once a day, some will say once a week, once an hour etc.etc. The truth is that the frequency of your posts is determined by your research and your desired business outcomes. It may sound simplistic but if you want to attract the attention of older consumers then posting flashy videos promoting your service or product late at night on Instagram probably isn’t going to yield a positive return. You need to be consistent with the timing of your posts but more importantly they need to be relevant.

Consistency

Your tone may vary slightly between different social media platforms but you need to transmit your own unique voice. You also need to keep your imagery and style consistent and remember that what looks great on a website may not look so good when viewed on a mobile using a different social media platform. Your livery, your tone and your voice need to be largely consistent across your chosen platforms. If you are disjointed and inconsistent in this aspect of your social media activity you are less likely to see a positive ROI from your activity.

Above all you need to put a social media strategy in place before you let your business ‘go social’. A poorly executed social media strategy will not yield and positive business outcomes and may actually damage your brand. Talk to us about what you want to achieve and we can help you take the first steps to ‘going social’.

 

Contact us for business management or social media administration services.