Social media engagement is an essential component of almost any organization’s marketing and public relations efforts. As PR firms position themselves as keepers of the brand trust and leading company reputations, adding social media to their repertoire of service offerings is a critical move.
There are some universal truths regarding social media engagement that are platform agnostic. Whether your foray in social media begins on a company blog post or a tweet, these strategies hold true to help attract followers and friends and engender brand evangelists.
â–¶ Have a voice and stay on message (themes): Social media is not a free-for-all when it comes to content. Just like in real life, people tend to gather in groups with similar values, interests or opinions. In the digital realm, people follow or friend brands and individuals with heightened expectations. They want to know the subject matter and topics of discussion so they can evaluate whether or not you’re worth a click. Conversations should not be rigidly confined to corporate messages or product discussions, but they should be relatable in order for the organization to reap value from the engagement.
â–¶ Be authentic, honest & ethical: This is standard practice for any good organization. In the online arena, uncovering a dishonest or unethical practice is easier and potentially more damaging than it ever was. In the frenzy to gain followers and make friends online, marketers sometimes lose their ethical compass. Posting fake comments, rating your own company, paying for reviews, falsifying tweets or tricking audiences with fake offers or advertising may help you gain a following fast, but your constituents will take you down even faster.
â–¶ Get ready for a long-term commitment: You don’t get married and have kids on a first date. It takes time, consistency and commitment to build a community online. If you start with your inner circle, leveraging existing customers, partners, employees and media that know you in the “real” world, brands can accelerate the process. Starting new relationships takes time and effort, and companies need to be ready for the long haul.
â–¶ Provide value, not noise: Often the ease of social media entices individuals and organizations to “overshare.” It’s almost as if they want to fill the silence of an awkward conversation with something, anything, just to break the tension. Remember, one great blog post a month beats 30 useless ones, and one smart answer on LinkedIn can build a reputation faster than 10 lame discussion posts.
â–¶ Aim for quality, not quantity: This advice applies to content as well as connections. Too often, social media is being measured by quantity—how many followers, how many views, how many links, etc. The true measure of success is not about the quantity of connections but about the quality of those connections and the depth of engagement. Engaging with five CEOs of top target companies is infinitely more important than talking to 500 non-decision makers.
â–¶ Share & play nice in the social media sandbox: In the privacy of your office, you can curse competitors and belittle their products or begrudge an angry customer. In social media, it’s never a good idea to pick a fight. You rarely win a fight in the arena of public opinion and, often, you do more damage than good. Avoid the urge to slam another company or call out a brand. Concentrate on building your own reputation rather than tearing someone else’s down.
â–¶ Bring online relationships offline: It’s important to create opportunities to translate online connections into offline connections, whereby your target audience is engaging with your company and or brand in a way that supports your business goals. Retailers might offer in-store promotions, coupons or customer-loyalty events. Businesses might offer webinars, facility tours, free trials or product demonstrations.
â–¶ Measure, tweak, repeat: Social media changes on a daily basis, and your approach needs to keep up with those changes. What was good one year ago on MySpace will not work anymore. You have to constantly check and measure the value of your work. Although many platforms in social media are free, the time and human resources that you have to invest in order to have a successful program are not. Although you have to go in with a long-term strategy and commitment, if what you are doing isn’t working, go back to the drawing board. PRN
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This article was written by Sandra Fathi, founder and president of Affect Strategies, a public relations, marketing and social media firm in New York. Visit the Affect blog (www.techaffect.com) or follow Sandra on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sandrafathi.