Strategic social media tips for businesses who find social media faintly intimidating.
To master social media platforms you first have to understand the most basic and misunderstood premise, which is that you will be speaking as yourself.
Many many people would disagree with this view but trying to speak on behalf of a business or enterprise is not easy unless you are absolutely aligned with the values of that business.
For that reason I’d encourage anyone writing as a business to try first of all to be human, which I think you possibly are.
George Eliot could’ve been writing about social media when she wrote, “What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined?”
And that I think is the point.
Along the way of course you have the business aims; to demonstrate your expertise and authority, and to engage with your demographic in order to promote business. But the technology you use for this is simply being an interesting human.
My tips below on social media are all centred around being human but I think you’ll find they make sound business sense as well.
Offer A Peek Behind The Curtain
Invite the world in. Show the world your industry’s nuts and bolts. It’s not just the devil that’s in the details but also the magic – people will be interested. You may hear this approach talked about as ‘transparency’. Call it what you want, this is your opportunity to show off how and why you find what you do interesting.
Remember You’re An Expert
This comes down to taking pride in your work. Being conscientious is what makes people invest time in their work and build expertise in the first place. For this reason it’s really the most engaged member of your team who should your social media figurehead.
An expert is interesting because they have knowledge. This should make them compelling – just let them speak about what they’re doing.
Be Candid… Mostly
Yes, be candid and open. But remember you are in a public place. A useful way to figure with this is imagining you’re speaking to your friend while their parents are in the room.
Engage In Conversation
Another wonderful aspect of social media is that it’s a two way street. You can interact freely with your audience. Companies such as the Royal Mail do this excellently with their Twitter accounts. In fact the only worthwhile way to communicate with Royal Mail is through its Twitter page.
Using social media you can have rich conversations sharing images, video and answering questions. If you like you can tug on someone’s sleeve for an interview. If you remember your manners you can speak to anyone…
Listen
… and you can hear everyone. If you are being talked about you should hear it and respond. This is a terrific way not only to respond to complaints but to encourage positive write-ups.
Remember Who Your Friends Are
Chasing new business opportunities is always smart but forgetting about your existing customer base is distinctly not smart. Forgetting your existing customers is akin to chasing only cold leads. Social media is the tool you use to keep leads warm.
Remember The Real World
Social media is fantastic but there is a lot to be said for the real world. There has been a long-running trend for businesses to offer real world rewards for online tasks such as Following someone or Liking something. This approach still works so long as it’s not phoney. How do you make sure a reward feels right? Make the rewards relevant to your business.
In the end the best advice is always the advice your mother gave you... Be yourself...
It sounds like a cop out but it really isn't.
Written by Expert Market's Thomson Turpin. You can read more from Thomson here: @expertmarket
