I want to follow up on my last post a little more – social media is vast and endless. It is a constantly changing medium and I’ve noticed quite a lot that can get you in serious trouble very quickly if you’re not careful. Everything I said before still stands, engagement is key to success here but you also need to ensure it’s the right kind of engagement. Here are a few ways you can make sure you’re getting the interactions you want.
Don’t get personal
Your personal and professional social media accounts need to be separate. This is important for a number of reasons but your company or brand page is not the place to vent or start arguments with users and brands. This can quickly destroy your image and reputation. While you need to be responsive to what’s happening in the world of social, it’s sometimes better to take a step back and really think about how best to deal with certain issues.
This can sometimes mean passing the responsibility to someone else if you’re not confident enough to deal with it. You shouldn’t wash your hands of it though – pay attention to how it is dealt with and learn from it for next time. While we don’t want negativity, it can happen and it’s best to turn it around where possible and find the best outcome for all involved.
However, what I’m not saying here is that you need to sound like a drone or that you have no personality – you need this at all times to ensure your audience can relate to you. Engaging with an audience comes from engaging with the people associated with your page, feed or brand first and letting it grow from that. Monitor what affects you but be mindful as to how it can be perceived and avoid the PR approach where possible. People aren’t stupid and are wise to that medium now. Give them something or someone they can relate to and get behind.
Be consistent
You may have hundreds or thousands of likes, follows or connections personally, but those will be people you know or the ones who like your content and tone in most cases. For a brand, the audience wants value and while you can have multiple people who are successful on their own accounts, that won’t help a brand. Some individuality is good but the brand itself needs a voice and tone of its own. Without this, it will become too disjointed and your audience will only engage when they recognise who is working on the account at that time.
This consistency will allow people to be confident in what you will do and when – though taking risks and trying new things is advised, giving your audience the safety of knowing how it will come will help.
Keep your team up-to-date
You may deal with the social platforms on your own or in a team. If you are on your own, chances are there will be at least one other person who needs to know what’s going on for the times you’re not there or when you have to report back.
For both situations, keep everyone informed about changes and developments. This shows you know what you are doing and are prepared for what may come. Fresh eyes may also open up new options to you that you haven’t thought of before. It also helps with consistency so that the same high standards are adhered to at all times. This might mean weekly or daily meetings, depending on the size of your brand, social presence or the needs of your clients.
Social is tricky, but there’s no reason you can’t make it a success and that’s just one thing we’re here to do!
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