Written by Robyn T. Braley
I know you’ve heard it. "Forget Social Media. It’s just a passing fad!"
The next time someone at your company says that, ask them to take an Aspirin, Tylenol or Advil. Then, ask them to lay down and rest until the feeling passes!
Is it finally time for your business to launch a social media program? Think about it this way.
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| A revolution in communication! |
So, let me ask you once again. Is it time to launch a company social media program? The answer is a resounding YES!
But, social media for business is not the same as for personal use. The rules are different.
But, social media for business is not the same as for personal use. The rules are different.
Careful thought, execution and control are
the operative words for a business program. Thinking through the basics will
pay huge dividends as you build your audience.
The Basics
However, and you knew there would be one, you
must approach social media in the same way as any other company venture. You must
have a plan. To sketch out a plan, you need a basic understanding of the
medium.
Let’s keep it simple. I’ve identified 10 “Ps”
for social media success.
Purpose
Policy
People
Platform
Profile
Planning
Photography
Protocol
Production
Perspective
You may fall into one of these categories;
- A bootstrapper doing SM all by yourself
- The owner of a small company about to assign an employee to do SM
- The owner of a small company about to outsource SM services
- The leader of a large organization that has a communications team responsible for SM
A Cautionary Tale
Social media has a ravenous appetite for content. Content includes blog posts, tweets, Facebook messages, photos, white papers, webinars, infographics, podcasts, videos, advertisements and anything else that may engage your audience.
By now you should be sensing that your SM program for you business is not to be taken lightly. Successful social media community building requires knowledge, patience and time in order to develop a company voice that engages your targeted audience.
Some companies assign the youngest employee with their social media responsibilities. Why? Because they are the youngest employee. Too often the assumption is made that being young makes you an authority on SM.
That may be true! However, just because someone is active on personal social media does not mean they understand the nuances of social media for business.
Some companies assign the youngest employee with their social media responsibilities. Why? Because they are the youngest employee. Too often the assumption is made that being young makes you an authority on SM.
That may be true! However, just because someone is active on personal social media does not mean they understand the nuances of social media for business.
Respect the Risks
While there is a huge upside to social media,
there are also risks. As the adage says, think before you Tweet it, Facebook it,
Instagram it, Pin it or YouTube it.
Whenever I speak at business or not-for-profit conferences about communications, I can
always depend on a fresh examples of what not to do on social media. Invariably an athlete, celebrity,
politician, or business leader will have done or said something that underlines why the following rule is so important.
To pound it home,
- If you don’t want to see it…
- If you don’t want to read it…
- If your don’t want to hear it…
Don’t say it, write it, do it, show it, refer to it, or upload a picture or video.
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| Discovering your voice |
Your SM program must be integrated within
your overall marketing/communications program.
It all starts with identifying your goals.
SM has hundreds of platforms that provide different functions. To state the obvious, Twitter is much different than Facebook.
SM has hundreds of platforms that provide different functions. To state the obvious, Twitter is much different than Facebook.
Building an online community requires being relevant to existing and
potential customers. You must provide content that they value and soon learn to trust.
You can’t build trust unless you come across as an authentic voice worth listening to. Your audience must think of you as the real deal. In social media, this is often called it transparency.
Goals May Include
o Developing a SM profile in online communities where your customers are
o Connecting, friending,
following and otherwise engaging with a variety of existing and potential
customers, suppliers, influencers and employees
o Sharing ideas what have
the potential for wide distribution generating awareness
o Promoting company sales, special
initiatives and other relevant information
o Marketing through linking
with other online resources of your company
The 10 P's for Social Media Success
Purpose
Doing social media just because it seems to
be the thing to do is not good enough. Identify your purpose. Define the
goals you want to achieve.
Planning
There are
excellent ways to bring order to your program.
- Google a social media editorial calendar will help plan your content scheduling and distribution
- Curate content. Be aggressive in gathering new story ideas. Repurpose copy from company reports
or brochures that can be easily become relevant content.
- Identify key employees or others who can
contribute quality content on a regular basis. Share with them what you
need.
- Identify leadership, family, education, community or other content that would be relevant to your audience.
- Think creatively. An interview recorded as a podcast may have greater impact than if it was transcribed in a news letter.
Policy
This is a big one. A policy
will bring accountability to your program.
fMany businesses fail to develop a formal policy. Don't
go overboard, but set some parameters that you can modify as the program
grows.
- Who will be the social media manager?
- What will your company voice be?
- What will be the overall focus of your content?
- What will the tone of your messaging be?
- What will be the process for submitting
club content?
- What content will be absolutely
forbidden?
People
Here is a typical social
media job description.
- A creative - someone who is good at
telling stories with text and photos
- Disciplined - someone who will to stick
with it over the long haul. Discipline is the real secret of social media
success.
- Organized - a person who can put pieces
together to make a whole; in other words, plan an editorial calendar
around market cycles, sales, company celebrations, new product information
etc.
- Content curator - in mainstream media,
we call this person an editor; one who develops ideas for stories that
will be relevant.
- Assignment editor - As the number of
platforms increase, the lead person may need to give writing assignments
for platforms like blogs to various other colleagues like engineers,
managers or a sales people.
- Learner - the learning never stops. It's
the nature of the beast!
Platform
What platforms – Facebook,
Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pintrest, Blogsite, Flickr, Slideshare, Soundcloud
– or hundreds of others will you choose? Unless you have a team that can be
co-ordinated, I recommend starting with one and mastering it.
Profile
Believe it or not, Profile
was the last “P” to be added. I assumed companies will develop the best image
possible. Remember, its all about first impressions. These are musts.
o A strong key image for the header that represents what the company does or pictures of identifiable landmarks or geography associated with where you operate.
o The logo as your avatar
o Geographic location of your head office
o A well crafted bio
o Attractive background design
Photography
This is a big one with me. Fifteen
grinning company officials lined up shoulder to shoulder in front of a high
rise they have just built says little about the uniqueness of the company or
building.
Photographs don’t have to lack
imagination and story. With a creative approach, a photo taken with a phone can
tell a great story. Photos are the currency of social media.
Protocol
Each platform has protocols
that need to be adhered to in order to be accepted in that community. Know what
they are.
Hint! Don't ask a grammar
freak to do twitter. Having to shorten words like 'you are' to ''UR' or 'great' to 'gr8'
in order to stay under 140 characters will cause them to crumble and coil into a
whimpering ball.
Production
Develop an archive of
quality content – text, photos, graphics and stories. Organize it in a way that
is easily retrievable.
As the number of platforms increase, using a management system
like HooteSuite, Buffer, Sprout or various others will help you to schedule and
broadcast your content over a number of weeks. Not only do they save mountains of time, but they force you to think through what and when you want to publish or broadcast.
Perspective
- Remember, social media operates worldwide 24/7
- What story can you tell that resonates locally and around the world?
- What new market might be introduced to your product? What would engage them?
- What highly trained and specialized employee may be introduced to your company through SM engagement?
- What mentoring impact might a leadership or inspirational message make in someone's life that would inspire them to try one more time or to think differently?
What do you think? Do you have an amazing social media for small business story? Do you have a nightmare story? Share your ideas. Please comment. I'll answer.
Robyn T. Braley is a writer, speaker and occasional media guest. He is the President of UniMark Creative which does website design, video production, media services (editorial and advertising), and graphic design. He speaks at business conferences and also blogs about branding.
CONTACT INFO
CONTACT INFO
robyn@unimarkcreative.com
Website: www.unimarkcreative.com
www.robyntbraley.com
Twitter: @robyntbraley
LinkedIn
Website: www.unimarkcreative.com
www.robyntbraley.com
Twitter: @robyntbraley
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