By Hilary Allard - The Castle Group | March 9 2020
As a PR firm, we counsel clients on social media best practices, helping them to take a fresh look at what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and how it’s performing.
Based on our many client interactions on the topic, here are three common social media mistakes companies make, and tips for avoiding them.
As we know, there are always new contenders – Snapchat, TikTok – some of which last, some of which disappear overnight. And others are important for focused audiences (Pinterest).
But if you are not doing a good job with creating and sharing quality content on a regular basis – and you’re overwhelmed by the number of channels – what does it matter which channels you have set up?
Solution:
Take a commonsense approach and work with the channels that matter to your audience. If you’re a B2B company, then LinkedIn is important. If you’re a consumer brand, Instagram is a must-have.
While it’s always a good idea to “reserve” channels under your organization’s name so no one else can take them, you don’t need to focus on them if you think you don’t have the time to do it right.
You’re better off with one outstanding channel than five that are out of date. We all know that expression, “Jack of all trades, master of none.” Don’t let that be your social media approach.
Solution:
Consider the attributes of each channel: Instagram is a visual platform; Twitter works really well for events and things as they happen in real time, LinkedIn = work, etc.
Build a distinct content strategy for each. But that’s not to say you can’t overlap on a couple of channels where it makes sense.
For example, a B2B business may focus on LinkedIn and Twitter for its company news (media coverage, announcements, blog post links, trade shows), while they support their employer brand and recruitment by pushing out culture content on Instagram and Facebook.
By thinking through who you need to reach with which messages, then creating content that aligns with the audiences and channels, you can build a more streamlined and effective social strategy.
Solution:
The analytics available for each channel clearly show what’s resonating and what isn’t. If no one is sharing or commenting, it’s a clear indicator that a specific type of content isn’t working.
Don’t just focus on the negative – look at what is generating engagement and use that as a guide to shape your content going forward. Be sure to think through what it is about high-performing posts that is generating interest. Is it because it contains a great photo? Is it tied to a topic everyone’s talking about? Does it connect to an event that attracts a lot of attendees?
Defining what resonates is a critical factor in shaping a social media roadmap.
By spending some time on big picture thinking around social media, you can develop a strategy that is more engaging, meaningful, efficient and with a greater, measurable impact.
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