According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 75% of online adults use social media personally, and increasingly, familiarity with social networking sites is wrapped into our professional, on-the-job responsibilities as well. We are constantly liking, sharing and posting content to our personal social media platforms, but we recognize that what we can “get away with” on a personal profile differs from what we define and follow as best practices for a professional brand page.
The difference can leave you wondering … well … what exactly you’re supposed to be doing with those brand pages, and what short-and-long-term success looks like.
The difference between personal and professional use of social media raises key questions for social media managers: “How am I supposed to build a following in such a competitive landscape? How does my brand stand out from the rest? I know what I prefer to like, share and post on my own profiles, but what does my audience want? How do I engage them?”
If you’re asking these questions, you’re on the right track. That’s the good news. The better news? There is a handful of easy best practices that will get things moving while you figure out what your audience responds to. As communications pros who know how to leverage social media, the CB&A team offers these tips for making your brand stand out in the social media crowd:
- Create relevant, diverse content. Your content has to resonate with users and be varied enough that it doesn’t look like you’re hammering away at the same message. Company news is great, but adding a bit of fun and humor to your page (e.g., a video that has been trending on Facebook all day) will net some share traffic, and humanize your brand voice. Customers also will find you via hashtags and industry keywords, so do some research and use the best ones for your brand.
- Post regularly. It’s more likely your company will be seen, and your followers share, if you’re posting new content regularly and at peak times. Waiting too long between posts will divide your brand from your base and reduce engagement, resulting in a long-term loss of followers as you disappear from their timelines. Develop a consistent strategy for what to post, and when.
- Be “human” on social media. Positive interactions are key to building a following, so when someone engages with your brand, be genuine in your response. Creating brand content that is 80 percent professional and 20 percent personal will endow your page with a warm, human voice, one that commands attention in your industry.
- Sharing is caring. It’s called social media, so be social! Start by following the companies and people relevant to your brand, and like/share posts that are relevant to your audience. These efforts will nurture good relationships over time and lead to more followers. Remember, engaged followers are the best followers. They are more likely to share your content and brand name with a new audience, so return the favor. Positive engagement will bring in more followers than you had anticipated.
- Build a cohesive network. Link your social media networks and create a space on your website for all social media platforms. This heightened visibility will entice more people to view your page or product, increasing brand awareness and follower counts. And be sure to cross-promote content among your various audiences. That might lure some of your Facebook followers to Twitter, for example, creating a more consistent follower base.
Create good content, track posts, followers and engagements, and most important, don’t overthink it. Start small with these five timely tips and watch your social media engagement grow.
How will you engage your followers and stand out from the social media crowd? Leave us your thoughts below.
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Photo: Google, http://ow.ly/RlZzI