8 top tips for keeping your social media channels in shape from Trevor Isherwood of Isherwood + Company
Social media is a great collection of channels for the management, curation and collaborative development of your content marketing, but the proliferation of sites and the ever increasing importance of video can make it challenging for many marketing teams to keep up.
Whether you manage your social media activity in-house or you make use of an outside expert, it is perhaps obvious but worth stating again that what’s important is sharing engaging, useful and genuine content. Here are our key reminders on how to do it well:
1. Interact with your target group
Social media is a collaborative channel, not a broadcast approach like traditional advertising. A lot of the value in social is in the conversations that develop and the interactions that creates with potential customers which is why it’s important to respond to comments and re-engage followers.
2. Listen to your audience
Content creation should begin with what you know about your audience. Before you begin writing and publishing content, do some simple research and find out what engages your audience.
3. Curate and share content from others
Sharing content selected content from authoritative sources that share your target audience is a great way to encourage them to do the same. Creating reciprocal relationships will benefit all involved.
4. Be regular
Consistency is an important factor in your content marketing strategy. One way to remain consistent is to create periodicity whereby you post a particular type of content on the same day each week. There are plenty of examples of this strategy online.
5. Don’t just promote your products
Social media isn’t great as a tool exclusively for product promotion. The strength of social platforms is as a way to build relationships with your customers and prospects. Avoid publishing content that sounds like a sales pitch or is overly promotional. Make connections first and then let business take care of itself later down the road.
6. Link to your blog
One of the best ways to drive traffic to your own branded site while simultaneously creating engaging social media content is by using links back to your own blog. This is especially true if you regularly publish blog posts with added value content such as tips and helpful advice.
7. Clearly define goals
Too often the goals set around social media activity are too vague or too ambitious. It’s crucial to be clear about what you are trying to achieve and what is realistic in that channel. When it comes to outsourcing content it is critical to communicate with your agency and to agree these clear goals.
8. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
Take a critical look at your digital assets (or lack of them) and consider the best way to make the most of them in each channel. You may have the resources to manage your LinkedIn company page in-house but don’t have the time to continually blog and tweet. Outsourcing the writing to a professional can save you a lot of time and frustration as well as money. It will also give you more time to have greater control over your social media presence. Determine where you need the most support and outsource those elements.
