- Social media is fascinating.
It's a rapidly evolving space that will challenge you,
primarily because what works
for one brand won't work for another.
As you evaluate your use of social media,
you'll have to really understand your landscape,
your audience, and question
why your consumers would be following your social accounts.
That said, most consumers expect brands to be present
on their favorite social platforms,
and to behave like they belong there,
so I have some general advice for you,
a starting place that you can build from
as you come to understand your own audience.
First, focus on entertaining or educating,
rather than promoting.
Social media is an escape for the majority of consumers.
You're creating content that dazzles and delights,
more so than blatant promotions.
Consumers don't follow brands to be sold to nonstop.
Beyond being educated and entertained,
they're also interested in discounts and deals,
but you'll have to find the right balance for your audience.
Ultimately, if you post things that matter to your audience,
chances are much higher that they'll comment and share.
In other words, they'll engage, and to get them to engage,
you need to know them, know who your target is,
what their needs are, and what social platforms they use,
and also how they talk and interact with them.
If you might have a teenager in the house,
you'll know that they have their own lingo, abbreviations,
and even a set of emojis that they like to use,
so study what your target market is consuming,
what language they use
that makes them part of their community, and why.
You want to find ways to fit
into that conversation naturally,
and be sure to follow the conversations that are relevant.
You need to know when people are talking about your business
or brand, or issues that your brand intersects,
so that you can participate and respond
in those conversations.
Fortunately, there are tools that can help with this,
and they're called social monitoring tools.
There are great paid tools,
such as Hootsuite and Sprout Social, for instance,
and it is also a good idea to set up Google Alerts,
so you can get notified with an email
when your brand, competitors,
or other topics you're interested in following
are being mentioned.
As you look to continue to explore social media,
I highly recommend the course, Introduction
to Social Media Strategy.
With these guidelines in mind,
don't hesitate to make your brand heard.