5 steps to joining social media

In a generation built on social media, it is hard to hide away and rightly so, you should not. Social media is now one of the biggest forms of marketing and communication amongst businesses and their customers so why would you not try and take advantage of that?! Also if you master it, it can be completely free.

So as a business how can you get started?

Setting-up

The first thing you need to do is set-up accounts on the networks you have chosen to use. One thing to always keep in mind is that not every network will work for your business. For example, if your sector is solely B2B (business to business) then platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are probably not where your target audience is based. Ideally you should be hitting platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter.

The main social media platforms are;

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Snapchat
Instagram
Vimeo
YouTube

Knowing your audience

Before you even begin posting on social media, you need to know who your targeted audience is. Many businesses make the mistake of posting content without actually knowing who they are aiming it to - don't make this mistake. However, it is definitely suggested to post before you start to get a following, the reason for this is to show your targeted audience that there is a brand there and it is relevant. Posting once you have your following might not work in your favour and you may run the risk of losing them.

You want your audience to trust you as a brand and as a company who knows what they are talking about.

Respond promptly

At first you may find that things aren't taking off as you might have hoped, but that doesn't mean people aren't interested, in fact it may mean that you are not doing enough to engage with them yet, but don't worry if you are consistent with your brand and keeping it going then eventually they will come to you.

Keeping things consistent

Something that relates to both online and offline marketing, you need one clear message that represents the brand and it must be displayed across all forms of marketing where the brand is the main call of action. This is so important because when people speak of your brand you want it to be spoken with clarity and consistency - ideally including your employees and partners you want everyone to believe the same about your brand.

Don't stop!

Finally, to keep things moving socially you must remember to routinely publish content on your networks - why? Because as soon as you let things go, engagement stops your follows begin to reduce and your brand can become non-existent - socially. By keeping things fresh and updated you are showing your customers and potentials that your brand is here to stay.

Kerry Fawcett