More and more organisations are using social media to push their businesses and build credibility. When used effectively social media can help to further your organisation’s business objectives.
Create Goals
Decide what it is you actually want to get out of social media:
- Increased traffic on your website
- Increase brand awareness and exposure
- Build credibility & highlight your services
- Network with organisations within your field
- Educate your followers
It could be all of these or a combination of a few.
Social Media & Workflow
“Graveyard” social media is probably worse than no social media.
Build social media activity into your workflow. Social media cannot work for you if you don’t allocate time and resources to it.
Identify Key Staff Members to Drive your Social Media
To achieve your social media business goals you need someone who understands your business to work your social media channels. Don’t just rely on the intern to do it all – all staff must be aware of the social media goals and contribute to them.
Company Social Media Policy
Using social media for business is totally different to using it for personal reasons. The company needs to establish policy regarding:
- Frequency and content of posts
- The tone used
- How to deal with comments – negative & positive
Train Employees
Don’t just assume staff are aware of your social media channels. Keep all staff in the loop – they could contribute valuable material to your social media marketing efforts.
Staff responsible for managing the company social media channels need to be trained appropriately.
Talk to One Another
The key to successful social media is posting interesting and engaging content. Where better to find this content than within your own organisation. Discuss:
- Your projects
- News items you’ve read
- Photos you’ve taken
- Interviews you’ve carried out
All these subjects could yield valuable material for your social media channels.