Social Media Guide For Your Business
Social media is now a necessity for any business or company. Why? Because it gives, you direct access to your target audience and clientele! Since there are over 20 social media platforms, it is important to know the fundamentals to help modernize your company if you plan to survive in the 21st century.
How frequent should you post:
Daily. There should always be something for you to advertise or talk about. Depending on the platform, you are using, short, simple, and direct content works well. If you are worried that a post is lacking information, you can always include a link and direct the viewers to your website/article.
When not to post:
You should refrain from posting on any controversial days, events, and even holidays. This may sound over exaggerating at first but it is important to realize how sensitive our society has become. It seems like anything and everything will offend some group of people, which can turn a common misunderstanding to a crisis. On some social media platforms, it may show trending hashtags and popular topics people are discussing. AVOID mentioning, using, and engaging in these. Discussions like these are subjective, so there is always going to be some type of backlash.
Remember, you are representing a brand, if you have to second-guess a post, you should not post it.
Hashtags 101:
Hashtags are generally used to help market ad campaigns or bring awareness to a product. Small businesses use several hashtags to provide more awareness to their brand. The “bigger” businesses tend to use hashtags for ad campaigns and conversation starters, in hopes to trend. Creating distinctive hashtags is also a great way to view the feedback of your target audience on a specific product or event.
Who should manage the social media account?
It depends. If it involves a small/local business, the person designated to manage the social media account would need to be able to distinguish the fundamentals: information about the business, what platforms works best for the company, and what content is suitable for the selected social media platform. The person responsible can vary anywhere between an intern to the owner. A Social Media Manager “job title” would not be necessary since the person would not have to be an expert at this position. Young millennials would be the best people to hire since they are naturally proficient in social media, allowing them to take on multiple tasks. If the business is new, contracting an expertise may be a better solution. Although it may be more expensive than hiring an hourly employee, it allows the business to receive maximum awareness while sustaining longevity.
If it is a well-known franchise or Fortune 500 company, you must have a Social Media Manager or a mid-senior level employee that is solely responsible for the company’s social media platforms. The probability is the company is going to generate more viewers and followers than the average business, which makes the account more significant, especially if they are verified on a specific social media platform. Interns and entry-level positions should NEVER be responsible for this.
Worst case scenario (Example): If a student is at a University and a gun man is killing people, what would be the way to distribute information in a timely manner? Social media. In addition, who would the University want controlling that? An intern, entry-level employee, or a mid-senior level employee?
The person managing the page is essentially the voice of the company. Each post represents the company, brand, and reputation. Not only the person responsible needs to have intermediate or advance experience but they also need to know how to engage with their target audience. They should be acquainted with the company and be able to answer questions, comments, concerns in a suitable manner.
How to communicate effectively:
Social media can help you set the “tone” of your business. When a business responds to a question asked by a customer on Twitter or other social media platforms, it closes the separation between a business and customers, increasing the reputation and respect the business is valued. Although it is not common, the business can be outspoken about their competitors and recent events. These responses are not necessarily recruiting potential customers (in fact, it may reduce some) but it is reassuring its current followers and support.
