Are you on Twitter?
How about Snapchat?
Facebook for sure…right?
Fact is: Social Media is completely changing the game, no matter what industry you’re in, or who your target audience is. In the past 10 years alone, Social Media Marketing has morphed from a novelty that only big brands incorporated into their marketing strategies to an absolute MUST for any business, big or small.
Sadly, most companies throw together a Facebook page, pick out a clever Twitter handle, and call it a day.
We’re not most companies.
And neither are you.
At Falcon, we’ve helped clients big and small build out comprehensive, totally unstoppable social media programs. These 4 golden rules will turbo-charge your social media program, whatever stage you’re at in the game:
1. Plan Ahead
“Rogue marketing” is a thing of the past — especially when it comes to Social Media. Posting a fresh Tweet or a Facebook status on a whim can feel like a good idea at first… but if you want explosive results, approaching Social Media as a long-term marketing tool is essential.
Planning your posts in advance does more than just save you time; it ensures the content you are sharing falls in line with your higher-level marketing goals (and helps you leave out all the fluff at the same time). At Falcon, we schedule our Social Media posts at least 2 weeks out, to make sure it’s perfectly aligned with our holistic marketing strategy.
2. Have Fun
Yes, it’s important to have a plan… but nothing is worse than a Facebook post that sounds like your legal team wrote it (no offense to you lawyers out there). Social Media is the perfect arena to establish the voice and tone of your company or organization, while engaging your customer base at the very same time.
Your customers expect you to let your personality shine through, while still being true to your brand, mission, and values. Be sure to inject a little fun into each and every post, even if it’s just a clever hashtag or two.
3. Be Authentic
Authenticity is essential in every piece of content your company or organization produces. I don’t know about you, but I can spot a cookie-cutter social post from a mile away.
Whether it’s a press release or a Facebook post, make sure that everything you say sounds like your unique, authentic voice and holds true to the values you’ve built up. Social Media is a great place to build trust with your customers — but it’s also a great place to lose it.
4. Engage with your Audience
With the wealth of Social Media automation tools out there, it’s easy to just post an article on your Facebook page and forget about it.
Don’t do that. Nothing is a bigger turn-off than scanning through a Facebook page and seeing “0 likes, 0 comments” on week-old posts.
The brands who perform the best online are always engaging with their audience (and learning from them at the very same time). Whether it’s responding to a comment on an article you shared on Facebook or joining in on a conversation on Twitter, don’t just walk away from your posts after you share them.
