A guest post by Kate Harrison Whiteside
Many people and organisations are finding the huge swell in social media choices a bit of a jungle. Rather than just following the pack, there is a way to plan your journey so the adventure is both satisfying and fun. Here are some key things to consider before you head out. There is no hiding from it, social media is here to stay.
The social media demand is driven by the consumer – your clients – and is growing, not going. As Karl Havard, Somatica (www.somatica.co.uk) said at a recent Econsultancy workshop on measuring social media effectiveness, ignoring social media is like not answering your phone. Mapping out your social networking presence should be approached in the same way any other marketing or communications strategic planning is handled.
Businesses and organisations are signing up for social media because they see the advantages of communicating with their clients in a community, interactive, live way. It’s like choosing a self-directed holiday rather than an all-inclusive one. Your return on your investment will be related to what you put into it – quality, frequency, responses. There has never been a better way to get involved with so many, in such a community, and on free platforms.
Start with the ABC’s. Audience. Build. Connect. Who do you want to communicate with? What form of social networking best suits them? Build – your unique presence – on selected social networking sites. Whether you are updating your Facebook page, posting on Twitter, building a network on LinkedIn, you need to keep plodding along (updating regularly) to build a following, get fans, and provide a value added service. Connect with your fans and followers. Be helpful, collaborate, be an outstanding online community citizen.
Once you have your audience profiled, then you will start evaluating which sites to use. If you want to promote yourself online,LinkedIn is a must. It’s a great B2B site, and many businesses use it when looking for employees, consultants and services. It has a ‘referral’ option built in – so that’s value added. Take the time. Update with your activities, so people get to know you. I’m already reaping the rewards.
Facebook has answered a call in the wild from organisations, developing a platform to serve their needs, as a typical Facebook site was designed more for individuals. The answer is a Facebook page, and Mashable.com provides some great insights. Simply put, get yourself up as an individual user on Facebook, then scroll down to the Create A Page option. You then promote it by becoming and recruiting ‘fans’. Update it regularly, and build an online community. You might be interested to see who your fans are, and what they have to say about you. Think of it as your jungle adventure travel brochure -a guide to your world.
Twitter is for those who want to share information. It is live, current, condensed (140 character maximum per post) online dialogue. I love it. The people and organisations I follow keep me ‘linked’ into what’s happening in all the fields I am interested in by being my guides. I go there before I search media sites – they have first hand reports of experiences. Think Trip Advisor, where the ‘been-there-done-that’ travellers share details, rather than travel company website.
Twitter is pushing the boundaries of intelligent searches – the next wave. You can ask for information and get a direct reply. It also has a built in feature to collect posts on a particular topic – called threads. To join in simply put a hash tag # in your post. Then search that topic and get a list of all related posts.
Twitter has a huge number of applications to support it, including Co Tweet, geared towards setting up an organisational Twitter profile with several people posting. For top customer service, organisations are setting up Twitter accounts to target specific audience groups . There are lots of routes to take. Do your homework, get guidance, and you will come to a clearing in the jungle that offers lots of options.
But, don’t forget the good old Blog. These platforms, many free, have the built in community feeling web travellers crave. Good information, ability to comment instantly, archives to make searching easy, forums, videos, picture galleries. The I’d Rather Be Writing blog offers great advice about blogging.
It is always more fun to lead than follow. So, be adventurous, get out there. My Key Advice blog on getting behind social media might help. Remember – just like going on a safari – the more planning you do, the more rewarding it will be. And, forget the ‘I don’t have time’ response. How else can you build an online community, keep in touch with supporters – and answer naysayers – around the globe, and promote your business on free platforms? And, all in a few minutes each day.
You will need to put resources behind this adventure – in the same way you’d pay for a jungle safari. You’d pay for the flight, the accommodation, the tour guide. Probably but a few new items – digital camera or video recorder, laptop and mobile (if you don’t already have them), and a guide book or two. Social networking platforms may be free, but this is a strategic organisational investment. Be sure to put the right resources – people, technology, time – in place to execute your plan, and get the results you deserve.
Contact Kate:
Key Advice – keyadvice.net
Blog – keykate.wordpress.com
Twitter/keykate
Email – kate@keyadvice.net
Related posts:
