10 Things You Must Know About Social Media And Your Business

Social Media Servants

1. The Importance of KnowingBefore you start your social media strategy, you need

to know three things:

Audience: Who are you talking to?

Objectives: Why are you talking to them?

Messages: What are you going to say?

2. It’s Not About YouFocus on what really matters: your

communityNever forget that your social media isn’t

really about you and your brand – it’s about giving your audience what they

want.Relationship pushing vs relationship

building: you can’t force people to like you; give your audience a reason to like you.

3. The Platform AdvantageWhich platforms you should be on and

why?

The short answerBe where your audience is.

The longer answerEvery platform has value if you understand

why you are there in the first place.

In a perfect world…

Sign Post/ Breadcrumbs

4. Development Is KeyBrand voice and language development is key

Tone Authenticity = trust

AlignmentYour voice needs to be specific to your audience.

Understand your audience and know what they’re going to respond to.

Creativity Don’t be afraid to think outside the square.

5. Social Media Is Not FreePlatforms may not cost money to join, but you will

have to invest time.

Strategy development, campaign development, tactical advancement, community building, strategy and

schedule deployment, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, monitoring, community response, platform analytical assessment and strategy alteration by numbers, community research, industry

research, competitor research, customer service, client focused education, and community focused education

= 15 hours per week

6. What To Expect When You’re Expecting

Social media won’t give you the same measurable results as other forms of advertising, but this doesn’t make its

value any less.

Results won’t be instant – make sure you don’t have unrealistic expectations.

• “Add up the value of the thousands or millions of touch-points between friends, acquaintances, and strangers in your social media program and you get the total brand premium that consumers are collectively willing to pay (with their time). By definition, this collective premium is the rise in (your) brand equity: the return on investment of the social media program”.

You cannot force word of mouth.

7. Your Commitment To The Community

Give the same customer service online that you offer in ‘the real world’.

• Social media has changed the game of customer service.

• Don’t be scared of negative feedback.

• It’s the way you respond that matters.

• Treat customers online like you would off line.

8. Your Opinion On Social Media Is Irrelevant

Just because you don’t like it, doesn’t mean your customers feel the same

way.

9 and 10The do’s and the don’ts of social media

Because sometimes knowing what NOT to do is equally as important

• Know who you are trying to talk to and target.

• Know what you’re trying to achieve.

• Plan. • Post about what your audience is

interested in. • Post at times when you know

your audience is online and active • Look at your analytics and

understand what they mean. • Place yourself on platforms

where your audience is. • Know that social media is about

building a community. • Know that social media strategies

take time • Educate yourself

• Assume you are targeting the ‘general public’

• Decide that your objective is to get more likes/ followers.

• Just do it adhoc

• Post about yourself.

• Bombard your feed all at once – annoying.

• Ignore analytics and do what you like.

• Believe just because you don’t like a platform, your audience isn’t there

• Think that you will get sales because you have a Facebook page

• Wonder why you have been posting for 2 weeks and haven’t seen ‘great’ results.

• Think it’s just a fad that will pass.

Do Don’t

Connect with Social Media Servantson Twitter: @SMServants