Social media can be a minefield for some organisations. You’ve got a whole host of social media platforms, numerous ways to use them and, sometimes, hundreds of people saying you need to be on them.
This is when the proverb ‘quality over quantity’ really rings true.
It’s not about joining Facebook simply because it’s the most popular social media network (you can see the latest ranking here) and it’s certainly not about joining certain networks because your competitors are using them. It’s about finding what works for your business and what will add value.
At Origin Comms, we are all about quality and it’s something we try to instil in our clients that are looking to make the most of social media. Our aim is to help them cut through the noise.
So if your organisation is starting out in social media or you are looking to review your current social media strategy, here are six basic rules we recommend you follow:
Rule 1: Take a hard look at your business
This is an important yet often neglected rule. Before you rush into social media, you need to ask why you are doing it in the first place. What do you want to achieve? What exactly are you going to talk about? How are you going to add value to an already crowded market?
You also need to think about your people. Who are your experts (think CISOs and so on) and are they open to supporting your social media efforts? What about resources? How much time can you commit to social media and who is going to manage it on a daily basis? Be realistic about how much time and effort you can afford. You may need to consider outsourcing some of it.
Rule 2: Pick the right channel(s)
Don’t join social media networks for the sake of it. Otherwise, chances are they will fall to the wayside and be left untouched. Twitter is arguably the biggest culprit for having millions of inactive user accounts. Don’t be one of them. Only join a social media network if you realistically think your business will be able to maintain it for the long-term.
Critically, you will also need to find out which channels your customers and prospects are using. Our research report on media consumption among information security professionals is a good start but you must not underestimate finding out what makes your own target audience tick.
Rule 3: Put content at the heart of your strategy
The most successful social media accounts are adorned with great content. For business accounts, this might be content hosted on your website like blog posts, whitepapers and case studies as well as content hosted elsewhere on the web like press coverage. What’s key is ensuring you have a regular stream of diverse content. Anything too salesy though, and you risk turning off followers.
Find out how much great content you have and whether you have enough content to warrant an active and ongoing social media account. Done right, a blog is a fantastic way to generate content for social media. Is your blog continually updated or, if you don’t have one, do you have enough interesting content to launch one? Find out if you have any experts that want to write a blog post. You might be surprised, for example, that your privacy officer is a budding author.
Rule 4: Think beyond the written word
Nowadays, it’s not just about written content. After all, we are all getting busier and many of us sometimes struggle to find the time to read an in-depth article. Businesses therefore need to think about offering bitesize content that can be consumed on the go.
Video content is great for social media. It needn’t be long, or even heavily produced (less is more in this case) and is far more likely to attract engagement from your followers. LinkedIn users, for example, are 20 times more likely to share a video on the platform than any other type of post. Our resident videographer offers some great tips on how to use video here.
Audio content is also a must-have tool because, if this research is anything to go by, 96% of people said they have recommended a podcast to friend. It’s no wonder top social networks including Facebook are embracing audio content and integrating it into their platforms.
Rule 5: Use it to track and analyse
This is a rule that’s often forgotten but it’s something we believe is necessary. Businesses need to create content that is topical and relevant – and this can only be done by listening to what’s going on in the outside world. Therefore, make the most of social media listening tools to track trends. You can also use these tools to join in on conversations during key events like Infosecurity Europe (just remember to use the official hashtag) and discover what your competitors are talking about.
Last but not least, by listening on social media, you will be able to understand how your accounts are performing. At a minimum, use your networks’ built-in analytics to see which content is working best (and which isn’t) so you are better informed when planning and developing future content.
Rule 6: Engage! This is a short but powerful rule. Make sure your business is promptly responding to comments and sparking up new conversations. After all, social media is about being social 😊
