Can Social Media Help Your Business?

Before we go into detail, the answer is categorically – YES – if done correctly.

There is no doubt about it, “social media” is trending worldwide! You don't even have to turn on your device of choice to notice its power – TV newsreaders often quote tweets and report on social media incidents, your friends and family will talk about something on Facebook, you will notice icons and slogans when you are out shopping – it really is huge and it's everywhere!

However, actually implementing a successful social media campaign into your business strategy is much more complicated and time consuming than just setting up a few accounts. You can have all the accounts and social media icons adorned on your promotional material but unless implemented properly it will be a complete waste of time and more importantly, money.

“Facebook”, “Twitter”, “YouTube”, and “LinkedIn” may initially seem like the big hitters of the industry but there are so many more avenues and channels of social media that can be used to promote business. UGC (or user generated content) is massive – forums, blog posts, podcasts and social bookmarking are just a few of the other things to consider for a well-rounded social media package and I would also look at using some software such as Cinch Tweet to help you build up followers.

Choosing the Right Social Media Platform

Managing and maintaining social media accounts can be very time consuming. You can also over-use a certain platform to the point that it does more harm than good. If you send too many business related tweets, for example, you may end up with people “unfollowing” you. Remember that it's your business you are promoting through social media and you need be in tune with your audience.

Here are a few pointers to consider:

The most popular accounts are not always the best ones for your business
Try to be excellent on a couple of channels rather than being average on them all
If infographics are not your skill, either get help or don't use them at all
Identify your target audience and see where they 'hang out' in the world of social media
If you are a business and seeking a good online reputation you should almost certainly have a presence on LinkedIn
Don't spend all day checking for responses (it will kill your productivity) - set up alerts instead

For more guidance and tips see our blog

How Can Social Media Help? Find Out

What Networks?

We will help you to identify exactly which social media networks to build up a presence in. Not all networks suit all jobs/companies and there is also a time management element which needs to be considered. There isn't much point in responding to a customer tweet several days later and if you don't have a great deal of visual content to promote (mainly a text based business) then accounts at instagram or flickr are probably going to be largely redundant.

Network Connections

Using a variety of resources and research, your account(s) will be connected with influencers and various related sources to aid in the spread of your social content. Engagement and presenting interesting content to relevant target audiences is what social media is all about. Most businesses should feature on LinkedIn even if just to display your company details.

Support and Guidance

The best campaigns combine the expert industry knowledge of the client with our online expertise. By working alongside clients, we can display credibility for your audiences and guide you in how to respond and how to maximise your postings. Social media has many uses and to be successful you don't necessarily have to be on every network, posting every few minutes. Structured and strategised campaigns will serve you well.