Social media is one of the most effective ways to grow your business nowadays. In fact, 73% of marketers believe that their efforts through social media marketing have been “somewhat effective” or “very effective” for their business.
While hiring a social media manager can help you manage your brand’s social presence and maximize social media marketing efforts, it also doesn’t hurt to familiarize yourself with the fundamentals of social media management. If you want to handle your brand’s social media for now or want to be more aware of your entire approach, this will help. Here are a few essential do’s and don’ts of social media management to consider:
Social Media Do’s
1. Have a social media strategy
Your social media strategy is your foundation. This will allow you to figure out your next steps, what your goals are, what platforms you should post on, or what content you should be publishing. Social media management strategies will be different for each brand and different industries. However, this will guide you in your social media management and marketing efforts.
2. Optimize your profiles and pages
Social media management means knowing how to optimize your profiles and pages. Update your profile photo and headers regularly. Put in clear or engaging bios or descriptions. Include other necessary brand information as well, like contact details or office hours. Including the brand colors or having a cohesive theme in social media posts also makes for an optimized profile.
3. Always experiment
Managing social media also means being open to experimentation and new trends. Social media management is not a fixed thing. It’s always changing. So make sure you’re also experimenting with your own content and profiles.
Try new formats or mediums for content. You can also try to repurpose your content for various social media platforms. Try new social media features to engage with your audience. Or try emerging tools to reach your audience or create content. These experiments can give you desired results or data that can help you adjust your social media strategy.
4. Be consistent
Being consistent with your social media is also a must. It’s been reported that 75% of internet users use social media to research brands. These people will want to connect with your brand and learn more about what you’re offering them. With a proper social media strategy and content plan, you’ll be more organized. Make sure to post relevant content. Respond to comments and inquiries from followers, engage with social groups and communities, and more.
5. Track the right metrics
Social media management also means tracking your performance and checking if your campaigns and efforts are successful. Of course, you also need to make sure that you’re tracking the right metrics, depending on your goal. For example, if your goal is to boost your reach, track new followers and engagement. And if your goal is to get more sales, measure referrals, conversions, or CTR (clickthrough rate).
Social Media Don’ts
1. Don’t get into all the platforms
It’s easy to get confused and overwhelmed by the multiple social media platforms we have today. Each one is different and caters to various kinds of content and audiences. The key is not to get on every platform out there. Instead, you need to choose the best platform for your brand.
Consider if you’re getting more reach on Facebook. Is your audience more active on Instagram? Perhaps short-form videos on TikTok are better for your audience? It’s better to choose the right platforms than to choose all of them and be unorganized.
2. Don’t spam your social media followers
Social media makes it easy and exciting to connect with your audience. However, this doesn’t mean you should spam them. Be wise with every piece of content you’re posting on social media, double-check if every post has value for your followers, and limit the number of posts you publish every day or every week. Good social media management means knowing when to post and how much you should post. Don’t overwhelm yourself or your followers.
3. Don’t buy followers
While having a large number of followers looks good for brands, it’s not a good enough reason to buy followers. There are many third-party organizations or companies that offer followers for a certain price. Unfortunately, most of these purchased followers are bots or fake accounts. This means that they won’t be contributing to your social media engagement. Yes, you might have a big follower base, but post engagement matters as well, sometimes even more.
4. Don’t ignore your audience
Posting consistently on your social media platforms but not engaging with the audience is a big mistake. Your audience will be a big part of your overall social media presence. This is the time for you to engage with them, build authentic relationships, and find out what they like about your brand or why they patronize you.
In a report by Sprout Social, 57% of consumers will increase their spending with a brand when they feel connected to them. This shows how significant engaging with your audience is.
5. Don’t delete negative comments
Though negative comments and reviews don’t generally look good and are bad for a brand’s reputation, they still have value. These negative comments can give you a new perspective, and allow you to see what people think of your brand.
Don’t delete negative comments. Instead, respond to genuine feedback and criticism. Ask people how you can improve as a brand or how you can make their experience better. You can use these to improve your products, polish your customer service, and adjust your strategy.
Need more help with your social media management and marketing? There are Twin Ram‘s professionals ready to help you. Contact us today to get started.