Social Media For Business

Social media is a fast, inexpensive and effective way for brands to reach new customers, promote their expertise and even communicate in a crisis.

No matter the size of your business, you don’t need to rack up millions of followers or have a slick brand campaign to make effective use of social media.
 
Nearly half of the world’s population uses social media, whether it's Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit, personal blogs or any other social media channel that connects people and builds audience.
 
And interestingly, more people follow brands rather than celebrities, which means it's an effective way for organisations to build their brand and establish credibility.
 
Of course, social media is not all likes and kisses. It’s also a crucial way to communicate with audiences when things go wrong or when trouble strikes.

Here are some useful tips to consider for any business trying to find a voice on social media.

Start With A Plan

Be clear about your corporate goals and objectives. Why are you on social media in the first place? Is it about boosting brand awareness, lifting engagement, providing customer support or is it just a way to distribute content? Usually it’s a mix of all of these, but without a clear road map chances are your social media strategy will fall apart. Use the S.M.A.R.T framework to achieve goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely. It will help you clarify your ideas, focus your efforts and use time and resources more effectively.
 
Know Your Audience
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37 per cent of the world's population—a whopping 2.8 billion people—used social media in 2018. That’s a lot of people to sift through to find your core audience. Not having a targeted strategic plan is a bit like standing in the town square and preaching to any passerby. Thankfully, analytics like Facebook Insights in Hootsuite let you find out who your audience is, where they’re from, what keywords and hashtags they use the most, what content they prefer and which social accounts they engage with the most. This not only allows you to better target your audience but it also helps you understand the specific needs of customers.
 
Choose The Right Platforms 

Not every social network will be the right fit for your brand, and often the type of content your create won’t resonate on every social network. Rather than take a scatter-gun approach, understand which channels your core audience uses most often. In some countries Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter may have more importance. In China, for instance, it's WeChat and Weibo.

Here are some interesting insights to help you decide which platform is right for your brand based on audience use.

> Facebook is still the most widely used media around the globe with two billion active users every month, 52 per cent of who are female; 
> YouTube has 1 billion active users every month and is used by 55 per cent of females and 45 per cent of males. It reaches more 18-49 year old’s than any cable network in the US; 
> Instagram has 800 million active monthly users (58% are female); 
> Twitter has around 317 million active monthly users (53% male);
> LinkedIn has 106 million monthly users, 54% of whom are male.
 
Humanise Your Brand
 
Social media is a chance to humanise your brand with a tone and style that is unique to other ways your organise might usually communicate. Some brands choose a tone of voice that is humorous and lively, others are cynical or analytical while some choose to keep it highly professional. Regardless of the approach you take, it’s crucial to show the human side of your brand if you want to connect with customers on social media and sound authentic. No one wants brands talking to them on social media if all they do is sell. Most importantly, you need to communicate in everyday language – particularly if you use social media for customer service - so drop the jargon and corporate slang, particularly on Twitter. 
 
Cement Your Position As A Thought Leader

Thought leadership can reveal the underlying personalities of people behind a brand, or of the brand itself, and there’s no better way to do this than via social media. Producing informative, easy-to-read content and videos for social media can help your brand stand out from the crowd and allow you to own an issue in a way no competitor can match. You could even turn your existing company blog into a content hub. Just be mindful not to sell on social media: it’s the benefits of your product or service that people will care about. And while great content will no doubt resonate with most people, be mindful that it is bound to create discord with some others. That's almost inevitable on social media because you can't please everyone. 
 
Monitor Your Brand's Reputation

Your customers are already talking about you on social media, whether or not you’re there to respond. If your team is on the ball, they can pick up on important social posts about your organisation to highlight the positive and address the negative before it turns into a full blown problem. Even in a crisis, social media should be your 'go-to' for communicating with customers and the wider public, whether you’re providing reassurance or even a heart felt apology.

Communicate In A Crisis

Silence is not an option when it comes to responding to a crisis on social media. Maintaining well-managed social media accounts and having a plan in place can ensure you are ready to roll if the worst occurs. Remember the way you communicate in a crisis should be simple, brief and jargon-free and should reflect the right tone (empathetic, apologetic, concerned). How would you want to be spoken to if the shoe was on the other foot? What would you need to hear?

React Quickly To Complaints

People expect brands – particularly those in the service industry like airlines or restaurants and even sporting organisations - to be available on social media when things inevitably go wrong. Research published in the Harvard Business Review shows brands that don’t meet those expectations risk damaging their bottom line. It’s important to have a strategy in place for handling complaints of any kind. Remember to react quickly, stay calm and keep it nice. Again, put yourself in the shoes of someone with a complaint. How would you want the brand to respond?  

SOCIAL MEDIA TRAINING