You must engage in conversation and bring value to the conversations. I recommend that you make and share your social media policies publicly. You can use social media to change brand perceptions, increase sales online and more. These strategies will help you create your own social media strategy.
1. Listen Before You Speak
Listening in social media channels and researching your market are well-known prerequisites to entering into social media marketing channels. You should listen, but not necessarily speak. You can learn a lot from listening, even more than talking. Don’t Be Intrusive
Knowing when to refrain from joining in on a conversation is just as important as knowing when to add input in a conversation. One-to-one conversations, which are between two people, isn’t the best place for your company to voice its opinion. This would make it difficult for consumers to communicate with you online. Places such as public forums and blog posts are much more appropriate to add your comments.
Avoid pitching promotions in social media at random because barging in on conversations with offers does not fit with a strategy of listening and adding value and can be perceived as pushy and hard selling.
3. Participating in Conversations-Add Value
Look out for ways to contribute to online conversations. Participating in groups is a good way to talk about topics that are relevant to your brand. If you come across a discussion group online about a similar topic, share your views and a link to your resources. Many people compare and discuss products on blogs, forums and social media. Respond with samples of videos and photos, as well as third-party reviews. If you receive complaints regarding your brand, please respond with a link to possible solutions. If someone complains about your brand, you can send a link to that manual along with contact information. You can use the powerful words “How can you answer your questions?” and “How can you help me?”
When misinformation is being shared online about your product or company, it’s important to quickly dispel these myths. Respond quickly to misinformation when you see it. Use tools like Twitter and Google Alerts to monitor live conversations in real time for an immediate response. Get Real People behind Your Brand
Strike the right balance between having people on social media talk about your brand, and having them share their personalities. It is vital to show real people behind the brand. No one wants to speak to an icon of a logo. People want to talk with real people. People are more inclined to be calm when speaking with someone in person than dealing online. Treat Business Customers and Consumers Differently
Have a different message that goes out to your business customers that is different than the generic message that goes out to consumers. Engage with your business customers differently. Create relevant content such as white papers, frequently asked questions, and blog posts to increase awareness. Refer commentsators to educational content. It provides deeper engagement in the type of information that you share. It isn’t about posting a Facebook post to all your friends.
6. Transparency is Paramount
When engaging in social media; make it easy for others to identify who is speaking. Transparency builds trust and allows people to like and know you online. If you allow employees to speak for your company, create a social media policy. Publicly releasing your social media guidelines book will increase transparency. Your guidelines could include: (1) uphold the company’s values, (2) being transparent and yourself; (3) protecting confidential information; (4) avoid making unsubstantiated claims about products; (5) not linking to other sites may be considered endorsement of their content. This information is publicized to show consumers you are open and honest in social media.