Developing a presence in Social Media is already an imperative need, rather than a strategic decision. The activity in the social networks is frantic, the users are developed in this medium like fish in the water, and enjoy diving among its waters.
Hence, companies are starting to register their profiles in these multitudinous channels where all the brands have room, regardless of their size; Can even be an advantage for small businesses, given that they have a greater agility of response and have greater facility to connect from you to you with your target audience.
However, it is important that companies are aware that having an effective presence in social networks is not sewing and singing, but their success depends on a correct strategic approach and professional development, as in the case of any marketing action. It is important for this reason that companies are aware of the need to have a strategy in social media to achieve their goals efficiently.
Why do companies fail in Social Media?
Some of the most common mistakes companies make in this area are:
- Do not be clear that social networks are a bidirectional communication channel.
- Do not strive to connect with your target audience, by listening to them or by knowing you.
- Use them as one more channel of promotion, another point of sale for your products, instead of a place for interaction and where to foster engagement with your customers.
- Do not select the appropriate channels, from which to develop the online presence; Or worse yet, not knowing how to use each of these channels.
What characterizes each social network?
Each social network is different, it has its own rules, its own language of communication and welcomes a certain type of users. Therefore, it is important to study them closely, to know which are the most recommendable in each case:
- Twitter is an area where users move in an informal environment. Here you can connect openly with other users, mention them, respond to their messages or simply echo them by replicating them, all based on a simple message of no more than 140 characters. It is characterized by its high activity and high potential for interaction, which constitutes Twitter in the ideal platform to practice customer service.
- Facebook is a more private and personal medium. Here the main challenge is to “drop in grace” to users, offer them something that interests them and leads them to start following the brand, or to interact with it. This can lead to a closer relationship between the brand and its fans, fostering engagement.
- Google follows the modus operandi of Facebook, but was not the first to arrive. It has two great advantages, the first is to be descended from the Google strain, which motivates many brands to want to grow their plot here; And the second is the way it allows interactions with users, based on a simple classification of users in circles, something that allows more privacy in the content that is shared. In principle the profile of its users is mostly male and adept at new technologies, although the fan is opening.
- LinkedIn is the perfect setting for practicing networking and B2B relationships. It is a more formal medium than Twitter or Facebook, where the relationships that are established have a clear professional application, rather than facilitating mere contact.
- Pinterest, the last to arrive, but who has managed to open a hole quickly, especially in the hearts of women. In this medium the image is the cornerstone, and the “pins” the currency of change. On the other hand, there is a commercial intention here, brands show their products in the most visible and attractive way possible, while the public goes to their pages for inspiration and ideas to buy or give away. By something is the social network that derives a greater traffic qualified to the site.
Where to start?
As you have seen, it is necessary to analyze which social networks are the most appropriate to your strategy.
So the first step is to determine what you want to achieve with your social networking activity and plan your actions:
- Are you going to offer a customer service through social networks?
- Do you plan to sell and promote your products in these media?
- Is your goal to increase traffic to your website, perhaps to your store, or better get more visitors to your blog?
- Your main goal is to capture leads?
- Study the behavior of your target audience in social networks:
- Is it numerous?
- Do you often interact with brands?
- What kind of content do you share?
Start your journey, slow but sure
Focus your initial strategy on one or two social networks at most, depending on your possibilities, and develop an effective presence, using you thoroughly. If you have doubts about which one to start with, you can study the competition as a guide to find out what works for them and what they are doing wrong. You can also go directly to your customers, and ask them which social networks they use, or which ones they would like you to be.
Plan and control your actions
Your performance in social networks can not be left to chance. Improvisation is not the best strategy, but it is advisable to design a schedule of actions, and have a content strategy, as well as the tone of the communication, depending on the goals set.
Your actions reflect the voice of your company, so the person in charge of managing your brand online must be totally committed to the organization, understand its way of thinking and, of course, be a professional in this area. This implies that it is able to act in accordance with company policy, respond appropriately to customer interactions and be diligent, which will save the situation, even in the event of unexpected problems or negative reactions.
Always monitors social activity
Record the scope of your actions and analyze their effectiveness. If necessary, reconsider your strategy and adapt it, depending on the needs of users, the current situation or new trends.
Use the tools to better track, analyze and manage your Social Media strategy.