A Guide to Making your Social Media Smell Better
Is social media for marketing new? Is it rocket science? The answer to both of those questions is a big fat NO! So why are so many businesses still representing themselves on social media in a way that reeks of mediocrity? Take some time to consider these points about your use of social media and test your odour-rating.
Are your social media profiles good looking?
- Are your avatars cut to the correct size and looking sharp? No cheesy, soft-focus, American real-estate type efforts please!
- Same goes for your cover images etc – are you making the most of the space? Don’t use them as a big ad – make them pretty!
- Are your bios, ‘about’ sections filled out with key info and links? Set expectations on customer service times etc here. Again, don’t overdo it!
- Resource - a great post with constantly updates avatar etc sizes
How’s your communication?
- Are you responding to queries/issues etc promptly? Don’t leave people hanging! 42% of people complaining via social media expect a response within 60 minutes (source – convinceandcovert.com)! This is hard to achieve for many businesses, but aim to get back to people within a maximum of 8 hours and much less if possible!
- Do you only speak when spoken to? On platforms that allow it (Twitter, G+, Instagram to name a few), you should be looking for people to actively converse with and not just those mentioning your business. Be careful though, don’t overdo it and never sell first!
- Answer everything – don’t only answer queries that you deem ‘important’. Respond to everyone that directly engages.
People Working in Social Media Need to Know Everything
“Anyone working in advertising has a duty to know their client’s business and industry inside-out”
David Ogilvy, the Godfather of advertising said that and it’s something I whole-heartedly agree with. However, the knowledge can’t stop there – it has to reach far and wide.
When you work in real-time, you need to know what’s going on in real-time
Social media (and content) marketing are the fastest forms of marketing we’ve ever known – we can put whatever we want out there in the mere flash of a tweet or the flick of a blog post. The fact that the world around us moves so fast means that in order to make the most of this super-fast opportunity, we need to have a very strong handle on what is happening around us. This extends to:
Pop culture – what’s ‘trendy’ in everything from music to movies to fashion and way beyond. Harnessing these can be very effective.
Politics – what are they key issues and debates in our immediate environment and beyond? Depending on the client, we may see opportunities here, or topics to be avoided. Don’t go political without serious thought and consultation with clients!
Events – what large events are happening that people are talking about en masse? Are there niche events that you can tap into? Think Commonwealth Games Vs the Devon cheese-rolling festival.
News – are things happening in the world that you need to consider when creating content and using social? For example, the recent air-travel tragedies may have led to travel brands etc pulling pack on certain activity out of respect for the victims. The flip-side is good news – Royal babies, pregnant Pandas and economic upturn to name but a few. Just don’t overdo the news-jacking!
Is Your Content Marketing Selfish?
Content marketing. You can’t escape it. The whole marketing world is still discussing it, singing its praises from the rooftops and evangelising about it until they’re blue in the face. However, there is a problem with this almighty entity…
The vast majority of it is utter garbage
Sorry folks, but it’s true. And who’s to blame? Selfish marketers. You see, content marketing should be carried out with one group of people in mind – your audience. Not your own personal development.
Pressure from the top?
Under orders from those floating above you to ‘do content marketing?’ Client’s pushing you to get on the content train? I bet some of you just want to tick the marketing boxes – do I do… social media? YES! content marketing? YES! Paid social? YES! I’m winning then!
