Simply developing a Facebook and Twitter page is not enough in today's social media arena. Long gone is the 'build it and they will come' mentality. Just like the best websites, your company needs to create and maintain superb social media profiles that are regularly updated with fresh, compelling content to stay ahead of the competition in your industry.
If you do decide your company is going to step into the social media waters make sure you're committed. Creating profiles and leaving them to die a slow death could be dangerous to your brand's reputation (customer's may see this as a lack of care and attention to detail). Even worse, this behavior may give potential customers the impression you're no longer in business.
Many people will not take the time to track down your website for more information. If you created social media profiles, people expect that you're watering them and taking care of them. If you don't they may move on to the next business that does.
Tips to consider when developing content for social media communities.
Create simple & clear language. Say what you mean. Avoid high-talk & jargon. Avoid complex words & terms.
When creating long post write short summary w/punch that you include at the beginning so readers know what to expect. Long copy loses readers. Don't bury the lead at the end of the post, because they may never read that far.
Use abbreviations. 2009 - '09, and - &, Attention - Attn, a.m. - am, September - Sept. AP isn't a must in social media composition when you're trying to get out tight succinct messaging.
Remove articles if post is still clear like: a, an and, the or other words like that, which, has, had, etc.
If you want people to take action include information so they can execute with ease: include URL, phone # and address.
Spell out brand's name in entirety on first use in post for keyword/search. OK to use acronym after that.
Check your post for misspellings and grammatical errors. Don't rush process even though it's a quick update.
Use action-oriented verbs to create interest & drive fans to execute.
If you want people to take action include information so they can execute: include URL, phone # and address.
Spell out brand's name in entirety on first use in post for keyword/search. It's okay to use acronym after that.
Check your post for misspellings & grammatical errors. Don't rush process even though it's a quick update. That's when the most mistakes occur.
Avoid excessive use of exclamation points. Possibly the worst offense. Cheapens content & denotes screaming.
Use action-oriented verbs to create interest & drive fans to execute.
Use images and media, like video, to highlight content and create interest.
Avoid using parenthesis in content posts, as it can stop readers eyes or think information isn't as important.
Use capitalization appropriately. DON'T USE ALL CAPS LIKE THIS. It's salesy, screamy & turns readers off.
Create an editorial calendar in 1-month periods. Pre-flight general & evergreen posts with social media management software. Drop in breaking news as it happens.
Think twice about everything you post. How will this help your community? Is it relative? Will they care?
Use Google Reader and add Google Alerts to pull content keywords on fly w/o waiting for emails to come to inbox.
Check out @kurrently - Real time search engine for Facebook & Twitter to find trends & news
http://ow.ly/2K65W Make sure your communications goals match your business goals. Research & plan your content strategy.
Read @copyblogger 's blog.
http://ow.ly/2X9sK Keep it positive. Don't use social media to rant. If you say something seemingly negative to readers, be constructive and objective.
Get C-Levels educated/engaged. Too busy? Have them share one social media hub to push out strategy, share insights & build trust.
Set up Posterous: Share thoughts, photos & vids w/your friends & family the easy way.
Collaborate across departments in your organization to capture rich content. Re-package & push out to online communities.
Find 2-3 exceptional media articles & write blog post about what this means to your industry.Discern SMSO: Social Media Snake Oil. Make sure your content comes across authentic, not cheesy or sleazy.
When working with a client regarding community management, it's about being a steward of social media theory and practice, as well as a patient, interested teacher!
Enjoy your work as a social media practitioner. Remember you control your client's brand reputation and should be honored and respectful they hired you to such perform such important work.
Learn more about social media marketing strategies for your company at
http://genuinemediaco.com. Lisa Loeffler, president of Genuine Media, specializes in social media strategy, audits, training & community management for businesses.
She helps clients cultivate a strong brand presence in social media communities that are led with a sound strategy tied to business objectives. She teaches clients how to develop strong relationships in their social communities, improve efficiencies, save time, as well as magnify current social media communities they've already developed.
www.pamperrysocialmedia.eventbrite.com
Posted By: Pam Perry
Thursday, May 19th 2011 at 12:54AM
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