In that spirit, we’d love to share those same tips with you and please, feel free to ask us questions or even share your own tips.
Tip Number 1: Don’t use social media solely as a bullhorn.
Your content should follow the 1/3 rule:
- 1/3 self-promotion
- 1/3 industry/local news
- 1/3 engagement with fans/followers
This balance of activity and content will keep your fans and followers engaged and returning for more great content in the future. One social media expert we follow has said, “Content is King; engagement is Queen and SHE rules the land.” We couldn’t agree more!
Tip Number 2: Use social media calendars and scheduling tools.
While social media is becoming more and more prevalent, few people have “manage social media content” as their sole job responsibility. To keep you sane and to manage your time more effectively, we recommend spending some time up front developing a comprehensive social media calendar. This helps you organize your content and tie it to important events/days/milestones throughout the year. Ideally you should plan for 1-2 posts a day—whether via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Blog or any combination of these or even other tools you use. The tool isn’t as important as your content, so decide what you want to share and then decide which channels you want to use. Each one has a different audience. If you feel overwhelmed, pick one or two channels to focus on and give it your best shot.
Tip Number 3: Vary your messages across platforms.
It may seem tempting to link up all of your accounts (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, for example) so that once you post something it is pushed out to all three platforms. Don’t do it! We repeat, don’t do this. It is a surefire way to lose fans and followers. It is very important that you tailor your message to be appropriate for the audience you are trying to engage. Your LinkedIn connections probably aren’t interested in what you are having for dinner or what your weekend plans are, so it’s best to keep accounts separate as much as possible.
During our presentation we shared examples of what not to do and what is considered “best practices” in terms of content. Hint: be sure to check out how Sheetz is using social media!
If you’d like to know more, check out the free social media resources we offered to the attendees of the event here. And, we encourage you to share some of your best tips for keeping your fans and followers interested.
Hollie Geitner is vice president, Client Services for WordWrite Communications. You can find her on Twitter @JustHollieG
