Social Media: Awakening the Force
Twitter. Facebook. LinkedIn. The big three of B2B social media. You think you're doing it right; by the book, in fact. You’ve got strategy, resources and content in place but you’re not gaining ground - what gives?
Frankly put, the game has changed and so must you. It’s not 2007 anymore. Sure, you’re still interested in advancing your mission, building your brand and improving engagement, however, there are more networks, bigger audiences and whole lot of competition out there. Plus, social networks finally figured out that monetization thing and boy, did it limit the reach of your organic content. But before you pay up, let’s start off by considering a few things:
1. You’re talking about yourself too much - I think we all have that friend. The “can’t get a word in edgewise, always telling you about their life”-type of friend. Don’t be that person. Yes, you’re there to promote your brand but what of it? Just the basics of what you sell? How ‘bout employer brand? Or company culture? What sets you apart from the rest of the pack? Rethink who you are first; then pepper in some industry news or share a few updates just to keep things lively. A good rule of thumb is that for everything three things you say about yourself, include one from someone else.
2. You’re just not talking enough - The key word here is social. That’s right, as in interacting with other organisms. With so much going on out there, you’ve got to make sure that you’re even in the game. Cast off that one-a-day rule for posting to Facebook and LinkedIn at 10 a.m. Instead, diversify your updates. Go crazy, post twice a day! Gradually incorporate more and more fresh thinking until your audience recognizes that you’re a sharer. In turn, this will encourage more conversing or at the very least, more liking.
3. You’ve got too many channels and not enough focus - A few years back everyone was in a big rush to create a bunch of profiles that showcased all of their many services and solutions. Stop that. Chances are, unless you’re a huge company with business unit-level teams of social media folks in house, you don’t have the ability to manage multiple profiles at once. Scale it back. Streamline your social operations. Evaluate your profiles: determine those with the most sizable and/or active followings and clean house. Work smarter, not harder.
4. Get out of the past - Believe it or not, there are social publishing tools beyond HootSuite. Heck, there are tools for scheduling, listening, engaging, amplifying and so much more. Do you need all of them? No. Do you need some of them? Yes. Again, focus on what's important and go from there. If you're really interested in gaining ground against your competitors, than start watching their every move. If you're still lusting after a big seemingly-viral following, than target more influencers.
And finally, recognize that organic content has limited reach. Said it before and I’ll say it again. Social media, including Twitter, figured out a way to make money. How, you ask? By encouraging you to spend money so that your “social” content is seen by more people - and we’re not talking nickels and dimes. Competition is fierce and you have to pay to be in the game. Allocate some budget and recruit a resource to help up your digital marketing presence and watch those channels grow.
