Social media platforms have also opened new avenues of advertising and marketing for businesses, both B2B and B2C. These policies will help drive what you post, how you respond and ways you will engage with your audience. Most businesses use a more informal tone on their social media than they would for other marketing efforts like the website or email marketing. Key questions to consider when setting up your social media policies: What tone/voice is appropriate for our organization? Key questions to consider when setting up your social media networks: Who are our target audiences, and what are their age ranges? How will we reach our target audience? Organic vs Paid social strategies: you need to have BOTH! Key questions to consider when setting up your social media strategy: What are the goals of our social media use? Who are our targets when it comes to our social media audience? Monthly reporting is sufficient because in general, engagement rate changes will not happen overnight and require consistent work over time.
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last two decades, you’ve probably heard a thing or two about social media platforms. Social media has transformed the way we communicate with friends and family and interact as a society. Social media platforms have also opened new avenues of advertising and marketing for businesses, both B2B and B2C.
76% of B2B tech marketers use social media to market their products because they recognize the value in tapping into those channels. Over 70% of Americans use one or more social media platforms, so your customers are already on social media! You just need to join them!
Because of the growing usage and benefits in social media marketing, having a social presence has become a necessity rather than an afterthought for B2B organizations.
Consider the following five steps to build your social media strategy:
1. Set social media goals that are aligned with your company’s business objectives
The two biggest mistakes we see marketers make when it comes to social media are setting up accounts that are never, or rarely, used and creating an account that doesn’t align with business objectives.
Your social media account is an extension of your business, or another advertising outlet if you want to look at it that way instead. From your profile to your posts, your brand voice and style guide are going to be key assets for your social media team.
Your profile should also be in alignment with your brand or website. Use similar graphics, if not the same, that have been created for your website. Be sure to adapt sizes accordingly, all in pixels:
- Facebook profile picture: 180×180
- Facebook profile cover: 820×312
- Facebook post: 1,200×630
- LinkedIn profile picture: 300×300
- LinkedIn profile cover: 1536×768
- LinkedIn post: 698×400
- Twitter profile picture: 400×400
- Twitter profile cover: 1500×500
- Twitter post: 440×220
Key questions to consider when setting up your social media profile:
- Am I aligned with the brand voice and style guide set by the organization?
- What is my industry focus?
- Who are my target personas?
- What information do they want to know more about?
2. Create a social media policy for your organization
Just like any other policies in place for your organization, you should carefully consider what sort of policies apply to your social media presence. These policies will help drive what you post, how you respond and ways you will engage with your audience.
Most businesses use a more informal tone on their social media than they would for other marketing efforts like the website or email marketing. You are connecting more directly with individual audiences and consumers, and therefore you want the conversation to feel like business-like, and more casual.
Discuss who in your organization will be in charge of on-going social media management. It is important to have one person that drives your activity on social media. This person should be responsible for regular posts, replying to messages and comments and upkeep of your profiles.
Key questions to consider when setting up your social media policies:
- What tone/voice is appropriate for our organization?
- What role will be in…
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