ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / November 9, 2020 / Having a substantial and defined social media presence for your business has become a must in today's growing digital space. As new creative platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels have emerged, and the uses of social media have expanded, businesses are presented with new and creative opportunities to reach their target audience. Research from Globalwebindex substantiates the popularity of social media, indicating that the average person spends nearly 2.5 hours a day on social media.
To remain relevant and resonate with consumers, companies must diligently manage their online presence with a detailed and dynamic approach. Social media channels provide a direct line of communication for businesses to interact with their audiences, offer customer service support, and garner insights regarding consumer sentiment of their brands. With social media usage skyrocketing this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this level and method of communication between brands and consumers has become less of a desire and more of an expectation.
Social media has become ingrained in the daily strategies of business leader and c-suite executive Deepak Agarwal, whose entrepreneurial journey began in the online retail industry, at a time when social media was emerging as a new and unfamiliar technology for businesses. "Business leaders across industries needed to adapt strategies and tactics to quickly address the popularity of social media among consumers," he notes. Dee Agarwal recalls using social media to pioneer a new unique approach to build trust amongst their consumer audience.
While defining and managing a brand's digital presence can seem daunting, Deepak Agarwal posits that the approach can be simplified by following a few simple rules and best practices. As businesses continue to implement strategies that fit best their business models, Deepak Agarwal's social media playbook for entrepreneurs serves as a sturdy foundation for what businesses should do (and not do) when planning your social media communications strategy.
Do's
Select the Platforms that Best Suit Your Business (and Your Audience)
"In addition to being knowledgeable on the various capabilities and opportunities each platform offers businesses, understanding which platforms host the largest pool of your target audience is a critical step to establishing a social media presence," says Deepak Agarwal. Research resources that clearly outline the purpose of each social platform. For instance, if your business targets an audience that enjoys attractive visuals over text, Instagram or Pinterest might be your best option. In contrast, Facebook works best to continue building brand loyalty and share company updates, while Twitter allows you to keep track of fast-moving and viral conversations within your industry.
Provide Diligent and Informed Customer Service
Dee Agarwal notes that keeping a close eye on social conversation related to your brand or industry can help business owners hone their communications approach to create customized messages to address consumer interests and pain points. For example, the current climate surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many businesses to pivot their customer service efforts to address unexpected order fulfillment delays and apologize for any inconveniences that it has caused. In these cases, social media channels have become some of the most efficient and effective mediums to identify and mitigate these issues.
Measure and Track Your Results
Social media also allows you to closely manage your interactions with your customers, boost sales, promote campaigns, and more. "In this sense, social media platforms are a great tool to measure the performance of your social media efforts to inform future social strategy," says Deepak Agarwal. "In addition, social media can help you build your brand reputation, solidify your brand positioning and monitor sentiment relative to your content."
To measure your results, you must define your goals and objectives, and then select the most relevant metrics to measure your progress towards these goals.
Don'ts
Post Just to Post
While social media is a place to stay relevant, informed, and share useful information, avoid sharing superfluous content that dilutes your message. In other words, plan your content and messages carefully, and don't allow your message to get lost in "filler content."
"This comes back to understanding the psychology behind the platform," suggests Dee Agarwal. "What type of content are consumers looking for and interacting with on each platform? If you know this, you can deliver the right message, on the right platform at the perfect moment."
By studying each platform and purpose, understanding your audience on each channel and knowing the best times to post based on your audience's activity, your social media manager can focus time and resources to the accounts that give you the best return on your effort.
Dwell on Negative Feedback
It is critical to understand the difference between a customer service complaint and an "internet troll." Avoid wasting your time engaging with negative commenters for whom there are no viable resolutions to offer. While it is important to serve customer needs and identify the source of the problem, there will be cases in which you should avoid engaging in comment section conversations. When valid, remember to use negative feedback to constructively improve your business operations
Get Complacent with Proofreading
Though it may seem like common sense, many large, well-known brands have made the mistake of sharing messages with careless mistakes. If you publish posts with grammatical errors and misspellings, it will reflect poorly on your brand. Before making posts live, provide several rounds of constructive review and revisions to catch mistakes that may be easily overlooked. For good measure, review the content again after you publish it to prevent sneaky errors that slip through, despite initial proofreading efforts.
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SOURCE: Deepak Agarwal