Crafting a content strategy for social media is just as important as developing a strategy for what is published on the company blog and website. Social media is one of the main megaphones that a company uses to create its overall online presence, which in turn shapes brand recognition and sentiment.
Social media has developed to the point that it is now more than putting a message out online and hoping for the best. Because the users are smarter and have made social media a part of their lives, it is up to companies to make the most out of every post and update they publish.
Social media management is a constant and ongoing process due to the nature of the instant, online world in which social networks live. When it comes to developing a content strategy for social media channels, it often works best for passionate, dedicated people to collaborate across departments, rather than handing the task off to the marketing department. By getting input from a variety of sectors within a company, a social media content strategy can really succeed.
Brainstorming
Using employees in different departments can be a great benefit to your company’s social media strategy.
For instance, the project development coordinator will have the best information on new products, which can be translated into photos and discussion questions via sites like Instagram, Vine, and Facebook. The human resources recruiter will know about job openings, and the marketing content writer can give some great copy that ties in to current company branding campaigns or seasonal promotions.
Brainstorming sessions that include engaged employees in a variety of different areas can help begin to craft the subject matter and types of content that are going to be shared via social media.
Go With What Works
Besides getting a good overall view of what the company can share via social networks, it’s also important to go with what works, which means sharing the type of content that gets the highest engagement.It has been shown that photos and videos can draw more engagement than text-only updates, so this needs to be taken into consideration. Using a photo linkbait website like Quotes Cover can make it easy to share text through a visual format.
For instance, this quote would go over great on a music artist’s Pinterest account or a streaming music service’s Facebook page. In addition, capturing a video of the company’s CEO giving his most recent talk at a conference will most likely be more popular than sharing a written recap of the speech.
Users also appreciate variety. Share links and give written updates, but also share videos, interact with user posts, and post photos and graphics regularly. A social media account with variety goes a long way.
For social accounts that focus on one medium, like Vine or Instagram, it’s just important to vary the type of content that is being shown. An employee lunch one day and showcasing a new product the next can give variety while using the same medium.
Choose How To Share
Once the content itself has been ironed out, it’s time to create a social media publishing calendar. Cloud-sourced documents are a great way to keep everyone instantly up-to-date on the social media content strategy for the week or month. There are a variety of tools available, including Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Evernote.
Some social media publishing platforms also allow multiple users to access the same company account, so it’s easy for many users to simultaneously view upcoming posts and account data. The team should experiment to see what works best for them.
Besides creating a calendar, keep a running Google Doc or online file (on a site like WorkFlowy or Evernote) with ideas for future social media content posts like quotes, links, videos, and more. This helps with writer’s block and provides inspiration.
Utilize Metrics & Reporting
Social media content teams should take advantage of data and metrics to better optimize what they are posting. Facebook provides Link shorteners that can provide click and sharing metrics, while Google Analytics’ social media reports (located under Traffic Sources) can give goal-oriented data to see how many social media referrals completed conversions and the most popular content that was accessed. These reports should be reviewed on a recurring basis.
Yes, social media content strategy is more than posting content online and hoping for the best. By implementing a clear, concise strategy, companies will find better engagement and brand recognition than others who don’t have a plan in place.
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