It Pays to Be Social

Social media seems to have taken on mythical proportions lately with everyone under the sun wanting to be on social without necessarily knowing why or taking time to figure out what they are trying to accomplish by investing time and money into it.

To me, social media is a product of our times, a result of the technological revolution, cheap broadband and prevalence of mobile devices. Rather than some overly complicated set of fancy tools, I look at social as just another way for businesses to communicate and engage with their customers, prospects, partners and suppliers.

Before letting all the emerging and overly abundant channels, apps and websites overwhelm you, it’s best to have a think about whether you even need to be on social media before making your first post.

Once you’ve decided that, indeed, your business can benefit from a social media presence, you need to look at what you plan to share with your audience and why. You must be able to delight, impress, challenge or inform your followers or they will simply disengage and unfollow you swiftly. No one wants to waste time on social media only to be inundated with endless ads, pitches and calls to action. We’re all there for entertainment, information and to share emotions and memories with like-minded individuals. Don’t forget this when posting any messages on social channels.

Finally, comes the how question, or where you should maintain a presence, and how often you plan on engaging your audience. Daily posts seem to be overwhelming for most businesses and if that’s the case, you can work with a social media consultant to help you manage the engagement and content publishing schedule. The minimum I would recommend is 3 relevant, high-quality weekly posts.

Get in touch for a free evaluation of your business’s social media presence and strategy.