What should you post on social media?
Well that depends on the type of company you are, the industry you are in, and the type of brand image you want to convey. People have expectations about the type of content a dentist, jeweler, lawyer or restaurant should share. So you need to be strategic posting content which is relevant to your audience and appropriate for each social media platform.
Even if you have profiles on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, what you share and how you share it will vary. Very little, if any content should be the same from platform to platform. Each platform has a unique style. You wouldn’t behave the same at a serious business meeting as you do at a backyard barbeque because those social settings have very different rules. The same is true for each social media platform.
According to Forbes, as of April of last year 40 million small businesses have pages on Facebook. This platform is a great resource for fans and potential clients to learn more about your company. Company news, blog posts and industry news all have a place on your Facebook feed, in addition to more personal updates focused on activities around the office. Use a mix of personal and industry updates to keep fans up to date with your business and the people in it. Personal posts help people get a better idea of who you are as a company. This helps build a stronger connection between business and customers.
Welcome to Twitter, your place to relax a little and get the conversation going. As a more ‘in the moment’ platform than Facebook or LinkedIn; quick updates, timely industry news and eye-catching photos are perfect for Twitter. Don’t be afraid to have a conversation.
The platform moves quickly, but it’s a direct, instantaneous link to your followers – so use it! Of course, as we discussed before, the overall style and tone of your Twitter account should relate directly to your overall brand strategy. One of my favorite Twitter accounts does a great job of keeping consistent tone across all of their social profiles with slight tweaks that make them entertaining and successful on each platform. Below are a few Twitter updates from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, they balance playfulness and wit with education and conservation news. These are great examples of balancing the timely nature of Twitter with personality and organization specific content.
Brands across all industries should maintain a level of professionalism and awareness of their social media personality. This doesn’t mean your social media presence should be stiff, uptight or boring it just means that what you say is being watched by fans, friends, and potential clients. This professionalism is most important on LinkedIn because it is your professional social outlet and the content you post needs to reflect that. Industry news, company updates and interesting blogs on relevant topics to your business are all a good fit for LinkedIn. Company picnics and photos of the office cats? Definitely not.
Overall, social media should be fun. As a way to get your news out to the people who follow you and want to know more about you, social media strategy is an important part of your marketing plan. A good social media strategy is aware of each platform, expectations and brand tone.
Listen as Lorraine and Leisha share some of their best social media strategy planning tips
Learn more about each platform and what to do and what not to do in our Social Media Starter Kit.
