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Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn, if you have created social media channels for your business, think of them as platforms to tell the story of your company.

The best way to begin is to look at the possibilities. Think about your audience(s) and the social media channels they may be using. The reality is that these tools have a lot of “noise.” All kinds of people are posting all sorts of information, often with little or no thought about their audience.

Here are some tips for successfully using these platforms:

• If you enter the social media realm you must be in it for the long haul, with regular posts and an effective weekly, monthly or quarterly plan; don’t just pop up one day and then go dark for three months – that is not being a part of social media.
• Because social media is all about getting others to tell our stories for us, it is very important that you post only the best content — when you do post. You might think about turning an event or milestone into an interesting “story.”
• Think about ways to naturally incorporate keywords in your posts. Monitor what resonates with your audience.
• Be sure that your social media content answers the question: Why is this important?
• Always make your social media content accessible, easy to view and easy to use. Since many people access their social media via mobile devices, you need to think about whether or not they can even view it on their device.
• Use common sense when interacting through social media. Once it’s posted, it’s posted, so don’t post anything you wouldn’t want to see in bold headlines on the front page of a newspaper.

There are many other ways to ensure your social media plays an important role in your overall communications plan. Just remember to use it appropriately, and it can become an effective part of sharing your story.

Need some guidance? Our team can help.

– Sue Voyles