Ever wonder who is behind USA Todayʻs Twitter account? What about who (or what) is behind the Wall Street Journalʻs Facebook posts? We did too, until we came across this article that goes deep into what companies like ABC News, CNN, and the Associated Press are doing.
Hereʻs what we learned and what it means for us (and you) as a small business.
1. Donʻt Use Automation
While we understand that social media can be time consuming, we rarely use automation for several reasons, the most important being that we are aware that social media is just that, social! Having automated tweets and status updates takes the social aspect out of things! Plus, what if you have a post scheduled that talks about an event that is supposed to happen, like the a marathon or a concert and it gets cancelled? Either way youʻll have to decide whatʻs best for your small business.
2. Tweet for Twitter, Post for Facebook
We know that each social media platform has itʻs eccentricities that make it a more useful platform for your business. Try creating a Facebook post that can potentially have 1600 characters and then trying to copy/paste it to Twitter. Youʻll notice that youʻre missing about 1400 characters. Point is, we write Tweets for Twitter and Posts for Facebook and cater to the demands of each platform accordingly.
3. Some Social Media Tools Are Helpful
Most of the interviewees had a lot to say about NOT automating their tweets. Many did, however, say that they do use some tools like HootSuite and Topsy to automatically post handwritten tweets and posts. That being said, itʻs best to test each of the potential social media products (most have a 30 day Free Trial) yourself and see whatʻs right for your company.
4. Test and Analyze
A lot of what we are seeing both in the corporate world AND in the small business world is that you really have to analyze what works best for your company. Looking at what ABC News does, may not translate very well for a company that sells jewelry and vice versa. Itʻs always best to analyze your strategies and frequently.
5. Keep it Simple
The is probably the best advice we or any marketing firm could give. Having the most social media accounts in your field will not get you a prize, but it WILL give you a headache! After youʻve analyzed what social media platform works best for you company, try not to spend a lot of time on other outlets. Just because you have an Instagram account, doesnʻt necessarily mean your company should.
Regardless of what you or your company does with social media you can always hire an outside firm or agenty to help not only with strategy and implementation, but many will even run the campaigns for you.
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