Many companies are begrudgingly accepting the fact that social media is an essential tool for all businesses and as time passes, it is becoming very evident that it is not just a passing fad. However, a big mistake that a lot of these companies are making is setting up their social media presence and not making the maintenance of these social media accounts a priority in their day-to-day business objectives. One of the main factors that distinguishes social media from other types of web sites is the constant flow of content, which can be greatly utilized by businesses if they employ the appropriate social media strategy. While having social media presence is becoming as vital as having a company website in terms of legitimacy for your business, it is essential to keep these profiles updated with a constant flow of material. Coming across a business’ Facebook page that has not been updated for a year is like stumbling upon a company’s website that looks like it was designed by a middle school graphic design student: it makes your company look sloppy and like you don’t care about your image.
The introduction of a new social media strategy to any company is going to be the period that is most time intensive and often frustrating. Once past this laborious phase, however, there are highly effective means by which to streamline your company’s social media activity to keep content flowing on a consistent basis. Ways to streamline:
1) Use Social Media Tools
Tools like Hootsuite and Tweetdeck are made to make regular posting work with your schedule. You can schedule social media postings and take a look at all of your accounts all in one place.
2) Engage Your Employees
Make sure that all your employees know about the social media outlets that your company is present on. This way not only can they be encouraged to provide content but can also leverage their own personal accounts on these platforms to promote the company’s presence.
3) Designate a Social Media “Point Person”
If there is one employee in the company that is the point person for all social media activity, other employees will know where to direct their questions and concerns regarding the company’s social media policy and content contribution.
4) Outsource
Social Butterfly is a service offered by Press Kitchen PR that provides its clients with the creation and management of their social media campaign. This includes creating new blogs and accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and other social media outlets, composing original content for online posting, maintenance and monitoring of all social media accounts as well as providing expertise for the company’s in relation to their social media strategy and implementation. By outsourcing for your company’s social media needs, you are better able to focus on your company’s area of expertise and maintain a positive social media presence without having to devote much precious time to it.
Now it is certainly not recommended that your company decreases its sales team to put more focus on a social media campaign, but it it is important to consider it a integral part of your PR and Marketing campaign as a whole. Social media websites have been legitimized for business use and if you don’t get your company involved you risk falling behind at an alarmingly fast pace.
