With social media platforms constantly growing and changing, business need to adapt quickly to decide which types of new media will be the most beneficial to their social media strategies. So, how does an organization choose which social media platform works best for their company? Before creating a detailed social media strategy, remember one simple statement —you can’t measure if you don’t plan. Social media strategies often fail because companies do not create achievable and agreed upon, goals and measurable objectives – these will help determine your company’s strategy and success. Without establishing goals and objectives, it is nearly impossible to determine which social media platforms your company needs to establish a presence in.
Now for the million dollar question – do companies need to establish a presence in all social media networks? The answer is no. Companies should consider which social media platform would most benefit their strategy and objectives. Once these objectives have been clarified then the platforms that will be most effective should be chosen. Here is a short list of the most popular social media platforms and their benefits:
Facebook has become more “brand-centric” by creating its timeline pages. It’s also a great place to start for companies that are new to social media. Facebook is one of, if not the, most popular social media network for brands and companies. It can really jump start a companies social media initiative for a few reasons – with over 800 million users and growing, brands have a greater chance of establishing a following on social media. It’s also a great place to share content-which encourages user engagement and when a company is looking increase brand awareness, customer engagement is key. The new brand pages are easy to use and has new features that will help any brand including a new admin panel, where brands receive notifications when followers interact in their pages as well as see analytics for their page.
Many companies who have a Facebook page, also have a Twitter page. While Twitter and Facebook social media initiatives are generally lumped together in most companies – Twitter should be geared more towards news, announcements, events, special offers or promotions. For example, retailers benefit from using Twitter by announcing new products, discounts and exclusive events in real-time to their consumers. More people are getting their news from Twitter then from press releases and news websites, so it’s important to gear any Twitter campaign towards this angle. However, this could be changing within the coming months as Twitter will be rolling out it’s brand pages to additional companies – stay tuned!
Linkedin is a site that is used heavily for business networking as well as recruitment. Having a Linkedin company profile is beneficial to companies that have information to share specifically about their organization. For example, through a Linkedin company page a business has the ability to write status updates about company news, promotions, upload press releases and share articles on relevant industry news. Your company can target specific employees that meet your businesses needs and also target other companies that would be beneficial to work or partner with. Potential employees can also go to Linkedin to research companies that are hiring. Another key benefits is the testimonial section – clients, employees or vendors can write testimonials to your company for others to view.
Pinterest is a rapidly growing social network that many organizations have been starting to use within their social media campaigns. While Pinterest does provide mass appeal, their are certain types of organizations that would most benefit from creating a Pinterest account for their brand. I have fully explored the types of organizations that would benefits of using a Pinterest account within a previous blog post – including fashion retailers, home decor/home improvement, restaurants and specialty food stores, entertainment and media and design and marketing firms. These types of organizations would benefit from showcasing their products, photography and essentially providing visual inspiration through Pinterest.
Of course, there are many additional social media networks such as YouTube, Google +, Tout, MeetUp that are sprouting up each year. If you’re looking to maximize your social media campaign, look towards your goals and objectives of your social media plan and work from there. Or you can call Elements and we’ll help you get your social media strategy on track!
~Allyson
