Noted :: Three of Our Most Commonly Asked Social Media Questions

Millions of companies, businesses and brands are using social media platforms – some are using them well and some aren’t even sure where to begin. Whatever level a brand or business is at, we’re often asked the same questions while working on any social media strategy or campaign. Today, we’re exploring three of our most frequently asked social media questions:

1. What type of social media platform should I join?

Many businesses and brands are under the impression that they should join every social media platform that’s available – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, Flickr… and the list goes on.  While growing and maintaining a presence on social media is crucial for brands and businesses, it is not a necessity to join every social media platform that is available. In fact, it’s impossible. When a company sets out to decide which social media platform to join, they need to consider their own goals and objectives. 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. For example, while Pinterest is one of the largest growing social media networks, not every company will benefit from having account. While the site is great for companies who specialize in home improvement, fashion, design, entertainment, media and more – not all brands and businesses would be a good fit for this image-centric site. What about Twitter? Does your brand have enough manpower and noteworthy news to sustain an account? With thousands of tweets being posted every minute, will a company that sends out one tweet a day make an impact? Layout a strategy that clearly defines your goals and measurable objectives and the correct social media platform will essentially choose you.

*We’ve dived even deeper into this topic on two of our popular blog posts: “Noted :: Pick a Network, Any Network and Noted:: Would Your Company Benefit from a Pinterest Account?”

2. What time of day should I post?

This question is asked frequently because everybody seems to have a different answer to it. The truth is, there is no definitive answer to this question. Analytics from websites such as bitly have provided information on a more global level. However, brand and businesses should use their own internal analytics to determine what time of day a post will be most viewed by their target audience. Facebook has made this easier then ever with their new “Insights” analytics. You’re now able to see the number of people that saw each of your posts as well as how they saw it – via organically or virally. You can also count the number of likes, responses, retweets or pins you get and record these on your own. Are your followers clicking more at 3pm on a Wednesday or 8 am on Friday? Your target audience is unique to your brand and analyzing their engagement will greatly maximize the power of your posts. If finding time in your day to post is a problem, the  Buffer can help you with your posting frequency. This app allows you to schedule posts for various times throughout the day on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. This app is exceedingly helpful once you find the best times of day to post for your target audience – just write a few posts, schedule and let buffer do the rest. It also allows you to download a buffer button that will appear directly on your browser. If you find an article or piece of news interesting, click the button and buffer will allow you to schedule that piece of information to share with your followers.

3. How do I know if my social media efforts are working?

For many social media experts, this is the hardest question to answer – UNLESS (you guessed it) you’ve created a list of goals and measurable objectives. If you have a management or sales team that is used to seeing hard facts and figures, getting them on board with a social media campaign can be challenging. To get everyone on the same page, create a targeted list of goals and how you will achieve them. For example an initial goal could be: select the tone/voice that will be used within the {selected} social media platform. The measurable objective could then be: agree upon the tone and voice and build social media content with both in mind and that positions X company as an authentic brand and industry leader. Another example could be: {Goal} participate and interact with other appropriate Facebook groups or Twitter pages that would benefit X brand. The objective could then be: “Like” or “Follow” or interact with at least 5 other Facebook groups or Twitter pages that are active members in Social Media such as… {list out examples}. Your management team will be able to check off all of these goals and see how the campaign is progressing. If they also prefer facts and figures (as many do), Facebook brand pages have “Insights” which allow you to export data and see how your brand page is performing. Websites like Klout, will allow you to measure your influence on social media through “true reach: how many people you influence; amplification: how much you influence them; and network Impact: the influence of your network.”  If your team is looking for more solid data, using a social media tracking software such as Engage121, Trackur or Radian6 is always another option – although it does require some financial commitment. We also recently reviewed Sprout Social as a social media analytics and reporting tool that we have been using recently – it’s definitely worth checking out.

If you still have questions – contact Elements for a consultation to get your social media plans moving!

~Allyson