8 Ways to Stay on Top of Social Media Management
Brands that aren’t carefully managing their social media profiles are asking for trouble. Though some larger brands handle this increasingly important task in-house, more companies are reaching out to agencies that offer this capability, saving them time and money while protecting and building the brand.
We manage the social media communities for several clients across various industries. While the products and services the brands offer may vary, the rules to smart social media management apply to everyone.
Here are some tips for companies who try to go it alone:
Always adhere to brand standards for consistency in posts, messages, and comment replies. Sounds obvious, right? You’d be amazed at how many brands get this wrong, creating a social media presence that’s at odds with the brand. The result can muddle your brand and confuse your audience. Remember: Potential customers and clients look to social to get initial impressions of a brand.
Choose a smart posting cadence you can stick to. Post often enough to keep people engaged, but don’t set yourself up for dashed expectations by starting a posting cadence you won’t be able to support long-term.
Draft social posts in advance that drive conversation around the brand. A great place to look for social content inspiration is in the questions and comments that come from audience engagements. Find smart ways to create content timed to holidays and other big events, many of which you can plan ahead for.
Know the answers to common questions ahead of time. If you don’t know an answer, ensure the user that you will look into the issue at hand. It helps to run an audit on the profile to gauge common questions around topics or previous campaigns so that you can have a prepared (and approved) answer.
Quickly respond to negative engagements. This is the biggie to prevent minor problems from flaring into brand-threatening infernos of rage. Encourage the user to send the brand’s social page a private message regarding the issue they are experiencing. Not only does this keep the negative conversation from escalating on a public forum, but it also allows the person to explain their issue more securely so that your community manager can help the user get to the bottom of the matter (or point them in the direction of customer service for further support).
Most importantly, if the person follows the advice to message the page, respond promptly to ensure the person feels heard in your preferred channel of communication (whether that's through a customer service–facing email address, the platform’s private messaging channel, or a customer service phone line).
Take the time to create graphics, social-length videos, or animations. This help break up link previews and keep content fresh. Pro tip: Ensure that your visual content meets the different specs for each channel.
Use and understand the abilities that come with advanced social tools. Sprout Social is a favorite management tool of ours. It allows us to manage publishing, messages, comments, analytics, and reviews all in one platform, while also organizing action items and custom analytic reports.
Hire a smart agency. You knew we were getting to this, right? If you’re finding social media management to be one task too many for your company, reach out to find out how we can help your brand protect its reputation, proactively build your customer base, and turn customers into loyal fans.
