I’ve been around the block with regards to PR, marketing and social media and whilst I am not a marketing mogul, expert, genius or even highly paid practitioner, I have worked successfully with a number of brands and formulated a number of opinions along the way.
But when it comes to social media, one of the things that I am very firm on for any company, big or small, is that if you don’t have the resources to effectively manage social media communities, then don’t include them in your strategy.
This doesn’t mean that you leave social media out!
What does this mean when it comes to social media?
What it does mean is that you need to research where your audience is. So, if they are predominantly using Facebook, then that is where you need to focus your resources. It is pointless including SnapChat when your audience doesn’t know what that is.
Being on social media isn’t about posting photographs and telling your followers that you are great! It is about providing them with information and images which they will find useful. So managing the communication that you receive from followers is important. Then using those conversations to improve and better your posts.
Facebook, for example, isn’t a brochure for your product. Facebook is a way to share information and products, a way to find out from your followers what they like and what they are doing.
Do you need to be on social media? Yes absolutely! But perhaps not everywhere!