Although it sounds like a simple question, like social media, it’s not as simple as it looks. 

Social media are becoming an ever more important part of an organisation’s media mix. Accordingly, organisations are starting to manage Social Media Platforms like traditional offline and online media. And just as all businesses are different, so too are their response to managing social media.

If you are a larger organisation, you have your defined Social Media function and you do your job. But if you are a team of one, how can you best manage your Social Media presence to achieve your business objectives, and still manage to run your business? We call it Social Media Bingo;

1. Listen
2. Create
3. Grow
4. Engage
5. Action

Bingo! But not so quick.  Whether you are starting up a new Social Media Platform or optimising your current platforms, this is an easy 5 step programme which will have you achieving your business goals, and stop you going crazy!

So, let’s briefly run through those steps:

Listen

Listen is essentially your market research stage.  Find out what problem you are solving, who you are benefiting, how your competition has defined their target audience and most importantly; what your audience loves talking about online. By understanding what your audience needs, you be able to interact with them on a more intimate level. Knowing what they want to read about and what they believe in will help you understand what you need to give to them. Once you understand this, you can give the everything they want - which means bringing them to your website to see what your business is all about, or what you are selling.

Create

Stage two is about creating content which is relevant to your audience.  Remember, the content you share needs to position your brand and build a connection with your followers. You want to make sure you aren't solely focused on campaign's and sales but have content that creates conversations and connections.  Social Media, but its very definition is, well, social! It’s about creating a community that is loyal and interested in your brand.  Consider where you are delivering your content? Tailor your content to where it is being placed, for example – just because it works on Facebook, doesn’t mean it’ll work on Twitter, by all means, use the same theme but adapt it to suit the context of where it’s going to be used. Remember, you still need to listen to ensure you are creating engaging content.

Grow

Now you are ready to grow your audience. It sounds easy, but many people forget to promote their social media platforms. Add social sharing buttons (e.g., "Share on Facebook," "Tweet This," etc.) to all of your content -- on individual blog articles, in email messages, on product imagery on landing pages for ebook and webinar downloads, within the pages of your ebooks, and so on. Don't be spammy - but don't be afraid to share. Make sure you cross-promote platforms to gain followers. By doing this, your target audience will know you have a presence on Facebook, Twitter, etc. and they can share them with everyone they know. This is a simple way to get the word out. Sometimes just by asking your clients and maybe even potential clients to share and connect with your social media networks, you just might be able to bring in more fans. Targeted advertising, running competitions and inviting post likers to like your page will all attract more engaged followers. And yes, you are still listening at this stage to grow a targeted audience who will convert to an action!

Engage

Step four of Social Media Bingo is putting the “Social” in Social Media. You want to engage with those who post on your social media pages, mentions you. This means when someone posts something, talk back to them. Let them know you are reading what they are posting and you are listening to what they want. Then, give them more of what they want to keep them posting on your pages. That means, giving your customers a reason to like your page, pin you or follow you on Twitter. Show them you that you post regularly and make sure your posts are interesting and relevant. This will give them a reason to keep engaging with you. So start the conversations and remember, if someone has a problem, go above and beyond to help them reach a conclusion. You guessed it, listening isn’t over yet.

Action

Step five is elevating your Social Media to deliver your business objectives, it’s about creating an action. Your audience now trusts and listens to you, so you can now invite them to take an action. This could be; sign up to our email database, shop now, an invitation to an event etc, whatever your business objectives may be.  This step is about delivering what you want from the customer amongst the delivery of the content they want. But you still don’t make it sound like a sales pitch with free knives thrown in for quick action and above all make sure you measure your action and refine if necessary (we could say listen instead of measure or … Bingo!

So that’s a very quick run-down. If you would like any more information or have any queries please connect with us today