Companies and brands now want to be your Facebook friend
Today, social media seems to be more of an afterthought to most businesses rather than a tool as important as traditional communication channels. All too often, corporate Facebook pages and Twitter feeds are left stagnant or used merely as a one-way announcement medium.
Or worse still, things like this happen.
Despite its relative infancy when compared to older, more established communication avenues, social media should not be underestimated. Or worse still, only thought of as a last-ditch, cheap marketing tool to be exploited.
I want this to go viral. Viral’s free, right?
The illusion of free
Though the initial creation of a corporate presence on social media may be free from actual financial cost, constant and consistent follow-through is necessary in order to build tangible relationships online. The modern customer can smell insincerity from a mile away, and will not hesitate to point it out within the first few lines of the comments section.
Being authentic and strategic
Businesses need to understand that social media is about social networking and interacting with their customers, stakeholders and potential clients. This means regular posts, relevant information disseminated and active replies to feedback and queries posted on their social platforms, an often tedious task.
Occasionally, you do cool stuff like this.
It is also crucial for the business to understand which type of social media they should engage — or if they should even be on social media at all. Specific social networks such as LinkedIn, Burpple or Path could have very different results for a restaurant, an employment agency or a closed network of C Suite executives.
By choosing the most industry-appropriate network, one can expect better results and extended reach due to targeted positioning, rather than simply going with the biggest or most famous social platform.
Either by using in-house employees or a dedicated agency, companies can focus on their core businesses while outsourcing their social media strategies to communication professionals. Tone of voice, style guidelines and publishing engaging content will be more effective when wielded by trained experts in the field.
Following which, an increased revenue will be the result of regular efforts that have successfully transferred online goodwill to offline goodwill. By establishing a corporate identity and strengthening a brand’s personality, a business’ competitive advantage will be harder to replicate.
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