Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, and on, and on. There are countless social platforms for clients and brands to consider, when marketing services and products, sharing content, building communities, and driving sales.
Jumping into the circus of social media is not to be taken lightly. When it’s done well, it looks spontaneous and maybe even effortless. But don’t be fooled—you’d never start that amazing tiger-jumps-through-the-flaming-hoop act without a good plan, and neither do brands that are successful in social media. Worse, brands who try to rub elbows with consumers in the wrong way, in the wrong place, at the wrong time, end up looking the buffoon, like a sports enthusiast shouting about a two point conversion at an ornithology gathering, or a nudist barging into a senior center during a game of bingo (extreme, but embarrassingly possible).
So how do you plan to be spontaneous, effective, and engaging, all while staying true to your consumers, and your brand?
Like every other communications channel, it’s imperative that you work on your “voice,” before you try to speak. Figure out who you’re talking to and how often. Then and come up with a plan for saying, showing, and doing the right things to make your brand engaging, to attract the kinds of “friends,” fans and followers you want as customers. Strategy before tactics, tactics before execution. The days of the popularity contest are over, and the brands with the most fans are not necessarily the winners. To make things worse, the brands that pushed for quantitiy over quality now have a ton of randos in their base of fans and followers – sleeping on their sofa, rambling on as they rummage through the cushions for change, and scaring off the quality customers.
There are lots of ways to be successful on social media, but we thought it would be good to start with the 2013 version of the rules of the road. What follows is a simple list of some things (in no particular order) to do and NOT do in social media this year.
Top 10 ways for your brand to avoid feeling socially awkward on the internet in 2013:
1. Don’t use acronyms and abbreviations that are now totally 2011, like LOL, OMG, TTYL, etc.
2. Try to refrain from talking about yourself too much. No one cares for this, online or off.
3. Don’t post @ someone or something unless the reference is on brand, and equitable. Trying to capitalize on another company’s fanbase without any real rationale is like pushing your way to the front row of a concert only to realize that the mob behind you is now angry, and the band on stage paying you no mind whatsoever.
4. Liking things has become entirely less likeable; so don’t look to engagement insights as your only measure of engagement. Social media has become another form of media, which if you remember from days gone by, is sometimes a little more nebulous, in terms of tracking.
5. Do not under any circumstances get political, religious, or overly philosophical. Refer to the part in #3 about the angry mob. No need to give them torches, rakes, and sticks.
6. Keep the conversation going. No one likes a false starter. If you are making a statement or asking a question, be sure to stick around and partake in any discussion that follows.
7. Content regurgitation and link sharing are tolerated, even encouraged. If you bring your fans and followers valuable wisdom and insight from other places, they will look to you for more such information in the future. But make sure to tee it up with your own twist, or brand-related segue, and give credit where credit is due.
8. Be interesting, and interested. This is not a billboard. If you treat it like one, consumers will ignore and move on. Or worse, they’ll climb to the top of your billboard and shout obscenities at drivers by, on your behalf.
9. Maybe the most important? Be yourself, and be proud. Make sure your brand has a personality, and be true to it, relentlessly.
10. The future is only moving further away, as you stay stuck in your rut of social fear. Go ask a girl to dance already. Worst thing she can say is no.