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“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” – yes, it is an old saying but remains relevant.
Start with why a social media presence is necessary:
This will lead to determining Goals and Objectives that will set the scene for using social media platforms as a communication channel.
Know where you are so that you can plan for the future. Conducting a Social Media Audit will reveal the current social media landscape.
Who are you going to converse with? By Identifying Key Audiences, one can ensure that their information needs are met.
What do you want to say to those audiences? Defining Key Messages forms the basis of the communication effort and creates the narrative for the organisation.
Take care of the Nuts and Bolts:
Determine voice, tone, writing style and types of content.
Stipulate the appropriate platform.
Develop branding elements.
Specify hashtags and tags.
Set-up accounts.
Development of engaging posts by combining graphic design with content to convey accurate and relevant messages.
The design process includes the following:
Source and edit photographs.
Creating written visual or audio-visual video content.
A well-designed post must tick these boxes:
Content must be edited.
Facts must be verified.
Visuals must be integrated to enhance the written text.
The platform owner must approve the post.
Types of posts include
An essential function of a Social Media Manager is to stay abreast of social media algorithms.
The following explanation and tips on how to let algorithms work for you are adapted from Social Media Algorithms: A 2023 Guide for Every Network (hootsuite.com)
Here are some tips on how to make the algorithms work to your advantage:
Post relevant, high-quality content. Content relevance and quality are ranking signals for all the social algorithms.
Deliver what you promise. Don’t spam. The algorithms downgrade those posts.
Understand the trends. Research trends and social listening results to know what content your community wants to see.
Know the best times to post. Early engagement is key ranking signals.
Encourage comments, saves, and shares. Engagement is a crucial ranking signal for all social media algorithms. What is being said is just as important as counting engagement numbers. You need to engage in active social listening.
Experiment to find the right formula for your platform. You must try new things, see what works, and refine your strategy.
Video is the key. Reels are essential to reach new users and send relevant signals to the algorithms.
A Content Calendar enhances communication effort ensures that the most appropriate message is communicated on the right platform and at the right time.
Engagement leads to meaningful conversations and subscribes to the two-way symmetric communication model. Social media enhances interactive communication where key audience’s communication needs are met. Comments, likes and shares are the currency that will improve the respective platform’s Engagement Rate.
Analyses improve communication efforts.
On the one hand, one monitors the demographics of key audiences (and amend messaging accordingly) and the success of campaigns.
On the other hand, with social listening, the audiences’ opinions are considered in future communication activities. It contributes to a positive customer experience.
“…and that will bring us back to Do” (apology to Sound of Music).
It is a process and improved courses of action in terms of content, platforms and engagement will be suggested on a monthly basis.
What you want is to improve your Engagement Rate on the respective platforms.
Copyright 2023 Sarieta Schultz