Okay, okay, I know. The title of this blog post is “Social Media Strategies So Simple Your Teenager Could Do Them”—but with how tech savvy kids are these days, I probably should have called it “Social Media Strategies So Simple YOU Could Do Them.”
But as connected as kids are, they probably still have a trick or two to learn about social media for business…which is what this post is all about.
First, the facts. Social media is one of the most effective and necessary marketing channels in today’s marketplace. If you want to gain credibility in your customers’ eyes, build a loyal following, get instant referrals, and meet your prospects where they are, you simply have to be on social media.
Of course, social media is also time-consuming. Unlike a traditional media campaign, you can’t just hand it over to a writer or a designer, send a check to the newspaper or station, and let your ad air for weeks on end. Social media is all about frequent and unique interactions on a daily basis. And drop by drop, you make enough touches to fill the bucket.
That’s why someone like a teenager hungry for work experience (or a student or an intern) can be a great help when it comes to executing your social media strategy.
IMPORTANT: please note that I just said executing your social media strategy. You probably don’t want someone at this level CREATING the strategy—that’s best done with a trusted marketing team and perhaps even a social media specialist.
So how can you put your eager helpers to work on social media? Here are seven things they can do on a daily basis.
- Respond to any in-bound inquiries. Never let a comment on your Facebook page or an @-tagged Tweet go by without a response. Whether it’s positive or negative, silly or serious, have someone take the time to respond to every single interaction.
- Schedule posts. Have your social media assistant schedule posts well in advance. Most of the social networks have built-in scheduling features, or there are even tools like HootSuite that let you manage your accounts from one location.
- Greet new connections. When someone adds you as a connection on LinkedIn, likes you on Facebook, or follows you on Twitter, have someone send a greeting to let them know you’re glad they’re listening.
- Retweet. Give your social media assistant a list of several industry leaders/complementary businesses to follow on Twitter. They should retweet particularly relevant and/or entertaining Tweets once or twice a day.
- Monitor trending hashtags. Be sure your social media assistant is monitoring trending hashtags for anything that might be relevant/applicable to your business. Be among the first to jump in when a hashtag is trending for maximum exposure and retweets!
- Keep tabs on your stats. All the major social networks have statistic reporting tools that allow you to see how many people are engaging with your content, liking your page, following your profile, and more. Have your social media assistant keep and update a weekly (or even daily) social media report so that you can spot trends and make improvements.
- Snap photos. People LOVE photos on social media. Have your assistant take pictures of what’s going on in your office. They can be candid, behind-the-scenes shots (like the office party you’re throwing), or more “official” shots (such as new packaging designs that you want to show off as a “sneak preview”).
One final note—spell and punctuate correctly. Even though its social media, put your best foot forward.
The more help you have handling the day-to-day tasks of managing your social media accounts, the better you’ll be able to connect with your prospects and customers. If you’re already utilizing a social media assistant, sound off in the comments below: what other things do you have your social media assistant do?
