Dos and Don’ts for Social Media Management

As the scale of social media continues to grow, social media management can seem like a daunting task. Luckily for most businesses a successful social media strategy values quality over quantity. Here are some helpful dos and don’ts for social media management to fit your business.

Do: set your goals and objectives

Social media strategy isn’t one size fits all because different industries and businesses have a wide range of needs and goals. Determine what you want to achieve with your social media efforts and set the metrics you plan to use to measure success.

Don’t: feel the need to have accounts on every single platform

In the age of influencers, it can be easy to gravitate towards the idea that more followers are always better. But for businesses whose revenue is dependent on sales, not the number of people who see your posts, focus on reaching only the people who want to buy your product or service. Research which platforms have the demographics that best match your target audience and the platform formats that best align with your brand and content. 

Do: make sure all of your active accounts are on-brand

No matter what platforms you decide to focus your efforts on, any active accounts should reflect the current look and feel of your business. Profile and background images, account bios, contact information, and links should all be up to date.

Don’t: post at all hours of the day

It takes work to create content for social media so maximize the effectiveness of your efforts by posting at the times your audience is most likely to see it. Start out by posting at the times that perform best across all users and augment your timing as you collect more data about when your posts perform best.

Do: make a social media calendar

Map out what you want to post about, how frequently, and the assets you may need to create your posts. Simplify the execution of your social media calendar with a scheduling tool like HeyOrca or Hootsuite so that you can post when you need to, not just when you’re available. 

Don’t: get stuck in a visual rut

Post a variety of different media types like images, videos, GIFs, graphics, and animations to keep your followers engaged. Don’t worry about always having original media content, stock content is also a great way to go as long as it fits your brand and you have the right to use it (remember to credit as appropriate!).

Do: stay up to date on platform features

Platforms are regularly updating or rolling out new interactive features. Keep track of the new features and how other people are using them, and assess how each feature can contribute to your overall social media strategy.

Don’t: follow trends that don’t make sense for your brand

Social media trends seem to have only sped up in the last few years. Trending post formats can be a great way to show your brand’s personality and connect with new followers, but you should only invest your time in posts that will still be valuable to you after the trend dies out.

Do: show your connections in the community

Regardless of the type of community your business belongs to, it is valuable and meaningful to share the partners and relationships that are important to your business. Doing so can build your trustworthiness and also expose you and your connections to a wider audience.

Don’t: forget to pay attention to your comments

Positive or negative, it is important to keep an eye on comments made on your posts. Answer questions and clarify confusion, but don’t confront commenters. Report spam and inappropriate comments, but don’t delete negative comments as it can often harm more than it helps. If someone has a claim you want to follow up on, respond through a comment but quickly direct the conversation offline to a method of communication that can better address their concerns.

Do: keep on tracking your social media

Know when something is working and when it is time to try something new by tracking your social media performance. Establish what metrics are valuable to your goals and keep track of the performance to know when something is a success, not performing as you had hoped, or acting out of the ordinary. Making informed decisions is key to evolving your social media strategy. 

Don’t: think this is the end all be all social media plan

Your social media strategy will change as the needs of your business, the needs of your customers, external factors, and social media continue to evolve. Don’t keep yourself from getting started by waiting for the perfect plan to come together. Do your research, prepare your posts, get feedback from opinions you trust, and get started.

Are you ready for social media management that fits the needs of your business? Adpearance can help! Get started with a free digital analysis to learn how your social media presence measures up against the competition.