Why there has never been a better time to get your social media back on track
I’ve recently been trying to adjust my mindset to Hygge – the Danish word that translates roughly to ‘cosiness’ but it also means ‘to live well’. At this time of year, with the nights drawing in and winter just around the corner, the Dane’s don’t dread the onset of the cold dark months ahead, but rather welcome it with open arms whilst decking their homes out with candles, sheepskin rugs, log fires and drinking endless cups of ‘glogg’ (Danish mulled wine). The same embracing technique needs to be adopted with social media. In the early days of social media 12 years ago, many organisations chose to simply ignore it, thinking it wasn’t relevant to the way they did business. Now, some brands have built up purely around social media, whilst others have willingly adopted it and are taking advantage of it to its full potential. Other brands were more cautious and became late adopters, whilst some business to business companies dipped a toe in with Linkedin, which they saw as being more relevant and therefore ‘safe’.
The UK lockdown has led to a number of businesses temporarily halting their social media activities whilst internal staff were put on furlough or in some cases, whole marketing teams have been made redundant. Whilst studies show that social media use was up, in some areas, by 60% during the lockdown, it made no sense for businesses to stop communicating through this vital channel at a time when an even larger, more active captive audience was available. The message is now very clear: businesses need to get back to embracing social media and all its benefits if they want to continue to achieve their growth aspirations. And what better way than engaging with the services of a PR and social media agency like Dragonfly PR, which specialises in generating interactive, social media campaigns which create better engagement with your audience.
So put on your cosy socks, draw the curtains, pull the rug over you and sit back whilst you read our top five tips to ensure your social media gets back on track this Autumn.
- Keep your audience up to date
Social media is a great way to let your customers, suppliers and prospects know that you are back up and running and ready to do business. It is crucial that you get back to communicating with them and to let them know about any changes to your work practices, lead times, ordering and pick-up processes. The more you can communicate effectively, the more that customers know they can continue to rely on you. A content plan with regular posts on Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram and facebook will help you get back on track.
- Social media doing its bit for good
During the UK lockdown, the brands which did the best on social media were those which didn’t just continue to spread a sales message, but also one that spread positive messages about the community, NHS, work of local government and charitable bodies. There was a widely accepted trend that brands should use social media for good reasons, not just to further their business interests. This should continue post lockdown to retain that goodwill. Brands and companies that spread messages that support good causes, that align with their brand values, eg of sustainability, ethical, community etc will reap the rewards.
- Continue the relaxed tone
There have been lots of amusing stories about people’s children, dogs and other pets interrupting them on client Zoom or Teams calls as staff worked from home. Although some found it embarrassing, for most it contributed to create a much more relaxed atmosphere – and this fed through to social media posts of the corporates too. There really is no harm in ensuring the ‘tone of voice’ on social media is fun and light hearted, just make sure you don’t make any offensive or inappropriate comments that could alienate potential customers!
- Content is king….really!
Everyone in the land of social and online media has said the words ‘content is king’ but it really is. However, it is important not to use social media as a one-sided communication. Make sure you are creating high quality engaging content and that you respond to people that engage with you. Now is a great time to get creative with the content you use and think about other outlets such as Instagram live broadcasts, running a Twitter poll, a Facebook questionnaire or Tik Tok video – the opportunities are endless.
- Be well optimised
Ensure your content is optimised for the Search Engines by adding relevant keywords, hashtags and @mentions in your posts. Don’t forget there are a few simple tricks to sharing your content even further – by planning and scheduling posts in advance, including video links in the posts, being active across multiple different social platforms and ensuring your company’s profile is regularly updated.
There’s never been a better time to get your brand out there!
So why not pick up the phone to your friendly social media company Dragonfly PR, where our Sheffield-based team will be able to take care of all your social media needs for you. We specialise in business to business, but we’ve experience in helping all types of company to improve their social media engagements, from fish and chip restaurants to healthcare and FMCG products. We’re just a phone call or email away, tel 0114 349 5341 or email hello@dragonflypr.co.uk