1. Create a Plan
Have a social plan that lays out goals and benchmarks that the company wishes to reach. These goals can be anything from traffic counts to reaching certain target market to even getting a certain amount of likes on a photo! Anything that will create awareness and impressions can be considered when developing a social media plan. You should also determine how you would measure success on social media.
10 Steps for developing effective social media
2. Have Quality Content
Make sure your content on social media has good quality. This is where your plan comes in handy. All of your status updates, comments and shares should fit into the image your company wants to acheive. Your content is your "face" on social media and should be free of blemishes and flaws.
3. Engage the Audience
Use your content to engage your fans an followers. Content should get fans responding and sharing. Communication is key with social media. You want your audience to be alive and talking! The more you engage with your audience, the greater chance you have of creating a relationship with them. The coversations shoud help create a bond between your company and your target market(s).
4. Monitor
Have a person or team dedicated to monitoring your social media accounts. Everything should be monitored including your own content and the posts and comments that other people post to your social media. Be sure to flag inappropriate or problematic posts or comments. It is a good idea to know who is saying what about your company! Think of it as high school, and you want to know what people are saying about you!
5. Respond
Respond to posts that require a response, and even to those that don't need a response. By responding, you are doing your part to having the conversation with your audience. Repsond quickly to those posts and messages that you previously flagged in the monitor step. It is important to respond to angry comments or posts that are complaints in order to create good will. You want to be creative and positive when responding to your audience.