In today’s market, it is brave to start a new business. From apps to online stores, and co-op brick and mortars, everyone is online. Unlike the early days of the internet, simply having a webpage is not enough. As social media becomes the preferred medium for networking and attracting a customer or audience, having a strong social media presence is necessary.
For the average small-town business, it is respectable to set up a page, optimize the most commonly asked messages and update on a monthly to quarterly basis. These businesses thrive on word of mouth and with a quality product, will be okay with scheduled maintenance.
But to really excel in today’s world, social media presence aids in customer service and overall reach. While the chart below refers to the most common platforms used in the social media world, this article will focus on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.
| Type of Business | Optimal Social Media Platforms |
|---|---|
| Beauty/Wellness Products | SnapChat*, Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok |
| Food/Restaurant | Instagram, Facebook, SnapChat |
| Home Products | Instagram, Facebook, YouTube |
| Network/Service | LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter |
| Non Profit | Idealist.org, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram+, YouTube/Vimeo** |
| Educational | Idealist.org++, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube**, TikTok |
* Snapchat has a younger audience reach from 13 through 24. If your product is not geared towards this age range, you should not be on this platform.
** YouTube is suggested as the largest free video platform used. Vimeo would be the alternative if copyright issues would be a factor.
+ Instagram use in nonprofit space is contingent on the nonprofit’s mission
++ As a nonprofit networking site, this space does not have many tools to promote social engagement but this site contributes to non profit networking practices akin to Facebook for the nonprofit sector as Nextdoor is a Facebook for your neighborhood.
As the largest network across the globe, Facebook is a must-have for most companies. For smaller EU countries, Facebook is preferred over having a website. You need to have a page on this social media giant at this time.
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Secure the auto-generated page Facebook may have made by Google Maps | Leave the Messenger unanswered or (Redirect to your website/phone number if you do not have a dedicated social media person) |
| Post daily | Engage negative comments without a consistent set of guidelines in place |
| Repost other content that reflects your policies and ethics. Apply political posts sporadically if at all | Post triggering materials unless your company has taken a stance |
| Have a social media content calendar in place for your posting themes | |
| Use the Facebook Events tool for your events |
This platform suggests posting 1-2 times a day for most companies with engagement posts in the 24-hour story tool. Your team should develop and content practice that includes a relationship between the photo’s/video’s caption and the 24 hour story to maximize your use of this platform. Being on this platform is useful if you sell a product or experience. Other businesses that do not have something to share daily should skip using this.
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Post once a day | Abuse the photo augmenting tools |
| Use hashtags within your caption text to avoid the hashtag block at the bottom of your caption | Start trio posting without borders in place |
| Pick a style of photography that is consistent with your branding | Overuse hashtags (keep it to 5 - 15 per post) |
| Invest in a decent camera with night shoot | |
| Use the layout tool |
Being the conversation space of the internet, Twitter requires an ongoing level of engagement. This space will profit more from announcements for companies or a fictitious personality that personifies the humor of the company (Flo of Progressive for example). Depending on your business’ personality, test a weekend content schedule to keep people interested in your platform for the humor and the business. Do not use this if your brand does not have something to say regularly about your product or company. Twitter is a conversation space.
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Post 15 times a day | Use too many hashtags (the character count is 240) |
| Engage with similar companies and influencers in your field | Engage in Twitter wars |
| Use shortened URLs for your links | Follow politicians unless your company ethics align |
| Keep your voice authentic if you engage with critics | |
| Remain apolitical if you have no company stance |
LinkedIn is the largest network dedicated to all professional and networking opportunities. Most businesses with a tax id should have a presence on this site to aid in recruiting new staff members. Like Facebook, your company needs to be on this platform for the job hunters alone. Adding to the platform can be sporadic but useful if you want to be an industry-standard company.
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Repost articles in your field | Comment if you do not have anything constructive to say. |
| Commit to writing articles if it improves your brand | Spam people to sell your service (the interaction on this platform focuses on job hunting and industry-related concerns) |
| Use the job board tool to recruit | Forget to check your inbox |
| Comment on articles that hold value to your brand or mission3 | |
| Share the successes of your company as they arise |
A platform for ideas and mood boards, this medium is useful for building a creative space of your brand in photos and graphics. The audience on this platform tends to be built of females whose ages appear to be in the 34 to 40 range. Beauty products and craft projects are shared more often. Committing to this platform as a marketing agency is wise. Other companies should add a photo album to their website or Facebook that highlights accomplishments of the internal team.
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Post at least 11 times a day | Be lax in your engagement with other contributors to the site |
| Keep your posts in within your brand’s identity and the platform’s use among its contributors | Make too many boards. Consolidate |
| Use infographics and photos | Reuse another’s work without proper accreditation to the originator |
| Use boards in sync with your other social media campaigns | |
| Repost from other places that inspire your work |
TikTok
A platform for short videos, this medium is useful for hashtags and challenges. The research on this platform suggests that teens to 35 and older people with an interest in special effects video frequent this platform. Creating new content consistently will be a challenge for those without an eye for short visuals but the opportunity to expand your reach and practice new ideas is worth it. Due to its wide reach globally, the time to post depends on the time your audience is up and what works for you.
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Post at least 1 time a day | Slack on your return engagement |
| Keep your posts in line with the 16 to the 45-second mark | Reuse a full-length video from other projects without editing |
| Keep aware of the current social media trends | Use work without proper accreditation |
| Try new things in your posts | |
| Look to showcasing members of the office when you are making videos that reflect the company’s dynamic |
Overall, no matter your company or business, remember to Post, Engage, and Practice Customer Service ethics.
Social media is its own reflection of human communication practices. Do not be afraid to step into this realm. But do not get overwhelmed by how fast it changes. Social media is an extension of your customer service and marketing strategies. Plan for it. Use the above to make a checklist for your social media manager when building your content calendars.
Onlypult posts to all social media platforms, provides analytics data, builds teamwork and saves you time.
Master Social Media Checklist
With all this information, you need to build a checklist for your marketing team. Short and sweet it may be, studies show that having a master checklist for multiple tiered actions assists in the memory process and keeping a smooth running shift.
While each list will vary, here are some things you need to consider when making one for your team:
- Who is the person in charge of posting on each platform
- Where your content will come from/Who has say over the content
- The posting schedule decided for each chosen platform
- Style guides to follow for the platform (types of photos, lighting consistencies, graphic styles)
- Contribution practices when reposting others’ work
- A content calendar (monthly/quarterly themes)
- Which metrics are you tracking
Are among the few key things to help you begin this brainstorm with your team. We hope that this helps you in the long term.
