Techblog
Social media 101: Harnessing social media platforms for business
The social media landscape can seem challenging to keep up with at times, but SMEs shouldn’t shy away. Here are a few simple tips next time you're thinking of tweeting, pinning or posting about your business.
Following The Netherlands’ recent win over Mexico in the knockout stages of the World Cup, Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) tweeted a photo of an airport departure sign with the accompanying text: "Adios Amigos!"
The tweet was widely criticised by Mexicans as well as people from all over the world, many of whom considered the tweet insensitive, especially since the Mexican team had captured the hearts of football fans around the world with its hard work ethic.
This is an example of how social media can negatively impact a business. Understanding the cultural and social nuances, which can alter at any time, is vital for those in charge of corporate social media. This is probably the most important element to take note of when using social media. One wrong tweet and you might just be alienating your current and future customers.
There are other key areas when it comes to effectively utilising social media. Here are a few tips.
Facebook, Twitter or Weibo?
Find out which platform you need to be focusing more energy on. If the majority of your customers are in China, it would be foolish to use Facebook since the social network is not accessible there.
Weibo, the Chinese equivalent, is hugely popular and should definitely be considered. Do some research and find out where the customers you're trying to reach are located. If your business is B2B, then LinkedIn might be your preferred platform.
What time should I post?
News posts on Facebook usually tend to do well during lunchtime and during rush hour, when people are staring at their mobile phones while they are commuting to or from the office. But a lot would seriously depend on the nature of your business and your customers. It is always wise to study your social media analytics each week. Figure out what works and what doesn’t.
Work smart!
Make sure you link all your social accounts so there is consistency in your brand message. It can save you the hassle of posting the same message or photo on numerous social media platforms one at a time. Use tools like Hootsuite or Social Office Suite to your advantage.
Insta-what?
Don’t just focus on Facebook and Twitter. Social media usage patterns always change. Keep ahead of trends and make sure you use other platforms like Instagram, a mobile service that enables users to take pictures and videos, apply digital filters to them, and share them on social networks, and Pinterest, where people create and share collections (called "boards") of visual bookmarks (called "Pins") that they use to do things like plan trips or save articles and recipes. With these platforms, if your content is good and if you can be creative in the way you use language and rich media, you will have a chance of getting your message across more effectively.
By embracing social media, businesses are finding new ways to engage with consumers. There's huge potential for SMEs to shout out their message, to entertain, to inform and maybe even get a few new sales from it.