There are lots of social platforms out there for business professionals. If you are the CEO, founder or manager of a company or better still the marketing manager, there are just too many options to choose from. Sometimes it can get overwhelming, especially when you have a modest budget for your business social campaigns. How do you spend it for the maximum results? Which platforms do you choose to able to reach your target audience? The simple answer is to choose a platform on which you are most likely to success.
But it’s not as simple as that. Yes, you are right. But if you know where your prospective customers hang out, you can reach out to them on those platforms. What works for others may not work for you. Make your decision based on what will be meaningful to your audience and what will be easy for you to stay committed to.
The most important thing to focus on (when you have made the choice) is relevance. No, don’t promote your new product or service. Nobody wants that. Actually people hate that. Don’t sell, be useful. Get your best content or information before them. Find out what your target audience will find most useful and start providing great information that will educate and inform them. Stop promoting your product for once and start sharing amazing information people can actually use. I can never stress this enough.
Cover the basics
I assume you have compelling and up-to-date social accounts. LinkedIn is now a great publishing platform. It has transformed from just a static resume-holder to a place where business professionals are constantly sharing valuable content. Share with your connection from time to time. You should regularly be sharing valuable content relative to what your company is doing.
Whatever platform you choose to focus on a CEO, remember that your position puts you under the spotlight, so make sure you are using social media to communicate the most relevant information you are proud of. Don’t just talk about yourself, who wants to listen to that? You are better of sharing amazing content that enhances your company’s brand in the best way possible. Social media isn’t really about marketing anymore as much as it is about engaging people in conversations.
Play to your strengths on social media.
If you prefer to share short and concise messages, you will be better off on Twitter. If you are more comfortable in front of a camera, get yourself on YouTube. Facebook is great for relationship building and deeper conversations. Most CEO’s don’t have enough time to be social. Some prefer to leave social engagement to their subordinates. Others with influence tend to do more online. They even maintain blogs that educate their audience even though their companies have existing blogs.
Not every CEO should feel obliged to write a blog. If you are not comfortable writing or you are not very good at writing and you’re more compelling being interviewed, get someone to interview you and share your story on camera. But before you narrow down on a specific social platform, you need to do some strategizing. Figure out what should be said or written that can make the most impact and why you are saying that.
Nail down your mission and what makes you special. Consider the world from your prospective customer’s point of view. How does what you are saying improve their lives or ease their burden or solves their problems. Your value is in what you do for others not in what you do. If you have to talk about your product, stress on how people can benefit from it, not the features. Most people are looking for solutions to their problems. If they see a direct benefit from using your product or service, they are more likely to give it a try.
Use your authority to respond to customer concerns.
Business is personal. Make your conversations personal. Give your brand some personality online. Show your followers and audience that you and your team are real people behind the company. Make the human side of your business visible to your customers. People like to relate to a real team that cares and want to listen. In as much as you want to prepare for social PR crises, you should also make time for a real conversation.
Customers are more likely to be satisfied with a response from the CEO or a member of management. Customers are talking on almost every social media. Track your customer complaints, and respond within the shortest possible time. A response directly from management makes a lot of difference. Embrace social media the right way and make your voice heard when it matters.