Social media basics for start-ups, founders and freelancers
Everyone will surely have heard that social media, for any company or organization, is now an important part of external communications. Instagram, LinkedIn, and even TikTok have, for some time, developed into cornerstones of corporate communications. They belong in any healthy communications mix. Yet, they sometimes continue to be ignored. Social media is one of the most important tools in corporate communications, which is understandable, since there is often a lack of resources for large-scale brand campaigns. But those who make the effort are usually rewarded — with more brand awareness or even traffic to the company website. Social media is one of the media channels that is owned. It can completely be used in line with a company's own ideas, and can also become a direct line of communication to target groups. With your own social media channels, you have to first earn the audience, because the reach increases with the number of followers — which first have to be gained. If you take the time to define who you want to reach on social media, how and why, you're already a good step ahead.
Similar to press relations, a company's social media channel usually brings no quick wins. You can use the channel to your own preference — within the framework of the guidelines — but you have to work hard to achieve the reach you want. Just like with earned media, you have to stay tuned. However, if you need quick results and, best of all, leads, you should look into social advertising. This is a paid media tool that is designed exactly for this purpose. Here you get a guaranteed reach in exchange for money.
Here we go: What do I actually want? And where can I find it?
Before setting out into the social media world, every entrepreneur should consider the goal for which the socials are to be used. More precisely, companies need to find answers to the following questions:
WHO do I want to reach WHERE?
WHERE and WHAT is the best way to achieve this?
WHO AND WHERE
Those who have clearly defined who they want to reach can already use this to derive the channel that is best suited for this. Generation Z can be found on TikTok, while older age groups can be found on Facebook. Of course, age is only one aspect of many that need to be taken into account. There are numerous data points that paint a fairly accurate picture of the typical network user. In addition to gender and age distribution, they also break down, for example, household income, shopping behavior, times of use, and type of use. Those who answer all the questions end up with a clear picture of who they want to reach — and where they can best do so.
WHERE TO AND WHAT TO DO
One of the top reasons for having your own social media channel is to raise brand awareness. It’s not always possible to say directly what is the best way to reach your target group. Okay, with cat and dog memes you can possibly reach everyone, but unfortunately these fans do not always fit the target and the message. What is posted, should of course, be strongly linked to a specific goal. For example, If you want to use social media for employer branding, you should put your team in the foreground, in terms of content, if possible, and try to give potential employees an insight into everyday working life — to show what can be expected working for the company.
It's already clear that there is no one-size-fits-all content solution in social media. A best practice is to look at the pain points of the target group and, based on that, develop content that helps solve those problems.
Design for recognition value
In principle, the social media presence should follow the same design elements as the company's website. The corporate design must be transferred to the social profiles. The coherence between the pages makes it possible for Internet vagabonds to clearly identify them. The individual contributions (postings) should also have a uniform design that creates recognition value. At best, social media users will recognize a brand without having to see the logo. Coherence can also be created at the content level, but that is more difficult to establish. Social media can and must remain alive and authentic — so don't over-design.
Digital helpers
Founders usually have one thing they don't have much of, especially in the early stages: time. Meetings and deadlines are the order of the day. If you then try to quickly publish a post in between, you will probably fail. Either because of lack of motivation or because of the quality. Of course, Twitter is all about being up-to-date and reacting to new events. However, what can be planned should be planned and posted in an automated way. This is where digital helpers like Hootsuite or Buffer come into play. This allows posts to be created for different channels and posted automatically at a chosen time. This makes it possible to achieve a certain rhythm, especially in the beginning, which is necessary to increase the attention for a channel.
Identify collaborations and topics
In the beginning, it can be difficult to attract a high number of fans to your new social media channel. Unfortunately, that's the nature of these things. To get the ball rolling, it's helpful to tap into existing contact capital. Does a large network already exist? Then that should be uploaded to follow your new company presence. Are employees already employed? Then they should also share and interact enthusiastically. This is how you can attract the first followers.
To gain attractive followers beyond your own bubble, it's worth identifying suitable collaborations and topics. Here, too, it can be useful to first analyze your own network. Perhaps you will find someone who matches your content and has followers who are attractive for your goals. At best, it would also be attractive for this contact to draw your followers' attention to themselves. In this case, you could, for example, feature each other on each other’s channels. The most diverse forms of cooperation are imaginable, for example, a shared live event on Instagram. It's simply a matter of finding out what works best for everyone involved.
Okay, we've made a start. Now it's time to keep at it and regularly review your own activities. Most people don't know exactly what content will be most important for their target group at the beginning. Part of social media work is to put yourself to the test again and again. It’s helpful to look at the reactions and reach of various posts, for example. In this way, it’s possible to identify if the content should perhaps be adjusted a little, or if it could even serve as a template for a whole series because it performed so well. In addition to your own content, you should also keep an eye on the social network itself. Algorithms play a role in determining reach. If you know these, you can use them as a guide. And if there is a new feature, you would do well to use it, since the platform has an interest in you doing so. As an incentive, you can usually count on more reach there. If you stay on the ball and are willing to experiment, you will certainly not have to wait long to earn interested followers.