Social media is accessible to everyone, but that doesn’t mean it should be undertaken haphazardly. Here are some social media experts’ top tips on how to do it right.
Meredith Carson, head of digital, Action UAE
Do your research. Conduct an online brand audit and understand what your audience thinks of you - don’t shout in the dark.
Engage. Social media is all about dialogue and interaction - talk to people rather than talking at them.
Add value. It’s a brand’s privilege to be heard within online social communities - be sociable and offer worthwhile content.
Be authentic. You’re talking to a media savvy generation; don’t talk like an advertisement or in contrived key messages.
Work together. Remarkable opportunities exist for all marcomms disciplines to work cohesively to produce awesome results. Consider social media’s role within your overarching marcomms strategy.
Azhar Siddiqui, managing director, Magna
Don’t plan. I am really not a big fan of ‘planning social media’. I think social media is something that happens naturally based on the brands behavior in the social environment.
Listen. The more important thing or rather the more useful thing to come out of social media is when a brand actively listens. Today there are tools that allow a brand to scope out all conversations that are taking place in the social media networks about that particular brand or a product. There is a wealth of information that can be learned from just listening to consumers talk about your brand and if you study these conversations well enough it can certainly help fine tune overall marketing or even product development strategies.
Be aware at all times. Social media requires constant attention and participation – it is not like a magazine ad that you send the order and artwork and the ad appears and your job is done. Social media requires the client to be connected at all times and to be constantly involved.
Accept criticism. Brands must understand that this is a form of media that can go either way –you can have consumers talk great things about your brand or in not so favorable situations consumers can completely trash your brand. One must be prepared to accept that.
Yousef Tuqan Tuqan, CEO, Flip Media
Be sincere. Consumers can smell a lie, and just because you’re on social media, it does not mean that you have created a new brand personality for yourself.
It’s new thinking, not new media. The tools and channels may have changed, but the fundamentals of marketing have not.
Understand the risks. Opening yourself up to “the conversation” on social media requires you to understand the risks of unmoderated discussion and negative attention. Be ready for it with clear policies and game plans.
Seize the opportunities. The Internet rewards those who are first, so find innovative ways to differentiate your brand online
It’s a relationship. Building meaningful relationships with consumers takes time and requires input and value from both parties. Don’t think that just because you are online that consumers will want to talk to you.
Nabil Moutran, business director at Ogilvy One
1. Setting up a Facebook page or Twitter feed because you can is not the right approach – it must always make sense and add value to your overarching brand/business strategy.
2. Getting your brand involved in social media must be a strategic decision taken by the business. Once you have turned it on, it can prove to be detrimental to your business if you turn it off.
3. Social media transcends all areas of our business, such as marketing, PR, sales, and customer service. We need to ensure that we clearly define the role of our social media strategy before embarking on developing it as a credible marketing tool.
4. At the end of the day, social media is the purest form of a brand owner “letting go.” And with that in mind, social media needs to be developed from within the overall business strategy.
