What experts do to create the secret sauce in successful social media

Take a moment to think about how brands affected your social media scrolling this past weekend.

Was it a new recipe? An awesome discount on the must-have purse? An airfare discount to Hawaii? The posts that first came to your mind were most likely created by professionals who know just how to generate memorable content. After all, businesses are utilizing social media more than ever to reach and penetrate every fiber of your inner-consumer being. Here are a few tips and tricks used by professionals to help elevate social.

Choosing the right social channels and scheduling

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, Snapchat, oh my! Rather than stressing about reaching as many customers as possible by juggling a multitude of social media outlets, professionals carefully choose just a few social channels. These chosen few are ones they believe will best fit within the industry they are working in and have the greatest potential in reaching their target audience. Using data analytics and aligning target audience to the social media outlet is a key ingredient for achieving success.

Time matters. Social media professionals know that time is of the essence as each chosen platform releases time-specific content for its own unique reasons. For example, LinkedIn posts normally do best between 10-11 am, when people are generally in the workplace. While Twitter booms the loudest in the afternoon, Pinterest sees more engagement in the evening.

Having a goal and making a plan

Goals are fun and exciting at the start. That is until you think about what it’s going to take to cross that finish line.

Experts sketch out concrete goals on their virtual drawing boards to plan out what matters most to them. If they want to increase their Twitter followers by 100, for example, they outline a plan to help them get there. Keeping the end goal in mind, social media experts draft and follow a road map – a social media plan, if you will – and they measure their results by pulling regular reports that paint a picture of their performance to date. By doing so, they can keep a pulse on what’s working, what’s not and constantly refine their approach like a good chef refines a recipe.

Merging passion with social purpose

Social media experts understand that having something their company is passionate about, beyond their brand, adds the human touch and authenticity needed to further connect them to their audience.

This is especially true when it is in line with what their audience is equally interested in – like the environment or a special cause for example. Being passionate about a certain cause and giving back through generous initiatives turns consumers into brand advocates. In Accenture Strategy’s most recent global survey, 30,000 consumers weighed-in on the importance of a company having a strong social belief. Sixty-two percent of them want companies to assert their position in the spheres like fair employment practices, sustainability, openness, or accountability.

Social media marketers understand that community initiatives, such as partnering with a local organization, are key to building relationships and they showcase this by promoting their involvement through their social media channels.

Becoming a social media expert requires understanding how to come up with the secret sauce.

Social media is continuously evolving and understanding a few basics while staying on top of trends and best practices will help brands stay relevant on social as they continue to work on that recipe to grow their audiences and their reach online.

Communications Intern Olivia KoravosCommunications Intern Olivia Koravos studies professional writing at Fitchburg State University. When she is not working or in school, she enjoys taking trips to local record shops and adding to her extensive vinyl collection. In addition, she is an avid fan of the Boston Celtics and watches most games whenever she can, as her love of basketball helped lead her towards an interest in writing for media.

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