#TenTopTips

#1 Have a strategy

Through social media, we will <engage with my clients>, <find new prospects> and <understand my marketplace>.

We will use <insert platform here> to do this.<team member> will be responsible for <monitoring>.

We will respond to messages within <hours>.

We will maintain a sense of humour and a strong grip on reality.

www.theconversationprism.com

#2 It’s going to cost you money

• Social isn’t free.

• Cost in time & people.

• Highly unlikely you will be able to attribute revenue directly to it.

• To be really efficient, you’ll need to consider advertising and subscriptions to tools like Hootsuite.

#3 Plan your time

• #24x7x365 - Social never sleeps. You have to!

• Do you want to be an instant responder? Can you do that?

• Use scheduling to plan broadcast activities over weekends & evenings

• If your strategy includes it, set alerts in your monitoring software so you get TOLD when there’s an issue to respond to rather than searching for one

#4 Know your audience

• Don’t publish “blind”

• You must know who you are writing for: it’s easy on Twitter – look at your followers’ profiles.

• See what they say / see who they follow / write what they will consume

• Always think “if I was <person X>, what would I want?”

#5 Know your subject

• Serial retweeters are evil

• Make your account worth following…– Insight– Comment– News– Links

• BE AN EXPERT – comment, analyse, be first to say something

#6 Know who you are

• Establish a tone of voice as part of the strategy development

• Are you posting as a person or a business?

• People tend to have personality, a sense of humour and empathy

• Businesses… a little less so

• …Quite clear which is likely to be the most engaging

• Don’t be afraid to be “you”

#7 Don’t be afraid

• It’s OK to take risks

• Everyone makes mistakes

• Time passes quickly on the web!

#8 Don’t entertain the trolls

• You’re unlikely to win

• It’s a waste of time (money)

• They get more out of it than you ever will

• Unless you’re James Blunt

#9 Be a sharer

• Sometimes, Rule #7 means you can have some fun

• But check #4 & #5 first– Know your audience– Know your subject

• We were surprised…

#10 Do Not Sell

• Consuming social media “costs” your followers time

• Typically read during leisure time or on commute… not good times to be sold to

• Think a bit differently: – Turn your need to sell into offers for your audience– Post about the exciting element of your event

rather than the title of it

#11 Rinse & repeat