This week we come to that most obvious of all modern marketing channels – social media. Whether this topic fills you with excitement or dread, most of us have probably used social media at some point. It really is almost too ubiquitous to avoid. There are the obvious ones like Facebook and Instagram but also the less obvious like Strava or Telegram.

Social media can be a fantastic tool if we use it right. But it is a tool and tools are only really useful when they are used in the right way. I know this because I watched a man attempt to eat a small bowl of soup with chopsticks (it took him 30 minutes and he ended up with cold soup). I’ve also seen this when I have worked with clients who’ve used social media incorrectly and been too scared to ever use it again.

When it comes to marketing your business or charity, social media is a great place to begin. Most people already have a personal account with a pre-made network of friends who’ll support them. Plus, they’ve plenty of practice at crafting posts to get attention. On top of this familiarity, social media is generally very user friendly and free.

For this post, we’ll leave paid advertising to one side and come back to that at a later date. At Aubrey, we tend to prefer the organic marketing initially as we scale up our clients’ businesses and charities.

With the social media tools, let’s take a look at how best to use them to produce the best marketing results and engage our target audiences with messages that will encourage them to work with us and recommend them to their friends.

Be thoughtful

It’s really important to keep on message when you are on social media. It seems simple but it’s surprisingly easy to lose focus. If you need help developing your message, take a look at this previous post about messaging and if you need help sticking to it Aubrey can help you create a schedule to help you with your social media marketing. Get in touch if you want to find out more.

Talking about irrelevant matters can be irritating for your followers but what will really annoy them is doing one of the following:

• Talking about religion or politics (some marketers insist on a total ban on these subjects but, personally, I think it’s good to highlight the positives that are relevant to your organisation – couldn’t we all do with the encouragement?).
• Using ill-advised humour. You don’t want to upset anyone now but ask yourself whether you will find that post funny in ten months or ten years. If not, don’t post it.
• Using a serious matter for promotion in an insensitive way. Unless what you are posting is truly helpful, it’ll look opportunistic and callous.

Be helpful

Offering a helpful service through your social media rather than simply pushing for sales will build trust, loyalty to and confidence in your brand. 89% of companies that offer a service that is ‘above average’ report better sales than their competitors.

A customer is more likely to buy from a company or support a cause where they have been helped to make the best possible decisions. Whereas those that simply sell become irritating or ignored.

By offering helpful content over social media, you will be able to demonstrate that you know what you are talking about and gain the trust of your target audience. This will make them want to work with you.

Be responsive

We all love to know that we are being listened to. Social media is a tool that allows customers, supporters, fans and organisations to enter into a level of communication never before possible. It’s also an invaluable opportunity for market research (more on that another day).

Responding to people on social media shows that you value them, raise your profile and nip potential issues in the bud.

It is important, however, to place limits on how far you will engage with people on social media. It can be a drain on your time and you definitely don’t want to end up in an online spat.

Do use the appropriate platform

There are so many social media platforms, it is tempting to think that the best marketing strategy is to use as many as possible. Truth is that you are better using the most appropriate ones and avoid all the extra work that won’t get you the results you want.

Just as different saws are better for cutting different materials, different social media platforms are best for different purposes and audiences.

It is best practice to think about your message, your target audience and your preferred medium and then decide which social media platforms to use. Here’s a very brief guide to some of the most popular:

Facebook

This is by far the most popular platform although it is being picked up less by younger people and marketers are beginning to move away. Facebook still has great credibility and it’s free but beware of the fake accounts and the algorithm working against brands.

Twitter

Twitter has gone, and is going, through a rough patch but it is still the place many people turn to for opinions on important matters. Text based marketing works well here but the character limit can present challenges.

TikTok

The fastest growing platform here with over 1 milliard users, it is also the newest. TikTok offers access to the youngest audience (under 30s) but, at the same time, an older audience is thin on the ground.

LinkedIn

Known as the social network for professionals, this platform is great for connecting business to business but connecting on that more personal level is harder. The analytics can be great but these are a premium feature.

Instagram

Instagram key demographic are millennials looking for a creator-friendly platform. It’s still growing in popularity. Marketing here can allow you to demonstrate your creative flair but the competition for your customers’ eyes is strong.

Conclusion

You’re busy and don’t have time to waste as you pour your heart and soul into your business or charity. By following this guide, you will understand how and when to use social media to maximise the impact of your marketing.