Social Media Agency

Is Social Media right for you? 

Some businesses join social media because they think they ought too. We advise devising an integrated communications strategy that establishes the right approach to external communications for you. This may include social media and if it does it might only include certain platforms. Key considerations are who your customers are, what your target audience is and where do they spend their time on social media. It is then important to plan how to use social media to benefit your business.

Additionally, if it is decided social media would benefit you, then it is important to make sure you are able to invest time and resource into maintaining each chosen platform effectively. It does not look great for a business if you have a social media platform and it is rarely updated. If you are not ready to actively engage with social media, we would advise not opening social media accounts. 

Why is Social Media Important? 

Social media provides a great opportunity to grow your brand awareness, engage and build relationships with customers and potential customers, attract talented staff and develop brand loyalty. Globally there are now more than 3 billion social media users. All powerful stuff! 

It is now an integral part of the PR mix and should form part of a communications strategy. Many businesses fall into the trap of letting an enthusiastic member of their team ​‘do’ their social media. Often without any planning work in advance. How do you want your business portrayed? How can tone of voice alter perception? What is your purpose? These are all things to consider before getting started. There are mixed schools of thought as to whether social media should be managed by a company’s PR agency, or its Marketing agency. This is an interesting debate. If social media is to enhance your reputation and develop your narrative, then a PR agency would be a good fit. If you require a pure sales focus then a Marketing agency could be more suited. 

Social media is the modern-day version of ​‘word of mouth. If you strike gold and one of your posts ​‘goes viral’ in a positive manner it is effectively a lot of people providing you with third-party verification. 

What Social Media tactics are useful? 

It is important to get the tone right. At Fortitude we spend time with clients via workshops to devise key messaging and tone of voice plans in addition to content plans. This helps ensure your business is portrayed properly. 

One pitfall some businesses fall into is making social media all about themselves. It is important to put your customer first, share interesting information and content of value, and interact with others. If you get your content right, and it is relevant to your customers they will engage with you and share your content with their followers, thus helping to spread your message. 

For B2C businesses social media can be an effective tool to engage with customers and involve them in what you do. It can be used as a research function and to measure opinion, which will ultimately support sales. 

Another important consideration is photography and graphic design. The most commonly shared posts on social media contain imagery. If you include an image in your post it will increase your chances of people engaging with it. A key component of social media success is building more relevant followers who share your content with their network. 

Why is a Social Media Strategy Important?

There is a common saying relating to planning: ​‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail.’

Using Social Media without a strategy is a risk and could be damaging for your business. A Social Media Plan should dovetail with an overall Communications Strategy. It should focus on how social media is to be used to the benefit of the business and how to communicate. It should include: 

• Positioning Statement – how to position your organisation publicly. 
• Key Messaging and Tone of Voice – how you are going to communicate. Some businesses need to take a straight approach, while others can be humorous or cheeky. It is critical to establish this before embarking on output. 
• Set goals and objectives – be clear about what you are seeking to achieve, so activity can be focused on the key objectives. It might be to increase customer loyalty and customer base, for example. If this includes growing your Social Media following make sure you are building a network of relevance and value. 
• Target Audience – who are you targeting? Why? And how can you reach and engage with them?
• Digital Media Channels – research and establish which channels will help you achieve your strategy and support your business objectives. Platforms available include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and your own website. 
• Activity – how will you communicate and engage? Activity can vary depending on your objectives. It could be a video, a blog, an infographic or a podcast, for example. 
• Review and Measurement – make sure you regularly assess your Social Media Strategy. Is it working? Once you have embarked on a regular programme of activity you will be able to constantly review what works and what doesn’t and adapt accordingly.