by KC Calpo, Entrepreneur Philippines Magazine – This article was published in Entrepreneur Philippines Magazine, May 2014 Issue.
IT’S NOT ABOUT HOW MANY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS YOU’RE ON.
As business owners, you must go where your consumers are. And with billions of users posting on social media everyday about anything and everything, going digital now comes with a strong sense of urgency.
The natural response is to get on all social media platforms and try to generate consumer interest on each one. But this causes more harm than good. Social media requires time, money and manpower to generate positive results. Taking on all platforms will spread resources too thin.
So which social media services should you use and is there a recommended number? Pauline Pangan, founder of marketing agency AllFamous Digital, says this would depend on the company’s objectives, target market, budget and available manpower.
Dr. Donald Lim, ABS-CBN’s chief digital officer says businesses must consider which platforms have the biggest reach and are frequented by their demographic. “In many cases you will end up with two to four (platforms), and four is too much.” he says.
In the Philippines, Facebook is the top platform, followed by Twitter and Instagram. Facebook is suited for general use and crosses age groups. Twitter has a smaller Donald Limbase, but can also be great for thought leadership. Instagram’s focus on visuals and media filters make it ideal for those in creative, culinary, travel, and media industries.
Pangan says for Facebook, the best practice is to post up to three times a day on Twitter, you can tweet as often as 16 times per hour. Posting more may make you lose likes or followers.
Being selective with your social media doesn’t mean you should ignore other services. You can still use them, but not as extensively as your main platforms.
“Experiment!”, Pangan and Lim urge.
Lim says YouTube is overlooked as a social media tool. He urges businesses to create custom videos for promotion, differentiation, and boosting traffic. LinkedIn, meanwhile, is more beneficial for B2B users.
Lim and Pangan says choosing social media platforms is just one crucial part of companies’ initiatives. Lim says traditional marketing, like print, TV and radio, must be used to bring customers in, and social media, to keep them coming back.
THE OTHER QUESTIONS Now that we know which social media platforms to use, we can get into other social-media-related concerns:
WHY SHOULD A COMPANY DO SOCIAL MEDIA AND CRM?
This is the first question to ask. Pauline Pangan and Dr. Donald Lim stress that brands’ goals and strategies must be drawn up prior to any campaign and that every post, like and follow should have a purpose. It’s not just about having an online presence and racking up the numbers.
WHY TYPE OF BUSINESS SHOULD USE SOCIAL MEDIA?
Lim says brands that already have a “romance” with the public and whose products are widely used will reap the most benefits. This includes general retail, fashion, cosmetics, and lifestyle brands. Pangan says a common misconception is that in social media, brands will wield limited controls. It’s actually the opposite: by seeing the conversations and providing consumers with direct ways to communicate, businesses have more control over their brands.
WHEN CAN BUSINESSES USE SOCIAL MEDIA?
Entrepreneurs shouldn’t get into it simply because they’re afraid of “missing out”. Don’t go into digital unless you fully understand it.” Lim says. Objectives, strategies, budgets, roles, and expectations have to be defined beforehand, and within reasonable parameters.
HOW CAN IT BE MAXIMIZED?
Social media works well for marketing, engagement, and customer feedback. Pangan says HR departments can also use it to gauge office environment and employee sentiment.
*This article was also on: https://www.afdigital.com/selectively-social-entrepreneur-magazine-may-edition/
