Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Five Best Practices for Social Media Success

By: Angela Raleigh, Account Executive, Leonard & Finco Public Relations, Inc.

Let’s face it, we’re all busy. But staying on top of your social media plan can truly help you in the long run. If you haven’t reviewed your social media plan in quite some time, or don’t have one in place, here are some best practices you’ll want to consider:

1.       Research and set your goals. Understand your company’s social media goals and research ways to achieve those goals. This is vital in PR because it helps guide the planning process that affects future success.
2.       Develop strategies and tactics. Be realistic in developing a list of activities that will produce results. Once your plan is in place, create a task and timeline that will help you get things started. It will also help everyone understand what is to be accomplished and who will be responsible for each activity.
3.       Set aside time for social media. The initial startup of a social media account doesn’t take a lot of time. But maintaining and monitoring content does takes time. Make sure you have the necessary resources to maintain your efforts and keep people engaged.
4.       Be an active participant. Create meaningful content on a regular basis by listening and answering questions. Share articles and interesting links that will benefit your target audiences.
5.       Measure successes and failures. On a regular basis, review your goals to see if you’ve achieved what you set out to do and make adjustments as necessary.

Remember there’s no magic in PR. It’s about being consistent and persistent in following a plan and knowing how to reach the target market to communicate information in a timely manner whether through social media or tradition channels. What best practices do you follow to keep your social media plan up to date and on the path to success?

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