In the past, corporates decide what media they use and how they use it to convey their messages. Today, in a market that is driven by social media, corporates need to rethink their marketing strategy. They need a good handle of how social works and have a strategy for each channel. There are several subjects to consider:
- How to engage with the audience on social media?
- How to systematically build their communication plan?
- How to draw more attention?
When communicating in person, clues from observing the appearance, tone of voice and behaviours etc help us to interpret the conversation. On social, the message is transmitted in form of distribution mainly through images and words, so naturally the information will be received differently. Therefore, corporates need to carefully think through how to convey their messages.
We can begin with:
- Building a content framework with consideration of strategic function of each social media channel.
- Setting a content calendar to ensure the posts are published according to a planned schedule. This can avoid annoying the audience with overexposure.
- Understanding the characteristics of different channels to optimise coverage of the message.
- Creating effective messages. E.g. be creative in how to deliver it.
1. Content framework
Some might think that what they see on social media are random, spontaneous posts when they are actually carefully planned. Without a framework, the posts would be incoherent, leaving customers feeling confused about the central message. Therefore, from a strategy standpoint, we need to set goals, direction of the content, what role it plays in different social media channels, and how to measure its outcomes.
2. Content calendar
This is similar to having a rundown of an event. By planning a posting schedule, the messages are published structurally without appearing to be nagging. It is not uncommon to see same messages being pushed three times a day, causing annoyance to the audience.
3. Characteristics of different channels
Each social media channel is different. When building the content, corporates must decide what role it plays on different channels. For instance, Facebook is a popular platform in Hong Kong, where users look for information. As users are keen to comment, they can engage with the audience on a deeper level. WIth Instagram, users communicate through images, and they tend to have higher expectations on the imagery design.
4. Effective messages
By understanding characteristics of each channel, corporates can build a social media ECOSYSTEM. That way, the channels can cover for, and build on one another to achieve optimal outcomes. It takes more than becoming viral to be truly effective. Consider the following when creating the messages:
- What are the behaviours of our audience throughout the Consumer Journey?
- What is the role of each social media channel throughout the Consumer Journey?
- What are our next step actions once the audience received our messages?
With so many channels, it certainly is not easy to master social media marketing. If you are interested in the subject, give us a call and we can discuss how we may be able to assist.
Author:
Danny Chan is a seasoned media professional who specialises at creative and social marketing. He has extensive work experience in the APAC and Greater China region. Wearing multiple hats, Danny creates marketing ideas, lectures at universities and facilitates corporate training. He advocates popularisation of knowledge and welcome exchange of ideas.