It will come as no surprise that the PR landscape is not what it was ten, five or even two years ago. Social media has turned the traditional model on its head, and it’s continuing to evolve in real time. It’s important to remember that not all social media is created equal. It is a powerful way to get your message out into the world, but only if you use it effectively.
People look to many different sources for information today, and the expanding role of social media gives your organization new ways of connecting with your audience, especially as influencers with loyal followings gain more authority. If you are strategic about how you use social media, you can create meaningful, engaging content that resonates with your audience and strengthens your company’s reputation. Start by finding the best vehicle for engagement and aligning your content to it.
The Triangle Methodology
A lot of companies fall into the trap of using social media just for self-promotion, which is the equivalent of talking only about yourself when you meet someone at a networking event. A little self-promo has its place (like announcing when you will be at an industry conference), but too much and the other person will be desperately looking for an escape route (or the unfollow button, in this case).
At our company, we use what we call the “triangle methodology,” a three-point system for using social media effectively. This methodology helps us put our customers and influencers at the center of our social messages, so we’re adding value for them with every piece of content we publish.
1. Thought Leadership
I know, the buzzword "thought leadership," but hear me out. Engagement is one of our main social media goals. We don’t want to just throw something up on our profile and hope it lands with our audience. We want to generate true engagement, and one successful tactic is by sharing thought leadership content. Here are three of our best practices:
• Share thought-provoking statements.
Catch your audience’s attention by posting information that makes them think. We often share compelling stats from analyst firm reports or end-user surveys. They aren’t linked to our company, though they do support our focus areas and objectives.
For example, I saw this statistic from ESG Research recently: 41% of organizations are planning to invest at least $500,000 to support AI initiatives over the next 12 to 18 months. This would be an interesting bit of information to share with our followers. It’s likely to get people talking about their own plans, and even those who don’t participate may think, “Interesting. Almost half my peers say they’re going to invest in AI… I wonder if that’s something we should also be prioritizing.”
• Tie content to something timely.
Look to the news or the calendar to guide your social posts. Connect your content to an industry event or breakthrough, or a holiday or celebration. You’ve probably noticed on social media that every day seems to be a “National Day of” something. There are websites dedicated to tracking these occasions, so you can plan out relevant posts.
Have fun with it and show the people behind your business. For instance, if you work in the IT space, you could celebrate National Computer Security Day by featuring different tips and quick how-to guides from your employees.
• Pose a question.
Spark conversation by asking a question your followers will have a lot to say about. Experiment with different types of questions: debate an industry hot topic, crowdsource recommendations, discuss the merits of X vs. Y. A simple, “What is the best ___ for ___?” question can result in passionate responses.
This approach can be combined with other content types as well. State a fact or an opinion and ask if people agree, or share an article or photo along with a question.
2. Influencers
Partnering with influencers – bloggers and content creators in your industry – is a valuable way to expand your current audience. Influencers have a loud voice and a loyal following. Our company works with many influencers at a time, and we’ve found that they have helped us amplify our message by two to four times what we could do on our own.
It’s important to find the right influencers for your organization. Our selection criteria are:
• They have affinity to our business
• They have expertise in our space
• They have a robust sphere of influence and healthy following
We partner with influencers to create multimedia content around a specific technology or thought leadership theme. An influencer may write a blog post, produce a video or host a Q&A session – and we both promote it on our social media profiles. Influencers are knowledgeable about our space, and they speak our audience’s language, so these are valuable relationships to cultivate.
3. Spotlighting Customer Heroes
The customers who use and love your products or services are the best ambassadors for your company. I can post on social media, “Our company does all these wonderful things.”
But when a customer says the same thing and shows our value proposition in action, it’s far more powerful. Whenever possible, we hand the megaphone to our customer heroes and let them do the talking. To find these heroes, we draw from our customer reference program. When a customer has great feedback, we add it to an ongoing quote sheet, then we choose selected quotes and design social media graphics with them.
Peer recommendations are more influential than advertising. A potential customer may dismiss what you say about your own business, but a colleague or industry peer’s endorsement carries a lot of weight. Highlight those testimonials on your social media accounts.
With all of these practices, keep in mind that you still need to match your message to the right social channel. Instagram is all about the visuals, so make sure your posts have strong aesthetic appeal. On Twitter, you need to make your words count, so asking questions can be an efficient way to make an impact. For LinkedIn, you can publish more long-form thought leadership pieces. Put your efforts where your audience spends their time, and you will build both authority and engagement.
