From vines and cat photos to memes and number neighbors, it can be difficult to keep up with internet trends. If you’re not sure what half of those things even are, don’t worry. It doesn’t necessarily matter what type of content you’re posting to social media (well, sort of… we’ll get there). Adhere to these fundamentals of maintaining a social media strategy and your following is sure to grow.
Content will come naturally when you put these five keys to play in your agency’s social media strategy.
5 Essentials to Maintaining Your Social Media Strategy
While specifics like content development and post analytics can get complicated, all you really need for a stellar social media program are these five keys.
1. Be Consistent
Consistency is king. Sure, you need content in order to be consistent (and we promise we’ll get there). But consistency is so important we’re putting it first on the list. Once you have a general content plan in place, use it. Being consistent on social media will result in increased engagements, followers, and likes.
It will also give you the advantage of being able to compare data week to week or month over month. If you go dead for a week (or more), your numbers won’t hold much meaning.
2. Know Your Audience
Identifying your audience is an essential component of gaining traction on social media. When you post valuable content that resonates with people, they are more likely to interact with it.
So you’re targeting local law enforcement… excellent. You know that you should write and share content that relates to that field most of the time. But “valuable” content doesn’t always mean sharing knowledge or offering advice. Officers are people too… They have interests outside of the law and you can certainly post about these topics as well. Try finding a connection with local sports teams, community events, and school activities.
3. Plan Your Content
All right, we’ve made it to the content development stage. Sit back, take a breath, and open an Excel sheet. This is one of the simplest ways to plan your content. Look at the calendar and choose about 12 days per month that you want to post (that’s roughly three posts per week). In the next column, type out your post. Include columns for supplemental images, time of day it should be scheduled, and notes.
You should absolutely have someone else review your content before it’s published. Ask them to make notes in the specified column and then discuss any uncertainties before posting.
While Excel and Google Sheets are excellent tools for content planning, other tools like Hootsuite and Buffer can be great additions to your social media arsenal. These tools are excellent if you are at a point where you’re using a scheduling platform to post content. If not, a simple spreadsheet is perfectly fine (and incredibly common).
4. Respond to Engagements
This key is simple but critical. If someone comments on a post, respond. If someone sends you a direct message (DM), respond. If someone writes a review, definitely respond. This simple step humanizes your social media profiles and, in turn, your agency. For most agencies, this is one of their top reasons for being on social media in the first place.
A simple, “Thanks for your thoughts!” goes a long way. You may even find that you get a lot of the same questions in your DMs and there’s nothing wrong with keeping a document of “generic” responses. This can help alleviate the stress of responding and allow you to customize only one section of a response.
You should respond to every single comment or message, even if it’s negative. You’ll show your commitment to your audience and gain respect from those who see the post in the future. On this key, however, it is important to note that you are able to turn off reviews for your Facebook page. We recommend doing so, as anyone interested in sharing positive comments can send a DM.
5. Review Analytics
Last but not least, be sure to follow up on how your posts are performing. You’ll see which types of content do best and which days of the week have more engagements. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all provide analytics for business accounts, but again, a tool like Hootsuite or Buffer can come in handy if you’re ready for a deeper dive into your social analytics.
You’re on the right path with these five pillars guiding your social media strategy. If you’re interested in learning more about how to fine-tune your agency’s social media program, we’d love to see you at a training seminar!