Social Media Best Practices

August 11, 2009 | Sarah Chong

totally-great

After studying the top most engaging brands on the web and going in depth to see how Starbucks and Dell did it, I have gathered some tried and tested best practices businesses can apply into their own social media efforts.

This is also an extension from my article, “How to: Be a Social Media Winner”. Most people teach theories but I prefer to show theories being implemented by real successful companies. So here goes!

Be Relevant to Your Different Markets

Different people from different geographical location and language consume information differently. The problem with many marketers and PR representatives is that their message is too generalized. Don’t create the same message to be used across all markets no matter if they are from China or Chile. Get out of oblivion and modify your messages to make sure it is relevant to and understood by the market you are communicating to.

Thomson Reuters made sure that it is a source of relevant intelligent information to specific markets through Twitter.

Build Trust and Credibility

One reason why Dell decided to teach social media to small businesses is to gain trust and credibility from consumers. By portraying as an expert in the field, it shows how established and reliable Dell as a brand is in the social media world.

Listen, Admit, Change and Learn

Admitting to mistakes and initiating a change for the better don’t mean that your business is a failure. It means you are willing to hear your consumers’ voice and improve even when you are doing well. Wholefoods integrated all that into its Twitter, which was set up as their online customer service platform.

Be Fun and Visual

Visuals play a big part in the user experience you provide. They engage and help you capture consumers’ attention for a longer time.

Who knew a Facebook page could be that fun and engaging? I was impressed with Mcdonald’s page when I first entered. With the cool use of flash, Mcdonald’s made static Facebook pages look shabby.

Carl’s Jr. also conveyed itself to be fun and happening through its YouTube channel. I really wouldn’t mind spending more time in it!

Be Sincere in Benefiting Consumers

Don’t do everything for your own interests. Show your consumers that you care and the products you sell are genuinely there to help improve their lives. Nike provides tips, videos and Q&A through its blog to help consumers go about exercise the right way.

Transparency

As mentioned earlier, building trust and credibility is important. Being transparent in your operations and undertakings is crucial to shaping trust. Starbucks welcome ideas from consumers through MyStarbucksIdea.com but how would consumers know if you are really taking them seriously? Be transparent. Through its site, consumers can see what others are saying, how their ideas are rated and what’s more; they are also allowed to see the status of ideas: Under review, reviewed, coming soon and launched. Starbucks also show how exactly it conducts its Corporate Social Responsibility activities. Let your consumers know everything they need for them to place trust on you.

Consistency

To keep your brand image alive, you got to be consistent across all media platforms. Capture the essence of your brand so consumers can find familiarity and authenticity wherever they have contact with your brand.