Social Media
Social media is an important tool for marketing and communications. Social media channels are extremely effective in getting messages out to your target audience. For us social media is more than snapping pics and creating witty captions; social media includes creating content, monitoring feeds daily, supporting customers and stakeholders, fielding various questions and complaints, developing individual channel strategy, monitoring trends, tracking analytics, and ultimately building community.
Not only does social media offer a valuable platform for your organization’s promotions and products, but it allows you to connect with your audience on a new level. For example, responding to a comment on your page, hosting a live Q & A, and interacting with other users’ content, are all great practices when trying to build connections with your audience through social media.
Social media is constantly evolving and sometimes tends to meld together. But we believe that each channel is unique and should be treated as so, especially when it comes to strategy and delivering content. Let’s break down the major social channels and identify what sets them apart and how you can create effective content for each channel!
The wise grandfather of the group, a platform that you may also see your actual grandfather on. It’s no secret that Facebook has decreased in popularity over the years but it does not mean it has decreased in value! Facebook is still the BEST platform to organize groups and events on. Hosting an event on campus? Make an event page and create post driving followers to “RSVP” so they can be in the know! This channel is great for LONG posts, stories, and staying connected with friends and family. Utilize this platform but know you can decrease your efforts at times if you are directly marketing to our student demographic. It’s key to remember students are still looking and seeing your page pop up from time to time is important!
Where Comedy Central meets Channel 7 News. Twitter is the platform where users like to voice their opinions, feel nostalgic, and laugh a little. It’s also a highly visited news platform! Trending topics make it easier for users to see what's happening in their social circle, and also in the world. Twitter is the channel to use GIFS, on-trend references, and to share quick updates! Tip: making posts about relevant trending topics only helps your account be a part of the greater Twitter conversation!
Getting on the ‘Gram is #Essential. As the most used social media channel for our student demographic this is where students' eyes are the most. It is important to note there are different features for a reason and to use them in a way your followers and upcoming generation like to see the content. For example: if you have an event you want to promote, consider posting a clean infographic to your Story. If you are looking for likes, comments, and engagement across the platform, posting aesthetic photos to your feed is the best way to do so-your goal is to create a ~flow~ that is pleasing to the eye and keeps your followers engaged. And per usual there is always a feature up and coming, in this case, it’s Reels, the in-app video viewing feature. Typically you will see videos duplicated from TikTok posted on Reels. Utilizing Instagram's newest feature always helps your account and gives your profile a higher chance of reach and engagement.
You either love it or you are denying you love it. TikTok has absolutely taken the world by storm since the beginning of 2020. TikTok is a video-sharing platform where you’ll find everything from hacks and tips, to recipes, to shopping hauls. If your goal is to relate with your audience (the current and incoming Seawolves) TikTok is a channel to consider. That does not mean you need to mimic influencers and force your staff to learn dance routines weekly (although, we would love to see that), rather, you can use your niche to build your channel and implement trends as you see fit. Tip: utilizing trending sounds and hashtags only pushes your video out to more and more #FYP’s (For You Pages).
Where you go for tutorials, music videos, and indulge in some vlog content. YouTube has certainly gotten a run for its money with the evolution of TikTok yet it still thrives and is specifically used for long-format videos. If you are a vlog watcher you might spend 10 or so minutes watching an influencer take you through their day or a celebrity engaging in their favorite activities. This is the platform where you can develop your story a bit more. While your target audience is still SSU students your content may reach community members, parents, or University partners.
Where you show your professional side. Joining this platform is not only essential to professional environments and job search but it’s a great way to stay CONNECTED (see what we did there). Creating posts, sharing articles, job openings, and telling stories thrive on LinkedIn. Your followers want to see what your company cares about and believes in while also being authentic. Consider posting regularly on LinkedIn-shouting out employees, giving professional development advice related to your brand, and even showing off ways your team has fun and collaborates!
Each social media post should have a purpose. One post may be information regarding an event, another may be a lifestyle post that is relatable and trendy for audiences to simply enjoy. However, the purpose of each post should always go hand in hand with your brand and relate to your audience.
In order to have a strong social media presence, you must do research on your audience’s needs, wants, and interests. Not sure who your audience is? Take the time to review your overall brand and the goals that you are trying to accomplish on all platforms. Once you have narrowed down your audience to a target group, research and learn more about the interests and needs of your specific audience.
Social media is evolving every single day! With new trends, features, and tricks, it can be hard to stay up with the latest trends. Using stickers on Instagram stories, incorporating gifs on Twitter, and commenting hashtags on TikTok are all great places to start.
Connecting with your audience can happen in all sorts of ways. Whether you run a giveaway on your Instagram or conduct a poll on Twitter, it is important to engage and create a two-way communication on your social media channels. Commenting, liking, and reposting are all great practices because it shows that your organization is actively participating in conversations online.
Don’t leave your followers on the edge of their seats by only crafting social media posts every once in a while. The key to maintaining a brand is posting consistently and at the right time of the day based on collected data and when your audience is the most active.
Social media channels all operate differently, so it is important to post according to each platform. For example, posting on Instagram 5 times a day and tweeting 5 times a day are much different. Tweets have a shorter life span than Instagram posts, so it is more acceptable to post more on this platform. Get to know the platforms in detail!
Looking into metrics and engagement on your social media accounts is important in assessing future goals. Measuring items such as Instagram Story views and TikTok comments helps social media content creators plan their efforts and see what is working and may need adjustments for the future to make the best impact.
If you are one of the brands we service, please submit a marketing request form.
Social media is ever-changing so it's important to stay up with the trends. Some resources we recommend are Hootsuite Resources, Sprout Social Resources, and Buffer Resources but there is tons of content out there!
Always be:
- Authentic
- Accurate
- Respectful
- Positive
- Encouraging conversation
- Responding to posts and messages
- Monitoring each channel frequently
If you are one of the brands we service, let's have a conversation and talk through your goals, plans, and ideas! Set up a meeting with our Marketing Manager and Marketing & Communication Specialist.