Does Your Business Have a Social Media Voice? - Let's Build One!

In business, social media has grown from an “I know we should be using it” attitude to "It's an essential component of any online strategy".  Businesses typically use some form of social media to connect with existing and potential customers.  But is just having a simple presence on social media the same as having a voice?

The EASY answer is - NO!

Having a presence is like sitting in the corner at a networking event and observing the crowd. Sure, you can tell people you were there, but you will have had little to surely no impact on the conversations happening.  And it's not just about volume here either. Your brand message must communicate authentically and consistently to be effective, to warrant a share of the discussion, to make that lasting impression.

Ideas for Your Businesses Online Success:

Define Your Objectives

Before engaging in social media, first determine your goals. Are you trying to inform? Inspire? Educate about your industry? Announce job postings? Maybe all of the above?  It's important to think before you speak, to develop a goal that you want your social media to serve.

Create a Voice

Once you know your mission, determine the tone of your conversation.  Is it fun and lighthearted, insightful and informative? Just like people, your company truly does have a personality. It's best to speak with one voice.  Remember, your brand is most credible when it’s matching with its core messaging.

Communicate Often

This one may be the most difficult, but also one of the most important.  Nothing is louder than silence. If you commit to having an ongoing conversation with your customers, you need to be there when they speak with you.   It's imperative to keep an open ear to hear what others are saying about your company.  So while it's great to have a plan for your updates, - make sure to monitor mentions and respond in a timely fashion.

Be Conscious of Your Appearance

Appearance plays an important role in Social Media.  And just as your personal appearance, it's vital to make sure your brand image has a clean, constant presentation across each platform - one that your clients and customers have come to know and expect.  Have matching Twitter, Facebook and YouTube backgrounds with the same company logo, type fonts and colors. In short, give Social Media design the same time and effort you do for other marketing materials.

Measure and Evaluate

It’s not as hard as it sounds.  We all want something from our efforts, - feedback, insights, lead gen, awareness, etc.  So no matter what it is you’re looking to accomplish, set up benchmarks to see if you are attaining these goals.   And don't limit this to the number of Likes or followers - look deeper to the number of retweets, customer questions, degree of interaction, etc.

It's not enough to simply open up social media accounts and just be part of the audience. If you want to extend your business’s message, it's critical to communicate with a clear, consistent and compelling voice.