Relax, relax. I didn’t forget about you.

So you really want to know how to become a social media pro, huh? Here is Part 2 of 20 Things You Should Start Doing On Facebook and Twitter that will surely make your Friday.

Missed Part One? That’s okay…just click here.

11. Share Throughout the Day

Social media as a marketing and engagement channel needs to be targeted from a time standpoint, as well as targeting the right audience with the right message. Share at various times of day to determine the best times for your content. Facebook and Twitter make tracking this information easier with the analytics they provide.

12. Go Beyond Facebook and Twitter

Facebook and Twitter aren’t the only social media sites that enable “shout-outs” (or tagged mentions of you or your company). You can receive a good number of shout outs in blogs and forums. Most often those mentions are embedded in posts, which further proves the value of social media monitoring.

13. Be Proactive

Monitor general feeds in your industry, for instance, we monitor “stl (St. Louis)” to pick up a variety of posts that don’t mention us but are still valuable. This will reveal new conversations and enable you to establish new relationships.

14. Don’t Sound Canned

Say “thank you,” say “how can we help?”, but say it in your own words. A human tone and emphasis on individuality among employees in important. The simple act of responding in a non-robotic way can surprise and delight your community.

15. Find, Create and Share Content 

Find, collect and share content that is relevant to your industry and engages your audience. Maintaining a curation feed will not only help you stay up-to-date on industry trends but will keep you top of mind as a resource. Sharing and learning with your audience sparks conversations and generates leads in the process. Producing and sharing your own content is a great way to ad your voice to the conversations about your industry. This demonstrates increased commitment to your industry and showcases why people should pay attention to your brand. Take some examples from us: you can write a blog like this one or create and events calendar that gets the community involved. This also makes you the go-to source if you share something unique that no one else is doing. Here are some things to keep in mind when sharing content:

• Be the brand people look to for great finds.
• Avoid pet topics you enjoy ranting on. No one want to hear or cares about the noise coming from your neighbor’s apartment at night.
• Be thoughtful and though-provoking.
• Ask questions. This is what is called a call to action. The more you ask for an action, the more time people will spend with your brand.
• Get your audience’s mind racing.
• Show them that their opinions matter.
• Share industry-specific information.
• Be interesting and innovative.
• You don’t always have to write brand-related content.
• Have fun. A Friday video will make them smile. (Stay tuned for ours!)
• Share content they need. Don’t know what they need? Ask them!
• Consider discount codes, coupons, promotions, giveaways or other benefits.
• Share your knowledge, even if it’s only how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Have a unique way of making it? Tell others!
• Use different media types – ebooks, whitepapers, infographics, videos, etc.

As you write and share, see what works. Ask your community what they like. After all, just like with any trend, what they enjoy one moment will be something else the next, so keep your eyes peeled.

16. Be Innovative

Obama incorporated town hall meetings on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn during his presidential campaigns and he marketed the first ever Google+ Hangout with a President and a Q&A session with a President on Reddit. Talk about catering to your audience and encouraging dialogue. You too can be innovative if you know your audience and find a way to connect with them.

17. Keep it Short

According to the Buddy Media report, Strategies for Effective Tweeting: A Statistical Overview, “tweets containing less than 100 characters receive 17% higher engagement than long tweets.” While Twitter limits your messages with their 140 character limited, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Google+ etc. do not, so keep that 100 character limit in mind.

18. Follow your Following

Not only is following those that follow you on Twitter a kind gesture, bit it will grow your overall following. When you follow-back, you might get some public responses, which will give you added exposure. Think about it: if a large brand with 30,000 followers on Twitter starts following you, you would probably get excited and want to know what they’re all about. Get that ball rolling and work your way up to 30,000 followers!

19. Help Customers Become More Social

Even if you don’t think of yourself as a social media expert, you can share what you learn with your customers and community. It’s easy to start a blog (I mean, they let practically anybody have a blog these days). Then let your customers know about it through your regular channels, like your email newsletter or website. Here are a few approaches:

• You don’t have to sound like an expert.
• You don’t have to answer every question. You can share the questions you’re asking and the goals you want to achieve. Then when you answer them, you’ll have more to share.
• Your customers already know you. They like you. They trust you. They’re all wondering about social media, and they would love for you to help them figure it out (see what I did there?). And they will thank you for it.

20. Act Quickly

Gone are the days of getting back to your clients within 24 hours. Today you’ve got to make every effort to get back to them within the hour – even if that reply can only be, “We’re working on a solution right now.”

Christina Chastain
Marketing and Strategic Partnerships Coordinator

Information from: QuickSprout and SalesForce Marketing Cloud