There are basically two ways of launching social networks (as there are with anything else): the right way, and the wrong way. Obviously, the right way would be to think beforehand about what we are going to do on the platform, and why we are interested in being there. The wrong one, as with almost everything, is the faster way: doing it without thinking very much. It seems that often corporate or professional use of social networks accounts for the latter…
Content planning should be one of the first steps to keep in mind before launching social media accounts. But surely there are many companies and professionals who have created their profiles or corporate blogs having more or less clear what they would like to achieve, but not necessarily what they are going to publish. And then it is much more complicated the journey to achieving the outcomes they’d like.
It is not usually a good idea to jump into the world of social media without having previously drawn up a digital strategy. While planning, at Zinkdo we suggest considering at least four levels of content to be used in corporate communication for social media or blogs:
Tell us what you offer
As we are dealing with the professional use of social media, it is obvious that we must start by explaining what we offer. What services we provide, what products, why they are good, what they are for, why they are interesting.
This category includes methodologies, advances, new developments, offers or promotions.
It is not easy to sell directly on social media unless you are an e-commerce, but the fact that social media is a space for conversation does not necessarily mean that our offer has to be hidden: rather, it has to be a topic of conversation. Social media is not always a direct sales channel, but it can (and should) help you sell more.
The following three levels can help you keep the attention and interest of your followers even though they may not be interested in buying anything from you at the moment. And these points can help you ensure that, when a potential customer suddenly needs your product, they have you in mind to solve it...
Tell us who you are
Tell us who you are and how you got here. What is the tradition, origin or history of your company? Are you an entrepreneur? Then tell us about it, and all the more reason: take full advantage of this moment of entrepreneurial mythologizing to tell us who you are and why we should be interested in what you do.
If your company has been in business for decades and is just starting out in the social media universe, you have an advantage: build on that experience, transmit the security that comes from your knowledge of the market, let us see the experience you have. Tell us how you work, what you have achieved, what you have tried, what you have tested. The success stories you can tell are a powerful weapon. Also, the Corporate Social Responsibility actions that your company can carry out also fit in this point.
Remember that the individual who has to make the decision to buy what you offer is human, and that we tend to trust those we know. If I don't know anything about you, it will be harder for me to relax. This is especially important if you are self-employed: freelancers need to build their personal brand using these elements.
That is why in this section there is room for content that lets us see who you are outside your work, which social environments we share: hobbies, tastes, preferences, places... It is a question of maintaining a healthy balance between what we consider private, intimate, and what we can show to others.
How do you see the market
To explain what is happening around us is also to show how we interpret what is happening, and our perspective on it. Content that has to do with studies, articles, data and references from your sector is useful, even if you have not done them yourself. But don't just post the reference, help us to interpret what that information means: that's where you add value.
If it also turns out that this study has been conducted out by your company, all the better. Show us that you are an expert in your field, that you are a reference in the industry: for example, if you have appeared in the press, if you have participated in an event, if your presentation was a success...
Your vision of the market and your contributions to the area in which your company operates will show us to what extent you are knowledgeable. You can’t show much more (as they said in that TV programme "telling it is not the same as living it"), but it's a good first step...
Choose a differential territory
Sometimes the above three levels may not be enough. Perhaps because the product does not really have much to tell, or because the diversity of points of view is limited. When working with social media it is important to update your profile on a regular basis, the frequency of which will depend on many circumstances, but without the account being left unattended for a prolonged period of time.
One solution used by many brands to broaden the range of topics is to resort to a differential territory, which add attributes and values to the brand (and that’s what’s most important), also allowing us to increase the frequency of our messages.
Clear examples of differential territories would be football or music in the case of beer companies, or recipes for those selling cooking products or groceries.
Of course, each company, each professional will have to measure and test the percentage of messages they want to dedicate to each of these four levels, or to eliminate a level that doesn’t work for them: not everyone is going to want to use all four. The aim of this article is to show that, in reality, there are many more possibilities than it seems when it comes to establishing an efficient content strategy.
If you think we can help you establish yours, feel free to get in touch: we'll be happy to work with you.