Social media is an amazing marketing tool, but it’s not a matter of just opening an account and telling people to buy your products or services. Considering how quickly the social media scene has changed in the past couple of years, you need to know how to get people’s attention and not allow sudden news to catch you unaware. A few tips can help you use new social media more effectively.
Do Diversify
While you don’t have to jump into every social media platform, it’s best to have a few accounts out there. First of all, not everyone is on every single platform, including the major ones. Someone might be on Facebook and Instagram but not on Twitter (or X). Others may have dropped the major networks in favor of newer ones like Bluesky and Hive. You want to have a reasonable reach.
Second of all, networks can change drastically, encouraging many to leave that platform, which reduces your reach. The saga with Twitter is an example.
Do Reserve Usernames
Even if you’re not going to use the platform yet or not use it much, reserving your username is a good idea. If you set up an account with your preferred username, no one else can take it. They can create variations, of course, but you get the exact one you want.
If you don’t grab the account name, then someone can grab it before you and do one of two things. They can cybersquat, which is when they take the username and then wait for you to complain, at which point they can ask for money; this is usually seen more with domain names for websites but can happen with account names. The other thing is they can pretend to be your company and start posting things as you — things you may not agree with at all.
Do Find Someone to Run a Snappy Account
If you’re going to be on social media for marketing your company, you have to stand out, and you have to match the tone of the platform. A good example of this matching is the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, whose social media team had been using a straightforward educational tone on places like Facebook.
But their Twitter (or X) account has been a completely different story. The platform is built for snarky one-liners and memes, and the team figured out that speaking more like their followers and getting a bit more sarcastic might work better. It did, and now their account is one of the funniest — and still educational — accounts on the platform.
The team even reports hearing from people who decided to get fishing licenses and more because of the jokes. There’s just something about getting your “Hot Girl Fishing License” (a play on Hot Girl Summer) instead of a plain license.
Another example is Steak-umm, a processed meat product. Their social media person started posting earnestly about fake and real facts, critical thinking, and the realization that the reason people listened was because the information came from a brand and that this was truly concerning.
People loved the tweets. What’s more, the product gained widespread attention and more customers who said they’d try the product. When you set up your accounts, if you’re planning to be on a platform that encourages more informal behavior like this, get a social media team in place who can develop a distinct voice for you, one that’s in line with the platform type but also helpful and recognizable.
Whether you want to stick with more traditional forms of marketing or go big on the social media scene, you need a marketing company guiding you along the way. Grow Team can help you create a marketing campaign that best suits you.