Eighty-seven percent of Fortune 100 companies have a presence on at least one social media website, and 80 percent of small-to-medium-sized businesses plan to increase social media efforts in 2013, according to www.ragan.com. These numbers underscore the critical need for companies to break through the clutter with a strategy that supports business goals and recognizes the needs of audiences on each platform.
In order to effectively take advantage of the characteristics and followers of each social media channel, businesses often implement a team approach to social media engagement and management. This approach results in two advantages. First, it presents an opportunity to pair each social media team member with a platform that compliments their interests and skillset. Second, it helps organizations ensure team members have the ability to participate in all aspects of the communications mix, in addition to social media.
Platforms are as individual as you are
Because each social media platform is distinctive and attracts different audiences, it makes sense that each one is the responsibility of a different team member. Anchoring the efforts of those administrators to a central social media team will help foster support and idea generation.
Consider assigning Facebook to a person effective with portraying big personality and a sense of humor in his or her writing. Assign Twitter to someone who is always ahead of trending industry news and current events. A team member with a knack for creativity and Photoshop may be a top choice to lead the Pinterest page.
Incorporating a recurring meeting into your social media infrastructure will provide an opportunity for administrators to share trends, discuss cross-promotional opportunities and identify new activities for online interaction.
By delegating the leadership of individual social media outlets to different team members, businesses can demonstrate insight into each outlet and offer a variety of engagement opportunities for followers.
