In a world that’s becoming more social by the second, it’s imperative for brands to optimize their social channels via community management. Like social media marketing as a whole, it’s not an exact science.
Statistics show that 77% of Twitter users feel more positive about a brand when their tweet is replied to. Considering there are 320 million active accounts, with 80% having mentioned a brand; there’s a tremendous opportunity to positively impact your brand sentiment.
Below are five best practices for community management.
1. Know Your Audience & Be Authentic
In order to communicate effectively you have to understand who you are interacting with, what they like, and how they talk. No one wants to be the brand that’s trying too hard to be cool. When you’re authentic on social, fans are more receptive to the content.
2. Be Consistent
Consistency can make or break a brand on social. Users associate content, tone of voice and response frequency with specific accounts. Many of the best in class brands on social reached their status by finding their niche.
3. Pay Attention
Always read posts carefully before responding. While there are instances where responding to negative sentiment makes sense, providing a generic and potentially automated response only makes it worse.
4. Stay Current with Social Culture
Plenty of brands have made the mistake of using a photo or hashtag inappropriately. It is essential to be on top of the ever-changing social culture as a community manager. Those who are, have an opportunity to make witty, applicable content.
5. Know Your Main Objectives
Is your channel focused on brand sentiment or customer issues? Does your brand only respond when mentioned or insert itself into conversations? It’s important to keep sight of these goals. This allows you to prioritize properly when choosing your management platforms and tools to make your life easier.