are those with some type of strategy behind them,” notes Kravitz. Ultimately, your social media presence is what you make of it; like any functional and achievable marketing plan, it is crucial to ensure that the goals created by the social media team are goals that you can stick with. “With at least three Facebook posts or five tweets a week considered ‘accept-able,’ turn your focus to the information you are sharing. High-quality information a few times a week will result in a far greater return on investment (ROI) than several irrelevant posts that do not grab the attention of your audience,” cautions Runge. It is important to note that social media is an investment of time, and can take up a good deal of time, if you want to utilize the platform to the greatest extent of its ability. Pages should have a person dedicated to be in charge of the process and responsible for the sites and their content. This person should check what has been posted, or does all of the posting themselves. Random postings by anyone in the office, though they might seem quicker and like you would be able to cover more ground more quickly, should be avoided. “Such lack of control has led to problems in the past, and many companies now have rules and regulations on who can post to company social media sites along with exactly how that information is to be pre-sented,” explains Kravitz. “Rules” Of Social Media You should adhere to these general social media guidelines: ■ Avoid politics, religion or other spiri-tual items; this is neither the time nor place ■ Never knock a competitor or a com-petitor’s products ■ Post up to once per day or three times per week ■ Go easy on the hashtags, as they can be confusing ■ Never tweet or post in all caps, other-wise you’re yelling at your audience ■ Make the marketing subtle ■ Never stop your marketing and brand-ing efforts ■ Always try to add an image to all Facebook postings ■ Always be honest and trustworthy in everything you say and do on a social media site. CM Constant Evolution Social media will never be completely fig-ured out. It is constantly evolving and changing as new capabilities for each of the platforms are created or discovered. When social media first came to our attention, we weren’t sure what it would be used for. Now, with some practice and even a little luck, these platforms can be used to help promote and humanize your company and allow you to engage with those that make you successful. Product Information no. 201 on page 24 www.cmmonline.com 19
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