Treat it like an adventure! Nothing is perfect to start with, and you’re (probably) not going to get hundreds of likes on your very first post. But with time, dedication and a solid, adaptable strategy you’ll build your following and see some return on your efforts in no time.

We’ve provided a few tips on where to start when developing a social media presence for your business.

Start Your Quest – Strategy

First up – grab a coffee and start setting some goals. Crafting a detailed social media strategy with measurable objectives is going to be your roadmap to social media success. You’ll learn a lot about what works and doesn’t work as you go along, so treat your strategy as an evolving document. Think about what you want to achieve from using social media, whether it’s brand awareness, driving sales, building an online community, what metrics you want to measure and what resources you will need to manage your strategy.

Choose Your Character – Brand Voice

Are you a Mario or a Luigi? Developing your brand voice is going to require more consideration than choosing the perfect Mario Kart combination, but we love a fun analogy around here. Consistency is key in your brand voice, so take the time you need to establish exactly what you want to say and how you want to say it. For established businesses, this could be as simple as reviewing your brand guidelines and adding a segment on social media.  If you’re developing your brand, or in need of a refresh, a really inventive workshop with key members of your team and an experienced facilitator is a great start. Identify how you want your brand to be represented in the social world and establish some communication ground rules before you press go.

Choose Your World – Platforms

When jumping on the social media bandwagon, have a think about which platforms will deliver on the goals you listed at the beginning of your social journey. We have a great guide to the most popular platforms here. We recommend creating your profiles at the same time if you can and sticking to a clear and consistent username for each so your brand is easy to find.

Unlock Special Abilities – Content

Once you’re ready to start posting, you’ll need some content. Consider the media that will work for your message and work in a variety of brand-aligned images and videos to keep things interesting. You may already have some collateral you can start using or start from scratch with a photoshoot or stock images. We like to prepare content for at least four weeks in advance so we’re ready to go and can be flexible if something unforeseen or exciting pops up! Content will be your social media superpower, so make sure you’ve dedicated some resources to its creation.

Choose Your Weapon – Social Media Tools

Our final piece of advice is to arm yourself with social media tools. There are a plethora of great tools, both free and paid, help you with:

  • Researching trends to deliver engaging content
  • Researching audience habits and best times to post
  • Receiving alerts when your brand is mentioned
  • Scheduling content
  • Managing your pages and inboxes

We hope you enjoyed our mini guide to getting started on social media as much as we enjoyed writing it! If you have any questions or would like to discuss your strategy, contact us at info@thinkcommunications.com.au.