What you say and how you say it should demonstrate your organization’s brand authority
Nearly every organization has established a presence within social media. Unfortunately, many of these accounts are little more than event and press release repeaters. Larger organizations (with dedicated resources and staff) are often creating excellent engagement opportunities for their users (often on Facebook) through feature days such as “Throwback Thursdays” or hashtag themes such as #FollowFriday. But many organizations are still searching for the way to establish a credible and real authority for their organization.
As with any issue related to brand, creating authenticity and demonstrating the organization’s personality is critical to success. If your brand is one of helping others, then being a servant on social media would be critical. If expertise and deep knowledge is what you are known for, demonstrating that through your social media posts and engagement will be needed. Remember that being true to your brand is the first part of success in social media.
Remember that being true to your brand is the first part of success in social media.
Brand authority within social media is built on five key elements:
Network Building
Start your social media plan with a keen understanding of your audience. Your goal is to build a network focused on their needs. Start your planning and strategy by researching through social media search tools to find and ultimately start engaging with potential audience members.
Listen
Understanding the questions that are being asked regarding your expertise and the unique aspects your brand brings to the marketplace will be key to creating content that will engage your audience.
Learn to listen, observe, and participate in conversation around your key words and concepts. Build your content plan around the needs you discover and answer the questions that are typically asked of your industry, and especially your organization.
Provide Valuable Content
Once you have an audience and have listened to the questions being asked, and have engaged through conversation, your brand authority will then be built upon what you bring to the conversation.
Understand that in addition to your original content created on your website and blog and promoted through social media, you should also curate and provide insight on other content that meets the needs of your audience. Scout out relevant content sources and become the personal editor for your audience, providing them content that has been curated especially for them.
Be Intentional and Consistent
In all of your social media efforts, be proactive and organized to assure that your efforts are intentional. Automation, editorial calendars, and a disciplined approach will be key to a measured and successful approach. By doing so, your brand authority will increase in proportion to your positive activity.
Engage and Provide Service
In addition to the other aspects discussed, be sure to regularly engage with others. Be timely on providing answers to questions or acknowledging those who are new to your community. Show respect and be courteous through appreciation for reposting, retweets, and other engagement. Provide the same level of service in the virtual world as you would in the real world.
How are you building your brand on social media?
If you need help, feel free to contact us at Caylor Solutions to get the results you need from your education marketing.
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