‘It has to be authentic, sustainable and strategic.’
Social media strategy is about crafting the right approach to reach the right audience.
“Brands are really operating in this social-first mentality,” said Karen Freberg, professor of strategic communications at the University of Louisville, who also oversees the school’s student-run agency, the Bird’s Nest.
But just showing up is no longer enough, she said.
“It’s not just about putting an image out there,” Freberg said. “It’s about how do you reach your target audience? How do you make that emotional connection? How do you become relevant?”
Before the social world knows who and what your brand is, organizations need to know themselves. Freberg said there are a few steps brands should take to find the right tone and voice for the right audience. Here’s what she recommends.
Start with an audit
“What (brands) really need to do is fundamentally conduct an audit of what their brand is,” she said. “What is their voice? What are associations that people look at? They need to find here’s where we stand in the marketplace, here’s where we stand compared to competitors, and here are the opportunities to grow.”
Too often, companies try to mimic the successes of others when conducting an audit. Don’t do this, Freberg said. The audience will pick up on it right away.
“Not all of us can be Duolingo or Liquid Death,” she said. “Everyone who’s chronically online will see what you’re trying to do and be like, ‘that is so Duolingo.’ You don’t want to be cringey.”
Instead, brands should define their own voice and strengths. What are the values of the organization? What sort of tone is appropriate? What does the audience value and want to see? This could be useful tips, inspirational quotes or tropes, or it could be humorous, she said.
Consider brand voice as a part of this audit. Brand voice is the personality of the business online.
“I’m talking about the unique way in which you communicate to your audience based on attributes and personality characteristics,” she said.
Some companies lean snarky, like Wendy’s. Others are inspiring and aspirational, like Churchill Downs.
“A lot of brands have brand pillars as part of their mission statements,” she said. “What a brand voice does is personify those characteristics into a singular person that embodies who you are on social.”
That also means setting boundaries. “Along with the brand voice, they outline what personality traits they associate with and also the ones that are not like them,” she said.
An unending marathon
But even the best brand voice will be tested time and again. You can’t hold your voice just for a day, a week or even a year. It has to show up over and over.
“This is not a sprint, it’s an ultra-marathon,” Freberg said. “You have to look at your social strategy as a sustainable effort to build community. You don’t want to be chronically online 100% of the time because you risk burnout.”
Freberg also urged caution with scheduling.
“There are times where we have to scale back and say, ‘is this something we want to put out right now? Do our audiences want to hear us talk about our products on New Year’s Day?’”
Audiences today “don’t want to be bombarded.” They want to be informed, but not oversaturated, she said.
Even buttoned-up organizations have room to experiment, but they should do this with care.
“If you just jump in all at once, that’s culture shock,” she said. “When McDonald’s started being more culturally relevant on Twitter, people were like, ‘did the account get hacked?’”
One safer route is through partnerships, she said.
The U.S. Army, for example, worked with soldier-creators to make lighthearted content for its 250th anniversary campaign this year.
“As a result, they got some of their highest engagement and followers,” Freberg said. “So perhaps when you’re looking at humor, it’s about not only owning that yourself but partnering with someone so people are like, ‘OK, this makes sense.’”
Social media can drive real change and impact from a communication standpoint to build relationships and community but also drive business objectives like sales and confidence in the market share, Freberg said.
“You’re reaching an audience that is global in nature. You can bridge gaps between communities and open up partnerships you wouldn’t otherwise have,” she said. “But it has to be authentic, it has to be sustainable, and it has to be strategic.”
Join Ragan’s Social Media Certificate Course on Oct. 1, 8 and 15 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET and learn more from Freberg here.
Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at courtneyb@ragan.com.
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