Social media can be a complicated beast if you’re unsure of what you’re doing. A lot of companies step into the social sphere without really being prepared for what to expect – especially with so many different networks and potential audiences. Although securing a branded social account is definitely a good idea, it is not a good idea to jump straight into the deep end without doing the necessary legwork beforehand.

Here we provide 3 key tips for successful brand management in social media.

1 – Don’t presume you know best. So you’ve set up your business Facebook account – great! The next step shouldn’t be to post 10 generic company photos and update with ‘come visit our website’. What most companies fail to understand is that social networking websites are just that – social. You are interacting with real human beings in a real-time environment, so anything you put out there is instantly viewable by thousands if not millions of people. Take a moment to understand the platform you are dealing with, and even look at how other companies are succeeding before making a mockery of your company.

2 – Allocate appropriate resources. Again, taking lessons from businesses that have got it badly wrong in social media can save your bacon. If you are going to commit to having a presence within social circles online, make sure you have allocated a person (or team) to oversee the development of it. Being inactive is a terrible way to promote your company, and there’s only one thing worse – being overactive. Make sure your resource knows the requirements, but doesn’t begin updating so much that they are treating it as a personal account.

3 – Understand the differences. Posting an update on Facebook is great as it will often get good exposure and potential engagement, but that isn’t to say the same process will work as well on Twitter. With different social networking websites come different types of audiences, so don’t presume you can do the same things across all of them. As a quick rule of thumb, here is a quick-fire guide to the most popular social networks:

Facebook – Good for promotion and sharing of media.
Twitter – Good for brand management and user interaction.
YouTube – Good as a supporting network to promote videos.
LinkedIn – Good for recruitment and professional brand presence.
MySpace – Good for music promotion and awareness.

There are obviously a lot more than the aforementioned list, but those above are often considered the most active and influential.

So there you have it; some key tips to brand management within social media. The main thing to remember when stepping into the social sphere is that you are taking to real human beings – so treat them that way. Informal updates and self-promotion may work for extremely big companies such as Apple and Google, but to increase awareness of small to medium sized companies you need to connect to your audience. Interact with them directly, provide them with help and portray your company in the way you wish it to be viewed.

Author Bio: Zeus public relations agency provide expert PR in Manchester and throughout the North West of England. Successful brand management can be the key to how well a business performs, and Zeus are experts at delivering online PR campaigns. Visit zeuspr.co.uk for more information.

Category: Business Management
Keywords: online pr, social marketing campaigns, brand management