We’re all familiar with the five W’s: Who, What, When, Where and Why. These simple questions are the cornerstone of journalistic reporting, and represent the very basis for uncovering the facts of any given event.
So, how do the five W’s relate to social media? Much as they apply toward any investigative report, they also have pertinence for any company looking to build their brand.Here is what you should be asking:
WHO is my audience?
Who is your demographic? Are you trying to reach those who are interested in your products or have used them? Is it people interested in your industry? Once you have established a target audience you can target posts and ads that will reach and engage that audience.
WHAT ultimate objective do I have for my social media page?
Sounds like a simple question but it can also have several answers. Do you want to build your brand? Is it a means to keep in touch with an existing customer base while building you online community? Are you hoping to increase revenue by driving traffic to a brick & mortar location or your e-commerce website? Knowing your purpose will allow you to craft and deliver a message consistent with your goal.
WHEN will I post?
“When we have time” is not the answer you should be hearing. Consistency is king. Each platform has it’s specific guidelines for posting frequency. Facebook, no more than once a day. Twitter, several times a day is acceptable. Don’t over-post! You can also review your analytics to see when your targeted demographic audience is on-line, to achieve optimum results.
WHERE will my content come from?
You may not realize it but, in all likelihood, you already have plenty of content that is ready to be leveraged into your social media platforms; articles, photos, videos, text etc. Those brochures that you use as sales tools are a gold mine of content that can be broken down into many posts. But, as per the 80/20 rule you also want to be offering industry-relevant content to your stakeholders that they will find engaging, and which indirectly supports your company’s value proposition via related information. There’s a wealth of available content that you can link to and disseminate.
WHY will anyone follow me?
If you build it, they may not go. You have to be interesting, engaging and offer content to followers that they will find interesting. You must behave as a lifestyle magazine for your business segment. For example if you sell coffee mugs, you can’t just constantly be promoting them. Instead, offer interesting information regarding the history of coffee, list great coffee houses throughout the world, provide facts about the manufacturing of coffee and even the production of your mugs, as well as other similar topics. You may also offer holiday based themes and extend them as being portrayed on holiday mugs to generate interest among your followers.
Social media has been proven as an effective, cost efficient marketing vehicle for many businesses. So apply these 5 w’s when building your social media strategy to ensure success! For more ideas, contact jerry@cytryndesignandcommunications.com