Why Your Company Needs Social Media

Social media is ubiquitous in today’s world. Wherever we go, we can all check Facebook and Twitter and Instagram virtually any moment from our phones. We use it to share our thoughts and experiences, to stay in contact with friends and family, to keep up with current events, and, perhaps most of all, simply to entertain ourselves and pass the time. More and more, social media has become one of the primary ways we as people interact with the world.

Your company needs to be a part of that mass conversation—not just by participating in social media, but by creating and executing a social media strategy that cuts through the din and generates an audience of prospective clientele.

Through clever, consistent posts to sites like Facebook and Twitter, your company becomes more than a logo; it’s a personalized entity that people can interact with. Social media lets people see the human behind the signage.

Of course, social media is a great way to disseminate information about your company—new services, professional expertise, past accomplishments, current promotions. But beyond that, your social media presence should have a fun or generally informative spin that entertains your followers. People may not be looking specifically for your service when they log into social media; instead, they’re looking for entertaining personalities and unique perspectives.

On Twitter, for instance, look at how the accounts for sports teams or municipalities or restaurant chains make amusing observations relevant to their brands. Look at how they utilize hashtags or tweet at other accounts to participate in amusing conversations. Look at accounts like @dictionarycom or @merriamwebster, which take trending topics and relate them to words and their definitions. Social media made dictionaries cool. Imagine what it can do for you.

Social media made dictionaries cool. Imagine what it can do for you.

Fun social media accounts attract followers and start conversations; those conversations keep your company at the forefront of people’s minds, so that when they need your service, they’ll know where to find you.

Here are some tips for maximizing your social media impact.

• Become an active user yourself. Be aware of how certain posts on social media, especially by business accounts, affect you.
• Follow relevant accounts in your industry. Not only will this help keep you informed of how other users are utilizing the format, but following an account gets their attention, and they and their followers may follow your account back.
• The same goes for liking and retweeting others’ posts. Interaction keeps you a part of the conversation.
• Keep your own posts brief and relevant. Comment on how trending topics relate to your industry or company.
• Ask questions! People love an opportunity to share their thoughts.
• Link back to specific pages on your own website. Social media can drive traffic and promote audience interaction.
• HAVE FUN WITH IT. This isn’t the place for stodgy commentary. Through social media, your company can put a smile on someone’s face, and that alone is an invaluable service.