This document provides best practices for using social media: 1. Set specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound objectives and integrate social media into a wider marketing strategy. 2. Research which social media channels are best for reaching your target audiences and consider future audiences. 3. Generate engaging, relevant content and establish your company as an expert while avoiding copyright infringement and sending consistent brand messages. 4. Engage promptly, politely, and personally on social media and outsource management if needed to avoid dormant accounts, and measure performance to focus resources.

1. Social Media Best Practice
What you need to know

2. Social media channels
Facebook
LinkedIn Soundcloud
Twitter
Social Pinterest
Media
Wordpress Youtube
and more…

3. Set your objectives first
• Decide what you want to achieve with Social Media
in order to set realistic objectives from the start.
• Whether it’s brand awareness or increased website
traffic, make sure your objectives are:
pecific
easurable
chievable
ealistic
ime scaled

4. Integrated Strategy
• Social Media achieves the best results when used as
part of a wider integrated marketing strategy.
• An integrated marketing strategy is where the
different marketing channels you adopt work
together to deliver your core messages in a similar
tone, creating a seamless experience for the end
user.
Social Media shouldn’t be relied upon as your
sole marketing tool or your marketing mix will
become unbalanced.

5. Profiling
• Profile your target audiences and get to know their
preference's.
• Research which Social Media channel(s) is most
effective at enabling your message to reach your
intended audience.
Look to the future and consider broader
audiences. Cultivate potential future customer
relationships by reaching out beyond your ‘base’.

6. ‘Content is king’
• Generate content people want to engage with; think
about what you would like to read about – original,
desirable, interesting etc.
• Content must be rich, relevant and varied but try not
to push your brand all the time as this will turn
people away.
Aim to establish your company as an expert in
its field.

7. Copyright
• Make sure you are aware of what constitutes
copyright infringement.
• Don’t copy content and attempt to pass it off as your
own.
When using external content, seek permission
or reference the source (depending on the context).

8. Messaging
• Set clear messaging guidelines and stick to them.
• Define what key aspects of your brand you want to
promote and what story you want to tell.
Consistent messaging across all Social Media
Channels is vital to accentuate the positives of your
brand. Don’t send mixed messages.

9. Social Media Etiquette
• The golden rule of Social Media etiquette is ‘don’t write
anything on a Social Media Channel that you wouldn’t
say in everyday conversation’.
• It’s vital to remember that you are representing your
brand and everything you say could potentially be seen
by thousands of people.
• Be gracious to your influencers. Your influencers could
enable you to get your messaging spread much further
so share their content and thank when yours is shared.
Seize opportunities to start conversations or
debates but don’t be controversial.

10. Engagement
• If you allow accounts to lie dormant for long periods of
time it sends out a negative message about your
company.
• Follow the ‘Three P’s of Social Media engagement:
respond Promptly, Politely and Personally.
You may be too busy to keep social media channels
updated, but potential customers perceive online inactivity
as business failure. If you don’t have time to update your
Social Media channels, consider outsourcing your Social
Media Management.

11. Measure Performance
• If you don’t measure results, how do you know what
is effective?
• Measuring Social Media engagement allows you to
see where to concentrate your resources and
indicates what types of content are the most popular
and are achieving the highest levels of engagement.
Use Social Media Management software such
as ‘Hootsuite’ to measure your Social Media channels
performance.

12. Stay Focused
• Monitor trends constantly.
• Social Media is fast-moving; channels rise and fall
and user expectations evolve.
• Channels themselves change frequently. Be aware of
channel changes or updates and use them to your
advantage.
Listen. Social Media engagement isn’t a one-
way street. What do followers want to hear about?
Keep your eyes and ears open!

13. Evolve with Rev Marketing
If you would like to find out more about making
your marketing activities work as hard as
possible for you,
visit www.RevMarketing.co.uk today to start
your journey to a more evolved marketing
approach.