Over the past few years some big questions have been asked about the impact of social media for small business,  social change, political or consumer advocacy and even to our democratic processes. Small businesses have been particularly vocal regarding their confusion or concerns about social media and the application of it in their operations. Another emerging group that has been questioning how best to use social media are non-profit organizations. I can’t give the same answer about how to use social media (or let it use you) to these two groups, small businesses and non-profits, because their own reasons for engagement, audiences they want to reach, and desired outcomes are so different. But I do want to share some general ideas that can help anyone looking to incorporate social media into their marketing and PR strategies, because that’s essentially everyone.

Today I want to approach social media from a more temporal context. By this I mean let’s look at our social media tools like they’re  instruments, creating a song, a noise, or a rythm, each one engages people differently and each one acts on a different temporal scale, holding a note or chord for longer or shorter depending on what function it provides.  Much like a symphony, some tools are used for sudden emphasis, like cymbals crashing to emphasize a crescendo, others can form the broad foundation of your opus, like violins and cellos.  And let’s not forget the triangle. So understanding which message goes where and what kind of time frame you have to operate in can help you to better form your own social media strategy for engagement, and bring harmony to your marketing strategy.

We’ll start with the long term engagement tools. And I’m not going to list off every social media app or platform, just a few to make my point.

Your website provides the foundation for your engagement. It should be updated regularly if it can be and always have something helpful, informative or interesting on it. It should be consistent, along with your name and logo it is the most powerful tool of your branding and should be a place where your customers go to again and again because they know they can count on it for the information they want. It is the cello section that anchors your symphony. Though not often thought of as being a part of social media directly, this is where you want your social media engagement to return to. You want new customers or supporters spending time on your site and supporting your business or non-profit. Engaging them through social media is a great way to encourage this.

Your Blog. Every company should have a blog, and if you have more than one person in your company you should have more than one contributor. This is a great tool for directing traffic to your site and for building an intellectual identity. I don’t care if you sell exotic plants or buttons and cuff links, you should be blogging about them and about upcoming sales in your store, trade shows or conferences you’re attending, and general thoughts on life as a small business owner. You NEVER know who might read your blog and what opportunities will arise from it. Your blog is the violin section that carries the main melody of your company, it should be regularly rather than sporadically used.

Facebook and Twitter. For those who might not have time to read your blog but still want to show their support as a customer and get updates  Facebook is a good option as is Twitter. Facebook is first and foremost a social networking tool, so bear that in mind when you make your company profile. It, along with Twitter,  is a busy place with lots of information constantly being thrown back and forth so though over time you can aggregate “friends” of your business or non-profit group it’s not a tool for long term engagement unless it’s a two way street. You can’t provide content and sit back letting the audience become engaged. You need to jump into the mosh pit. You can get all sorts of feedback from customers, suggestions, and even ideas. So for short term engagement it’s great to post promotional calls to action and for longer term engagement your Facebook account should become the dialogue between you and your base.  It accentuates the long term engagement and provides little reminders of your anchoring melody i.e. your website and blog. The chances that someone will develop a deep rooted and strong attachment to your company or organization by becoming a fan on Facebook is slim, but the chances that someone who does will be committed to a long term engagement through Facebook are pretty high.

Content is King

A great way to attract brand new supporters or customers is through content platforms like Youtube that can then go viral through Twitter and Facebook. User generated content that you can adopt into your strategy also gives your fans, friends or customer base, a stake in your company and vision that empowers them and involves them. Campaigns to generate user content can be highly successful, but can also bomb if not done thoughtfully and properly. And even if a contest to drum up UGC is successful and attracts attention to your site, if your site isn’t ready to capitalize on that exposure you’re doing yourself a disservice.

Viral videos for example are great for exposure, but if you make a video and post it on Youtube and hundreds of thousands (or millions) of people watch it and send it to everyone they know, and you website isn’t a lean mean eCommerce machine (or for non-profits a tool that will create quality committed engagement),  and can’t capitalize on that exposure then it is all for naught. Attention needs to be turned into action, and a brief burst of attention like a video that gets Tweeted and posted to Facebook all over the place is like a cymbal crashing or gong or timpani that creates a burst of sudden energy and activity, but ultimately it is to draw the listener deeper into the song. If the rest of your online marketing strategy isn’t ready for the attention,with quality content on your website, your blog, or if you lack  eCommerce tools and the capacity to turn attention into action then you’ve missed an opportunity to capitalize on social media in a business context. And you should be smacked in the face.

So when you think of all these tools for engagement take some time to orchestrate your strategy and make sure you’re ready in case you hit a home run. Have an e-commerce platform or a website built to soak up that attention and turn it into action. I hope this metaphor of the symphony in action helps to inspire you to question how you can better use social media to create success for your company or organization.

Wes