Best Practices:

20 Essentials to power up your Social Media Strategy

Starting off on something as small as a social media contest or a marketing plansupported by a content calendar across a period we take everything intoconsideration.

This includes the deadlines, nature of creative’s, TG specific messaging andall the other marketing jazz that you wish to include.

However, there are a few things you need to add to your list of to-dos thatwill not only hold the entire game plan together but also provide that extrato your results.

Combining a list of top 20 of these from past campaigns across sectors such as education, FMCG, lifestyle and travel here are some that will help you get

more and learn more from the campaigns you run in the future:

Added the Google tracking code to the Landing page for the ads you are running? What about the Facebook landing tabs that you are running for a

contest/sweepstakes/announcement or any other promotion. The insights are great and much more in depth than what Facebook provides.

Do this now!

Another great piece of code is the Google remarketing code. With the same added onto your Facebook page it makes for a great spread for your Google

Adwords run ads. With a captive fan base account being pulled into the target range it makes for specific targeting.

So you are running a contest on Facebook & Twitter at the same time? Ensure you talk about it on both platforms. Those with accounts on either will get

involved. Sounds irrational? Now think where all your Twitter widget features and so does your Facebook News stream. Get it? Think social. Also

remember they a lot of people stumble onto social media links via Google search and brows Twitter without logging in.

Using a hashtag? Keep it small and precise. Do not add two words together that make puns or cannot be understood. Also, remember to keep the

possibility of its use extremely narrow. You don't want negative publicity or feedback via the same.

If you are using an application ensure you promote it using a Bit.ly link. No not for tracking the rate of the clicks alone but also the branding bit. A shot URL

always saves space on Twitter and looks good too.

An auto reply for new followers does not always work on Twitter. Sometimes they follow you to DM you to make a complaint. Be careful. Keep it neutral if

you have one.

Who said the future can’t be predicted. On a content calendar plot dates of important holidays, days and celebrations. Include important soccer games,

death and birth anniversaries of the celebrated personalities. Trust me. These trend on Twitter and do they go mighty!

Keep a 5 time a day tab on your Twitter account. Twice a day checks are passé. Trends emerge and die within hours. Capitalize with these plugging in announcements, product launches or even new recruitment's. Trust me they

work.

The Youtube option of featured video makes for an excellent way to announce information to first time visitors. Simply set the same on auto play and have not only your videos plays increase but also your on channel engagement.

So you have a welcome page as well as a thank you page that follows after the viewer has gone through the application/lead form etc. Does the thank

you form have a tweet this/like this button? Build to scale when adding widgets to an interface and do so where the viewer is able to pause and

dedicate time on the same.

So people registered on your landing page and you forgot to add the Facebook widget there? Don't fret a simple mailer to the leads generated

will ensure that at least some of them do follow you back on Facebook. In personal instances the mailers have generated as much as 400 likes when

marketed to a database of 2000 leads. Unbelievable? Try it.

Google Adwords seems to be very generous with its marketing solutions coupons. Do you receive countless coupons for trial campaigns? Do you use them? Don't lie. The best way to use them is run ads targeting them to your

page. This is an efficient way to use the trial versions and create some super cool traction on your page.

Loaded a nice picture for the Facebook page? No not the cover, the profile we mean. Check how it appears on the news feeds of fans for a better

perspective. Is it exciting to look at? Is it too cluttered? Note that most pages and updates pull traffic due to the nature of their visibility. Everyone looks at

someone attractive right? Make a note.

Wondering whom to follow on Twitter. Don’t worry, it’s ok. There are a million faces there. Heard about Twitter lists? These public/private database

goldmines are a brilliant index of people according to the nature of their interests and hobbies. Another way of selecting whom to follow is by

registering on wefollow.com – a twitter index on people and their influences. Wish to go more specific then there is Klout and Peerindex. Both tools

excellent on rating people on their merits in multiple aspects.

Twitter makes for excellent ways to reach out to those who matter. Make lists according to the people who enquire and complain with you. Adding them to

a special guess list will help in damage control as well as testing plans, products and packages in the future.

Content once shared cannot be changed right? Wrong! If you have published a post that has an image that accompanies it you can change the text any

time later of the post has not got a suitable reaction. Do this if the content is not performing accordingly. Note: Avoid this when it is a press release or an

official/financial statement.

Content is of two parts on all Tweets and Facebook Updates. The first section is informative and the second is reactive. Try and pack in all content with

reactive posts to get traction on the page. Also on Facebook try and keep the second line of text in another paragraph to get a higher share of response.

But ensure the content is social worthy or else this will all be in vain.

Have a blog/article to share as well? Give an interesting piece of information on Twitter and Facebook with an interesting image. Do not share the entire

information in the update. Say something like 'Northern Lights can be viewed from a distance of 5 miles and the best thing about them.. read more here

(short link)'

Use action words like ‘Check this.., It’s here.., Out now.., Bet you dint know this..’ when releasing pictures and contest images. These are entitled to get audiences to click the link to view the details. Remember that images and

external links almost everything is only shown as a link alone. Action words like these will help, not always but most certainly often.

Last but not the least, tweet when your audience is present on Twitter. Talking about lunch? Its best to do so around 11 to 1pm. That is when the

time lunch plans are made for example. Similarly when catering to an audience that is sex specific remember women and men differ in times of the day they use social media. Also, with mobiles doing most of the work than a

computer the ability to view an image is much lesser than possible. Keep images and text clear.

Follow these basic tips to get the push your campaign deserves and keep note of what you did to better your response.

For more on making your presence felton Social Media you may reach me on@akshaybk