By: Matthew Kaiserman, Junior Account Executive

Social media has become the largest selling tool for brands and agencies. Many times, before a potential new client or customer visits your website, they will peruse your social media channels to get a sense of your brand’s persona. Consumers use this time of discovery to gauge the voice and personality behind a brand, how engaged a brand is with their online community, and observe the ongoing conversations that the organization is part of.

At Media Frenzy Global, we utilize our social channels to expand our platform and cater messages specifically for each social media platform.  We aim to educate from our perspective as a disruptive and innovative thought leader in the marketing and communications space as well as engage in trending conversations to share our opinions on current events and relevant industry news.

I look to social media to drive conversations in real time and engage with colleagues and clients. This can range from weighing in on the best Super Bowl commercials to engaging with our clients while they are presenting at a tradeshow. Social media presents a great opportunity for brands to meet their audiences in real time; if they know how. Below are a few quick tips to take your social channels to the next level by using the platforms as more than just an afterthought, but as an active marketing and selling tool.

Take a Strategic Approach

Brands and agencies plan out strategies for all PR and marketing campaigns, and social should be no different. There should be a sound plan put in place with KPIs and an overarching creative and strategic direction. At Media Frenzy Global, for example,  we kicked off our Digital First campaign as our focus for the first quarter of the year. All of our social content will relate back to this theme with the end goal of driving new business and positioning the agency at the forefront of the latest and greatest digital trends.  Social media needs to have an organized strategy that aligns with sales and marketing goals, with clear KPIs and objectives.

Integrate Video

It’s no surprise that video is on the rise, but many brands are still not integrating it into their social content efforts.90 percent of consumers say video helps them make buying decisions. This form of content drives higher engagement and catches the eye of consumers when scrolling through a feed. With the addition of live video and 24-hour stories, digital is becoming even more crucial for brands. Live videos allow for real-time updates while stories on Instagram and Snapchat keep brands in the minds of their audience, and are a great way for quick and easy engagement. We use stories to give our audience a glimpse into our day, from sharing a video from a client meeting to a candid of the team grabbing lunch at one of our favorite spots in West Midtown.

Metrics, Metrics, Metrics

A well planned and executed social campaign is useless without proper analytics and reporting of key metrics. Keeping tabs of your followers, reach, impressions and engagement show which tactics worked and the overall effectiveness of a specific campaign. Social media is a blend of science and creativity. The creative spark is what drives the content, but analytics is how to measure what is working and to offer recommendations on what to change. We prepare monthly reports to show the impact of our social media strategy across all of our platforms. This reveals what type of content drove the most engagement and through Google Analytics, what posts led to website traffic.

Social media is constantly changing, so marketers need to stay on top of all trends. Integrating these trends, ie. video/stories into their content calendars, will lead to higher engagement. Brands must remain active on all social media platforms and consistent with their tone and messaging.  Having a consistent voice is the result of a sound strategy, which shines clearly through content and the overall layout of a social page. At the same time, tracking metrics gives brands the intelligence on how certain tactics are working and what needs to be modified. Following these tips will elevate your social media level and allow the use of the platform as a key selling point.