Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun?!
Exiting the world of tech journalism to take on a new role in digital marketing was a somewhat big change to say the least. Despite their similarities – writing web content, updating social media pages and keeping on top of email marketing to name a few – I still thought taking the leap into a completely different industry could be a challenge. (But one I embraced, nonetheless).
But thanks to a smooth transition and a great team here at Sookio, it’s all going swimmingly, so I thought I’d share what I’ve learned so far!
Buffer saves lives
Discovering Buffer on my first day was almost as great as when I discovered Busted aged eight years old. Life changing.
For those of you who haven’t heard of Buffer, it’s a free, easy-to-use social media scheduling tool. For those of you who haven’t heard of Busted... see here. You’re welcome.
Social media scheduling wasn’t new to me, having previously used a heap of social media management tools, but I hadn’t dabbled in Buffer before starting at Sookio. After using tools including Sprout Social and Hootsuite though, Buffer is definitely my favourite. It’s simple, it looks nice and (perhaps most importantly) it’s free!
Buffer also has some really handy extra functions, like the slot creation tool. Based on which days you'd like to post and how many times during each day, Buffer tells you the best times to post on each social media channel according to when your followers are most active.
While direct social media engagement is always really effective, keeping your social media platforms topped up with content is useful for periods when you might be on holiday or just too busy to post directly from your accounts.
Scheduling social media isn’t about engaging with followers though, it’s more about creating a balance of content – so it’s important to maintain direct interaction with followers and avoid relying solely on scheduled posts.
Proof, proof and proof again...
…And then get someone else to proof it. And maybe someone else after that too. Just like in publishing, proofing any copy – whether it be for a blog post, social media update, email newsletter or even just a regular email – is fundamental.
Luckily, I haven’t had to learn this the hard way, and there are yet to be any major copy casualties. But during my time at Sookio I have learnt that you absolutely cannot check things enough. Some would say it's obsessive, but I’d rather that than having to suffer the sheer embarrassment of sending out a client mailer with a typo.
That being said, I have also realised that, although they might feel it, mistakes aren’t the end of the world. There’s no shame in deleting a social media update if it contains a mistake, providing that it hasn’t had responses or been up for too long.
If it is too late to delete an update, send a second update acknowledging your mistake. Make it humorous (GIFs are my go-to) and your followers should forgive you. To learn more about how to deal with mistakes on social media, take a look at our recent post on handling complaints, mistakes and trolls on Twitter.
There’s always a ‘something’ day
Are things looking a little dry on social media? For quick, easy content, a great thing to do is to respond to trending hashtags or national events going on that day.
Delving much deeper into social media at Sookio has made me realise there really is a day for everything - #NationalSiblingDay, #NationalDoughnutDay and (my personal favourite) #NationalPuppyDay to name just a few.
Although uploading a pic of your pooch may not be relevant to your brand’s personality, if you’re ever stuck for content, keeping your eyes peeled for daily themes which are relevant to you and responding to them can be a nice way to keep your social media accounts active. It can also help showcase the lighter side to your business.
Read the rest of this post here.
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