Facebook (89%), LinkedIn (83%), YouTube (81%) and Twitter (80%). What’s more, nearly 80% of companies are sharing mostly original content on their platforms and the most important metrics they found for tracking social media success are engagement (36%) and conversion rates (35%). If you find your firm is not making the most of its social
media platforms or you are not seeing any of these pos- sible paybacks, it’s time to re-evaluate your efforts. Here’s what experts say are the most important things you need to be doing to reap the benefits of your posts and campaigns and #MakeSocialMediaWorkForYou.
Know your audience and cater to it Makes sense, right? You’d be surprised how many companies forget this key point. Knowing your audience isn’t about being general, says Linda Raynier, an accountant, career strategist, YouTube influencer and coach. “These days it’s so easy to scroll past something that doesn’t directly scream, ‘You’re talking to me!’” she says. “Social media needs to be personalized, specific and offer value. People will usually ‘like’ posts that they resonate with, find value in, have learned something from or are inspired by. Social media managers really need to understand their ideal customers.” If you’re looking to attract the business-to-business audience,
for example, Adam Rodricks, who works as a social media manager in Toronto, says LinkedIn can be highly rewarding. “I attribute this to longer post lengths, a more engaged and active network and, most of all, the absence of anonymity,” he says. “When we post on LinkedIn, we put our personal brands on the line. As a result, those who engage with me and my brands tend to put extra thought and effort into their posts on the platform because they’re accountable for their commentary.” Companies should start by checking out the various plat-
forms that are offered and, as Barbaric says, instead of looking at them as one marketing line item, focus on those that they are familiar with and that best suit their strategic objectives. “For
36 | CPA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018
example, Instagram seems well suited for business-to-consumer organizations, connecting with younger audiences and commu- nicating visually. Medium, on the other hand, is driven by text- based content and caters to tech-savvy folks with a longer atten- tion span.” Jason Boyer, Deloitte Canada’s national director of marketing,
adds that authenticity rules. There’s no point in joining every single social media platform just for the sake of having an account. “Be wary of chasing shiny objects,” he says. “Your organization doesn’t need to adopt every new and shiny thing. I love Snapchat filters and have seen some brands do amazing things with them. But does that mean Deloitte should launch one tomorrow to help us engage with Fortune 500 CEOs? Probably not.”
Understand what you’re investing in Successful social media accounts aren’t necessarily about dollars and cents. “I’ve been part of organizations in the past that threw thousands of dollars at Twitter and Facebook ads simply because XYZ competitor invested a similar amount,” says Rodricks. “I don’t consider that a meaningful investment.” Instead, there’s an alternative way he quantifies investment — knowledge sharing. “Does the social expertise in your organization lie with one or a few individuals? Do these people do everything on social media for the organization? If they do, you’re doing it wrong. Social media is about conversations and the more people who are equipped to have them, the better it will be for your company.” Deloitte views social media as part of its larger “communica-
tions continuum that spans digital and traditional media, rather than as a stand-alone activity,” Boyer says. EY has made way for social media by altering the role of many jobs and resources. “It’s a communal investment. It’s about getting each member of the broader team to be thinking about how they will integrate a social and/or digital aspect into their cam- paigns to deliver meaningful insight and drive engagement,” says Vanja Baresic, associate director of EY Canada’s brand, marketing and communications team.
Daniel Sambraus/EyeEm/Getty
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