Dear Mara –
One of the most important factors behind choosing where, when, and how to employ social media tactics is in identifying the audience you are trying to reach first. As a high-touch B2B company, you’ll want to reach a targeted segment of leaders who either directly impact or influence the decision-making at the highest levels of an organization. Perhaps, you are a law firm targeting larger corporations, or a private fund seeking institutional investors. Your audience occupies a very specific niche in the broader market, and you should focus on that first.
What are some easy first steps you would recommend in terms of social media?
Because you aren’t concerned with reaching mass consumers, the best place to start in establishing your social media presence is with LinkedIn. You should create a business page that which will act as your calling card, but also allow you to publish proprietary content, or share and discuss other content while publically framing your viewpoints. Support for the development and maintenance of the individual executive and partner profile at your firm will be critical as well. The other place you should focus on is Twitter. While Twitter appears to be a place for mass appeal, you should know that even your own audience is there too, often seeking out either news or expert commentary. It’s easy to use Twitter if you stay committed and focused (N.B. Social media is a tool that must be constantly used in order to remain effective). Twitter content should be both organic and recycled from others. If you focus on the following main categories, you can develop a variety of content that will positively position your brand:
As you are building LinkedIn and Twitter, you can develop a company profile on Facebook. While your voice on Twitter should be sharp and modern, LinkedIn posts utilitarian and professional, Facebook has to be all those things too, but relatable. Facebook is the platform where you highlight the personality of your company to an even greater degree.
There are other forums you can ultimately explore, including: YouTube if you have a video library, SoundCloud for podcasts, and Quora if you have an executive whose credibility you are looking to expand through expert commentary. The key to success will be based on your commitment to each, your creativity, and the actual quality of your content. Establish that quality, syndicate it on various platforms, and continually scale it up to experience success.
Are there resources we could use to become more knowledgeable on social media?
Ultimately, the best resources available to support you in these efforts are in the examples set by your competitors, or those who do a great job in other industries. Every firm that’s actively engaged in social media activities is learning as they go along, researching what works and what doesn’t work. There will be a time to try different things, and then a time to dig in on something that’s working. You can sometimes pick up on these learnings by checking out those who have already experienced them.
When is it appropriate for us to engage a PR company to represent us?
PR firms are a fantastic resource to help you ensure that your messaging is both uniform across all owned properties and, as important, effective. Being sure to come to the table prepared with a specific strategy, actionable tactics to execute that strategy, and the flexibility to adapt and adjust as you go forward will be critical. PR firms often have a ton of experience in doing this, and can help you from the beginning, or at more advanced stages. At Group Gordon, we pride ourselves on our ability to come up with creative solutions that both fit your brand and mission, and expand upon it to an even greater degree. In short, if you see a challenge, we see opportunity, and we love turning opportunities into results.
If you’d like to learn more, just reach out to the GG team at info@groupgordon.com.
Until then, remember to take the time to stay on message!
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