Toronto, Ontario — July 17, 2019 — For many businesses in the collision community, implementing an effective social media strategy can seem an exercise in futility, but the existence of many facilities that use it to bolster loyalty in their client base proves it can be an effective tool.
For managers unfamiliar with the finer points of Facebook and Twitter, however, it can sometimes be difficult to gauge the effectiveness of social media strategies. To help, Collision Repair has come up with a checklist to help managers ensure that social media is being used effectively.
Does your social media manager:
Have a regular posting schedule?
Without a plan, you will be unorganized and forced to scramble for content at the last minute.
A number of third-party applications allow companies to queue posts and have them automatically upload at an appointed time.
Use bright infographics packed full of information relevant to customers?
Businesses able to convince online audiences of their expertise often get the best return on investment for their work. An easy way to do that is to teach the audience a bit about the auto repair industry.
It isn’t enough to just post interesting facts and graphics about the auto on the internet. Bright colours are an effective tool for drawing-in reader attention.
The audience needs to associate the lesson with the business—and that means digital content should involve house branding.
Self-promote?
Self-promotion will help audiences recognize a company across different social media platforms. Using the same username for different platforms makes this even easier. Adding social media handles on all business cards can also draw digital attention. Most of all, a good social media strategy involves tagging the business and its employees wherever possible.
Use hashtags to increase engagement. Trending hashtags are an easy way to get a business’s content noticed—but it isn’t always the best way to do this. Non-trending hashtags also help get online recognition too—and they are less likely to get lost in a sea of attention-seeking tweets.
Take advantage of social media advertising?
Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and more have implemented ways for businesses to promote themselves with paid advertising on their platforms.
These advertisements can make it super easy to reach your targeted demographic. Facebook Ads are usually reasonably priced, and one boost often goes a long way.
Collaborate with other companies to help build engagement and relationships as well.
Partnering with well-known influencers/companies can help you reach new audiences as well as build your online presence. When better-known companies speak highly of yours, their audience will be more likely to trust your brand.
Identify your target market?
It is important that social media managers understand what separates the businesses they promote from competitors. It is also important that each post remains consistent in tone. The more of sense-of-identity customers feel a brand has, the more likely they are to use the business.
Make use of analytics tools?
There is an easy-to-use section on Twitter and Facebook pages allow businesses to evaluate the effectiveness of posts. These tools make it easy to understand which posts generate waves, and which ones flounder. Good social media strategies make use of these tools by emulating the style of the most popular posts and avoiding styles that underperform.
Avoid spelling or grammar errors?
While the gulf between a good idea and a well-presented one may be great, presentation is important. Even managers without digital know-how can check to make sure that the spelling and grammar of posts is not a potential source of embarrassment for the host company.
