Maintaining a social media presence is a big job with a lot of moving parts. Some companies have a dedicated social media manager but some may delegate the responsibility to a team of people. But how can a team present a united front in how they represent the organization online? What tools and processes can they use to make the process seamless?
Social Media Management Tools
A social media management tool is key for scheduling and planning posts when working with a team. There are myriad tools available such as Hootsuite or Buffer each with different price points, interfaces, and features. Some of these tools offer a centralized place to store media to be shared. If not, using a file sharing tool like Dropbox or centralized folder on the network can be used to store content. Some social media management tools allow users to contribute images via email to be collected and then batch scheduled.
Division of Labor
Labor can be divided between team members in a variety of ways. You may split responsibilities by social media platform, with one user sharing on Twitter and retweeting, while another shares on Instagram, liking and commenting as the company there. On Instagram, one user may post to the Instagram grid and another, more informally, to stories. Another way to divide tasks is by area of interest. For example, at an architecture firm, one user might post content related to projects, another can share company culture posts, and another might post interesting information about famous architects and their buildings. In this way, each user can write about what they know best, and the result is that all of the social media content is diverse and engaging for your audience. As much as social media management is a team effort, it still may be advisable to keep a team lead who has final review of each item before it is posted to ensure consistency.
Maintain a cohesive look
To maintain a cohesive look, establish a social media marketing plan which includes a style guide. In some instances, your website or brand designer may have provided you with a style guide, specifying which colors and moods work with your brand. For instance, if your palette is blues and greens, posting an image with red tones could be jarring in your feed and create an unprofessional look. The tone of posts should be determined as well. Are your captions friendly and casual or are they more formal and professional? Is it appropriate to express enthusiasm with capitalization or exclamation points or not? Your social media marketing plan should address these concerns to ensure that posts by different employees are still on brand. It is also important to have a consistent posting schedule. Users can be assigned specific days of the week or month to post so content is dispersed more regularly. Again, by using a social media management tool, you can get a full picture of upcoming posts and schedule appropriately.
Everyone plays a part
While not everyone in your organization can or should have access to your social media accounts, everyone can get involved. Employees should feel free to contribute content or ideas. And everyone can promote your social media accounts by sharing or liking, creating a dynamic online presence.
