So many brands, businesses and individuals have turned to social media in recent years as a way to improve interaction with customers, build brand awareness and increase their revenues. Unfortunately, social media is still relatively new and there are plenty of misconceptions out there that can spell disaster for any budding social media enterprise. How do we know what advice works and what advice does not? In the following article, we will outline a few simple strategies that any social media effort should utilize in order to foster accountability, accuracy and broad effect on major social media websites.

Create a Team

Even small social networking endeavors need more than one person to be involved in the effort. When social media falls under the purview of just one person, it is often more prone to mistakes and failure as a result of the lack of diversity, opinions and perspectives. No two people will see any concept or action the same way: when you are pinging networks with status updates, promotions and events, you need at least one additional perspective to ensure that everything is worded properly and has broad appeal to your audience. This is also a great way in which to create accountability, as a one-person team has no effective checks and balances in place.

Listen to Others

The act of listening via social media may apply in more than one way: one obvious method is to listen to fellow individuals who are on your social media team. Their ideas are valuable and their perspectives can help avoid potential public relations mishaps. Another great way in which to listen is by monitoring competitors’ social media hubs in order to see what tactics they use to boost exposure and attract followers. In many respects, you will be able to see what works (which topics and styles of commentary receive the most attention) and what does not (which posts go un-liked or without comments).

Know Your Goals

What exactly is your purpose for utilizing social media? Have you decided that your brand needs more exposure, or are you attempting to generate additional revenue through social media? Some companies use social media as a way to develop brand retention and loyalty, while others build their new businesses from the ground up using social media outreach. Any social media effort needs to have concrete goals from the beginning in order to gain the most efficiency and achieve success. At first, settle on one particular goal and expand your efforts as you begin to achieve that goal.

Inspect Your Audience

With a variety of social media analytics tools available, social media teams should be pinging networks in order to find out more about their audiences. If you can determine the average age, gender, consumer habits or interests of your audience, then you can tie your brand’s approach in with some of these elements in order to drum up more enthusiasm. While basic analysis of your social media’s demographics will not unlock all the answers you seek in regards to long-term success, it can help paint a picture of your overall audience and how to better tune your social media efforts to their liking.