Now more than ever, our world is dominated by technology – including social media. Today, millions of brands are online, whether it be a website, social media accounts, podcasts, YouTube channels, and more. We’re able to purchase the things we need with the click of a button, or search seamlessly by speaking to Siri on our phone. The access we have to others around the world is deeply connected to our platforms online, and as our society continues to lean into the digital space it’s imperative that businesses take time to build and maintain their status online. Whether you’re a brick and mortar store looking to provide online shipping options, or a one-man service looking to expand through video chat, the importance of upkeep when it comes to your digital footprint is key.
Monitoring and Engaging With Viewers
While we do believe in the notion that “any press is good press”, ensuring that your social platforms and website are safe, inviting spaces for everyone is an important first step. Determine “rules” for your brand – are you going to remove vulgar comments, or monitor your page for profanity? Are you going to step back and let people have public discourse on your pages? How will you maintain and manage what is posted by visitors? For both our clients, and internal social sites, we work to determine general guidelines that will help our digital strategists monitor pages correctly with our digital team of monitors, mediators and conversationalists.
In addition to moderation, being readily available to answer DM’s on Instagram, or messages on Facebook, can help your brand become not only reliable, but personable. For our clients we monitor pages daily, and respond to all messages within a 24-hour period. This management is a part of our social packages and allows us to be deeply connected to each of our clients’ audiences. A great way to keep your response time high, and make sure your inquiries are answered swiftly, is to set up a recurring task or event in the calendar app of your choice. Our Digital Strategists do this by having a daily reminder in Asana to check the status of our social pages, respond to messages, interact with comments, and more.
Updating Websites Regularly – Are Things Working?
When was the last time you checked the loading time on your website? Are images clogging up that time, or is your site easily loadable regardless of the viewer being on a desktop or mobile? Have you checked to see if any forms on the site have been filled out? What about that general “contact us” form – is it sending responses to the right email?
Scheduling regular “check ups” on your website helps keep things fresh, ensures information is accurate for viewers, and gives you the opportunity to manage creativity with your brand.
Ensuring your website is updated can be as simple as touching base with your Web Development team, working with your IT Department, or web design vendor can be useful. For our clients we do a full website checkup monthly, and are available to our clients when they need cosmetic changes to the sites, or if there are technical issues. Whatever your plan of action is, get it on your calendar and explore what’s going on online.
Staying Up With the Times
Social Media is in a constant state of evolution, on any given day you might see changes to the algorithm, improvements to Facebook’s advertising platform, a new scheduling program to help with automation – the list is never ending. Being aware of changes keeps your team ahead of the curve when these changes take effect, and shows viewers your dedication to the digital space. We follow three simple words to help stay on top of all of these trends and more; Research, research, RESEARCH.
Things like – how are things evolving in the space your brand takes up? If you’re a clothing store, what new trends are popular among your demographic? If you’re a video production company (like us!) what new equipment is available to enhance your shoots?
Our Digital Strategists stay up to date by subscribing to digital marketing newsletters, ensuring that new Google, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube updates are passed along to our company as a whole, and that we integrate new changes and trends into the content we create for clients. For example, transitioning from IGTV to Reels, and encouraging clients to join new social platforms like Tik Tok as they grow.
Utilizing Style Guides and Brand Identity Kits
It may seem like the simplest step, but having a style guide for social content can help refine your digital footprint, making it easy for viewers to recognize your brand, even if your brand name isn’t front and center. We all know how to spot a Target from a mile away – the big red bullseye. Even further, we recognize the white dog they use in the dollar-spot if he shows up on a commercial. We hear the catch phrase “every kiss begins with K” and immediately know we’re hearing about Kay Jewelers. Brand identity kits take this a step further and help refine your brand’s voice, goals, audience, and more. Getting your team clear on these areas will help your online reputation immensely.
Not sure how to start creating a brand identity kit? Propose a meeting with your digital team to review what you know about your brand, or your clients brand, and begin working together to determine voice, tone, color schemes, audiences, and more. The more detailed, the better.
Having Internal Processes
As a digital marketing agency, we understand the complexity of the world wide web, and how overwhelming it can be to try and maintain a mountain of pages like Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, Twitter, etc.. That’s where processes and systems come in handy. You can’t manage social media accounts without a guideline on what you accomplish daily, weekly, and even monthly. Set deadlines for reporting, even if it’s internal. Utilize Basecamp or Asana to keep track of social tasks and digital updates. Automate those tasks to ensure you’re reviewing the digital footprint often, and lean on your team to help. More often than not, social media and the digital side of brands get pushed aside by employees outside of the marketing department, but encourage your teammates to help when appropriate, and continue to share your work with them.
Outsource When Possible
At the end of the day, if managing your online presence is a task you’re either not interested in or dont have the bandwidth to complete, outsource! There are SO many virtual assistants, digital marketing agencies, and social media experts who thrive working on brand management. Take the time to outsource and work with an outside team if possible, because the digital world is only going to grow, get better, and continue to dominate our lives.