UNIVERGE BLUE
Social Media & Email Marketing

How to Get Started

• 1. Post to LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.

  It’s not about how many social platforms you post on; it’s about the quality, frequency, and resources you have for this activity. Choose the social media channel(s) where your target customer is active. If posting to only one social platform fits into your marketing plan, that’s great; just be consistent with your strategy.

  1. The company page should be used as the starting point
     1. If posting to multiple social media channels, be sure to drive traffic from one platform to the other
  2. Encourage employees to be social
     1. Use this guide to set up the ideal LinkedIn profile
     2. Anyone can share a company post or create a post on their page
     3. Anyone can comment/like a post
• 2. Components of a social media post

  A social media post's two most important components are the post copy and the image. An image can be a video, social card, picture, PDF, etc. A hashtag is a label used on social media to make information easier to find.

  1. Use hashtags

     Hashtags can help you reach your target audience without them being followers of your page. Using 3-5 hashtags per post is ideal. Too many hashtags can confuse the message, so keep it simple with a maximum of 5 hashtags.

     1. Create hashtags (product names, taglines)
     2. Pick tags from each of the following
        1. Industry hashtags (#ai, #artificalintelligence, #cloud, #collaboration, #communication, #customerexperience, #digitaltransformation, #employeeengagement #productivity, #remotework, #telecommunications, #ux )
        2. Vertical hashtags (#autodealers, #dental, #dentalpractice, #educators, #finance, #government, #healthcare, #hospitality, #insurance, #patientexperience, #legalfirms, etc.). Look at the industry campaigns-in-a-box for specific hashtags
        3. Your company hashtags
  2. Use @ Mentions
     Mentioning a company or person broadens your reach on that social media platform
     1. @ mentions are a way to tag or notify a specific user or page on social media platforms. When you type the @ symbol followed by someone's username or page name, it creates a clickable link to their profile. This lets you reference a particular person or page in your social media activity.
     2. It can increase your post's visibility to a broader audience. This can lead to more likes, comments, and shares on your post and help you engage with other users or pages on the platform by starting a conversation or building a relationship with them.
• 3. Ideas of content to post

  Keep your social posts entertaining and informative. Your followers will be glad to see your new content in their feeds, and it will keep you at the top of their minds as they consider making a purchase.

  Key Tip: Include links to your company website, landing pages, or assets

  1. Products/services
     1. New products/features
  2. Industry-specific use cases
  3. Customer case studies, wins, testimonial quotes
  4. Events
     1. Trade shows you’re participating in
     2. Virtual webinars you’re presenting on
     3. Podcasts you’re speaking on
     4. Community services the company participates in
  5. Holidays, Office closings for holidays
     1. Ex: Wish your customers a “Happy New Year”
     2. Let your followers know that your offices will be closed during an upcoming holiday (if your customer service is available during that time, be sure to mention that, too)
  6. Employee celebrations and milestones
     1. Employee birthdays, work anniversaries
     2. Team accomplishments
     3. New employee hires
  7. Comment and like posts from others
     Commenting, answering questions, and providing input on others’ posts can position you as an authority on the subject. Additionally, you’ll be seen by the original poster's followers, extending your reach.
     1. Industry experts
     2. Partner posts (NECAM, for example)
     3. Industry associations
• 4. Define a schedule or cadence for posting
  1. If posting once a week is all you can manage, that’s fine. The idea is to get in front of your audience as often as feasible. For more information on how often to post, please consider referencing Hootsuite
  2. Plan out your posts in advance
     1. Ex: If you’ve signed up for an event, create the content and have it ready for when you want to post it
     2. Assign someone to post the content and monitor the company page
        1. Consumers treat social media as a feedback loop where they can report issues with products, leave a review, or privately message a company, so you’ll want to stay on top of answering their questions, replying to their comments, etc.
     3. Employ a social media marketing tool to help with the process
• 5. Be sure to follow NEC for social content ideas!
  1. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nec-corporation-of-america
  2. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NEC/
  3. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9SJfpNruYsKfotJCDfzRiQ

Is social media marketing necessary?

Yes! And it shouldn’t be seen as an option but rather a requirement as part of your sales and marketing activities. Your social accounts should be used for social selling - a critical part of your sales funnel.

Why is it necessary?

It's an essential and cost-effective way to reach your customers, gain valuable insights, and increase brand awareness.

1. Increase brand awareness
2. Establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry
3. Reach target audiences outside your following
4. Stay in front of your target audience
5. Drive traffic to your website
6. Generate new leads to boost sales

Increase brand awareness

Think people only connect with brands they already know on social media? Consider that 83 percent of Instagram users say they discover new products on the platform.

Stay in front of your target audience

79% of social media users log into their accounts at least once per day, according to a 2021 study by Pew Research Center, and many people (49 percent!) admit to checking social multiple times per day. And company leaders are using it to shape their business strategy.

Boost sales

As the number of people using social media continues to grow and social sales tools evolve, social networks will become increasingly important for product/service search. The time is right to align your social marketing efforts with sales goals.