Success stories of startup companies such as Distractify and Airbnb prove that a great social media strategy is the cornerstone of a strong company launch. An effective social media presence can help brand new companies create meaningful, lasting relationships with their clients. Using social media for customer service, recruitment and feedback can put your company ahead of the game.
As a startup, we know all about the process—that’s why we’ve decided to share the social media tips that helped us grow into the company we are today.
Here are some social media tips for startups
Create your social media strategy before creating social media profiles
Even before you start choosing the right channels, think of your business goals and objectives, and how social media can help achieve those. Also think of your target audience, and what kind of company you want to be on social media. Will your brand go for a practical, no-nonsense approach to social messaging, or do you prefer a more easygoing presence? Make your social media presence congruent with your company culture. It doesn’t mean you can’t have a playful Tweet every once in a while—but do strive for consistency across your feeds. Compare Tinder and Dropbox, both voted top startups in 2013 by Forbes—each brand has a different purpose and a different target audience, with Dropbox creating an appeal for business collaboration, and Tinder going for the playful vibe of a speed-dating event. This difference in purpose is reflected in their social media presence: while both companies maintain professional feeds with consistent tones, each tailors their messaging to their audience.
Choose the right social networks for your business
Facebook may have over a billion users, but if your potential customers don’t make up a big part of that user base, it’s not the right social network for you. While not every industry has a clear preference for social media channels, there are important determinants that can help you find the right social network for you: the target age group of your audience, the location of your business, and the nature of your services. For example, if your startup offers B2B advice, it helps to seek out business leaders on LinkedIn, and make accounts on the same social media channels used by the brands you want to help. But if your business revolves around marketing, Facebook Ads or Promoted Tweet should be your first choice.
Save money on customer service by using social media
In the early days of your business, having an open line of communication with your clients is crucial—your ability to respond and incorporate their comments and suggestions on your services or products can make or break your startup’s budding reputation. It’s also a very cost efficient solution, as your customer support representative can double as your social media manager, and social media profiles don’t cost a dime to set up.
Using social media for customer service is as easy as making social listening a mandatory task in your daily social media routine. Use a social media management tool, such as Hootsuite, to set up search streams for your brand name, and track all mentions in real time. Sentiment analysis tools like Social Mention, or native analytics tools in Hootsuite, can help you isolate negative or neutral mentions of your business, and then address as many of them as possible, based on the urgency of the issue. If the comment is negative without an obvious cause, you can consult our handy guide for responding on Twitter.
Expand by recruiting new team members on social media
A startup’s online audience isn’t limited to potential customers and investors. If your company is looking for passionate, talented individual to join your cause, they may be among your social media followers. Once you have an open position, make sure to spread the news on your social media channels—especially if you’re looking for someone savvy with social media. Use social networks like Instagram to highlight company culture and share company milestones. Sharing these moments allow you to easily sell how fun it can be to work at a startup.
Build an online community of brand ambassadors
Behind every successful marketing strategy is a genuine human connection. Show your social media audience the people behind the product or service you offer: why you love what you do, and what served as an inspiration for your startup. You can use this opportunity to look for social media influencers, and turn them into brand ambassadors. These ambassadors provide startups with the exposure they need to grow into a global brand.
Evaluate your social media strategy regularly
Startup companies can get overwhelmed by the fast pace and growth. Once you have set up your accounts and developed a social media management routine, schedule regular temperature checks for all your channels to maintain a steady presence. Tools like SocialBro and Hootsuite’s Grade Your Social evaluate your Twitter presence with one click; you can receive reports on your engagement, reach and profile strength. If you find that your customers don’t engage as well on one of your startup’s social channels, check to make sure you haven’t been neglecting that channel.
And last, but not least:
Don’t be afraid to experiment
While it helps to be aware of strategies that work traditionally, we encourage you to think outside the box. After all, the essence of startup spirit is to problem-solve in an innovative, efficient way. Just think about it: there must have been someone who had the “crazy” idea to reply to a Tweet using only GIFs or Emoji, or include a Vine video to illustrate a Facebook message in a way a photo couldn’t.
The big question, however, is how? Below are six quick tips for gaining exposure and raising money for your startup using social media.
Understand your platform.
Every social media platform has its own niche. Facebook keeps you connected with friends and family. Twitter shares content in bite-sized chunks. Google+ and LinkedIn are for networking professionally. Some people simply link all of their social media accounts together and post the same thing to all of them. But this isn’t the smartest move: You need to tailor your posts to each network you’re on.
For instance, on LinkedIn, you might post a study that addresses some of your audience’s pain points. On Facebook, you might post a funny meme that people in your target demographic will relate to.
Choose the right networks.
There are a lot of social networks out there. Developing a real, meaningful presence on any of them takes time and effort. The more social networks you’re part of, the thinner you spread your resources, and the more difficulty you have gaining a following on any of them. Maybe you should just focus on the most popular one? The problem with that strategy is that what’s popular can change fairly quickly. According to a prediction by Rantic CEO Simon Z, Google+ will actually surpass Facebook in terms of followers and user engagement. So, which one do you choose to develop your presence on?
Rather than worry about which social platform will give you the biggest overall reach, focus instead on which platforms fit best with your brand and your audience. Since different social networks have different styles and focuses, they attract different types of people. So look for the three or four where you can have the most impact. If you’re looking for the young and hip crowd, try Instagram or Snapchat. To appeal to investors, meanwhile, you’ll do better with a presence on LinkedIn.
Spend wisely.
A social media account is free, but that doesn’t mean your social strategy won’t cost you both money and other resources. The question is, where and how do you spend with regards to your social media strategy, in order to maximize the return on your investment?
You can pay on Facebook or Twitter to promote your posts to a larger number of people. And some sites will simply let you buy social media followers outright. Perhaps the best investment, though, is a social media manager. Rather than focusing on numbers, a manager can help you develop a complete social media marketing strategy that will help you turn those numbers into investors for your startup.
Build a community by being human.
One of the benefits of social media is the opportunity it gives you not just to deliver your message to your audience, but to interact with them and get their feedback. With a little effort, you can form real connections that will impact how people see your brand. How do you do this? To start, act like a human, not a marketing robot. Engage your audience, rather than simply selling to them.
If all you do is blast your generic marketing message, people will tune it out. But if you take the time to listen to your audience’s opinions, answer their questions and address their issues, they’ll begin to see you not as a corporate façade, but as a trusted friend.
Constantly reevaluate your strategy.
The world of social media is continually changing and evolving. If you don’t change and evolve with it, you’ll be left behind. This means regularly examining your social media strategy to see what’s working and what’s not. If your written tweets about your startup aren’t gaining as much traction as your latest viral cat video, adjust accordingly.
Recruit employees on social media.
Your social media pages are the face you present to the world. So those pages can bring you more than just potential customers. Investors will look you up on social media to see what you’re all about, and so will potential employees. Take advantage of this.
Show recruits the experience they’ll have working at your company by posting photos of your office culture on Instagram. You can even post job listings on Facebook and Twitter. Customers, investors and employees should all be able to look at your social media accounts and see what it is that makes your company stand out from the others in your category.
The key to getting investors for your startup is to show them that your company has potential: that people are interested in what you have to offer. And what better way to do that than on social media? A good social media presence means your company is popular and visible. That popularity then leads to customers, which in turn leads to a good return on their investment.
In this day and age, being active on social media is more than just a helpful marketing tactic. It’s essential to the success of your company.
