SMO: How make right choices of socials networks?

Once you have created your website, you want that a maximum of people can see it, share it and make comments on your work! That why you need to make promotion, to make your voice heard! And today you have different way to do it, adverts, banners, affiliation and the most popular at this time and as well the most influent are the socials networks (Social Media Optimisation). So in this article we are going to talk about the SMO, how to choice right one(s)? Time to dedicate it? Do I need to be present on every single network or to take and focus on only one? Why am I on a social network? All of these questions are bases of SMO, in order to be efficient and above all consistent!

The first point is to understand and integrate that to open a count on a network is definitely not enough and that doesn't mind to communicate! It more harmful for the image of your company to have an empty opened count that nothing, why? Simply because, that shows the company don't go at the end of this ideas and actions, that clients are not important for it because no one did answer to their requests and because that show failures in the company's organisation and capacities to anticipate (somebody was delegate to the task and suddenly nobody!). So please to respect the professional image of the company and clients, once the count is open keep it updated.

Then should be one 10 or only 1 social network? Well, it's not that easy. You should take in consideration different points of your own business. Where are my clients, my prospects, where do I have more opportunities to growth or what expect my clients? BtoB or BtoC? According to all of the informations it wills more interesting to be on Facebook for young targets and/or for the BtoC markets. But if you are a BtoB business it's definitely more relevant to be on professional socials networks like Linkedin, Google+ or Viadeo (in France). Why? Because you will be directely in relation with people that they understand you (maybe know you) and potentialy interested by your business. So you will win time, money and visibility per your efficiency. Then, after have been choice a first social network do you need others ones? Most of the time it's better to cross your networks, to have two or three networks but not much. Stop to the idea that a company should be on a maximum of socials networks to be visible! It's not right, and that will extend the danger to make mistakes and to confuse the message.

How many times should I spend on it?

No more than 1H at the beginning and then 45min per day, to answer to requests, to develop you network and keep you in touch with news of the sector. The community management it's a real job itself but if you are a start-up you have definitely not time to do this, so you have to be organise, to have a strategy of you community management work. 

What content to share? Photos, articles, interviews, news of company, of the sector, articles of partners ...all of these examples will make a great content. The principal key rule, it's to be logical, I mean with your market and your service/product activities, you will not communicate on the last boat race (even if you are a passionate since 6 years old!) or on the emission the Voice if your company activity is to purpose all newsiest staff of camera and photographic tools.

So how make right choices? Most of the time companies forget/skip that the principal key success of a project it's to evaluate needs and objectives, to understand market components and to make a plan and strategy before to make any decisions. The company have to be able to anticipate and to know his ROI at the end of the project (to avoid repeating mistakes).

By Céline Vitrouil