August 20, 2012

Social Media Masterclass

Yes, you can break the rules

CHRISTINE ZAKRAJSEK

columnist

There is a well known social media dude (I think he would be offended if I called him a "guru") that I have followed online for years. When he blogs, I read it, print it off, run around the office shoving it in people's faces screaming, "See, I'm not crazy!" I've seen him speak twice and lied about reading his book once. His name is Scott Stratten and authors the @unmarketing Twitter stream. From here on we'll call him "Scott" like we're all good friends which in my head we are. And, I strongly suggest, that if your social media fuel meter is running low, go see him speak at an event. He'll refuel you love for social media like no one else.

So why is Scott so important to breaking the rules? Because we’re about to break one of Scott’s rules. In a nutshell, he declares if you want to have a credible social media presence you have to show up for the discussion. The consequences of pre-scheduling your social media engagement includes missing out on the real-time discussion, appearing out of step with your audience by posting irrelevant content and the worst consequence of all is not being able to react in real-time when massive events happen. For a devastating example of pre-scheduled tweets gone awry see: http://bit.ly/unmarketingradiohead

So as a rule, pre-scheduling posts is evil. It’s texting “Happy Birthday” to your mom. It does your brand no favours. It’s wrong. And, like all good social media practitioners, I have yet to meet a rule that I can’t rationalize breaking. So, Scott, I’m sorry. You’re wrong. And here’s why:

Administration

Some things just HAVE to be posted and by nature these items will not illicit much engagement. When these items are posted it should be timed for the highest concentration of online activity. Ex: Links to new career opportunities.

Change Notices

There are times when you need to notify folks that there is a change to standard operating procedures for a limited time. These changes should be posted a few times before and during the window of change. Ex: Closing a shop front for inventory.

Sharing Content when Convenient

Occasionally you will stumble across great content that you will want to share with your followers when they’re around. If your social media presence is of a B2B (business to business) nature, sharing content during the work day is strongly advised regardless of when you come across it. For example: a great infographic about the ROI of LEED that you found on Pinterest at 10:14 p.m.

How to Schedule a Post

Note: The way I schedule posts is through a social media client such as HootSuite. And, since HootSuite is my go-to client, I’ll be using that for illustrative purposes.

1. Click in the top left message window to expand it.

2. Type in your message, adding whatever links or images are required and click on the network you want the message posted on.

3. Click on the Calendar icon (it’s the one with the number 30 on it)

a. The Scheduling options will appear.
b. Choose when you want your post to appear and click on “Schedule”.

You can also bulk upload Tweets in HootSuite using an excel sheet. However, we both know if you’re doing that — you’re probably doing social media wrong.

A Few Rules about Breaking the Rules

If you do decide to schedule your posts, keep a few things in a mind. Always be prepared to pull the kill switch on your expertly crafted posts. Don’t schedule things too far in advance or you’ll forget what you have scheduled. Make sure to schedule your posts so that if anything comes up it can be dealt with in a timely manner. And, my final rule about breaking the rules: Do Not Schedule Business Related Posts on the Monday of a Long Weekend!!!

Go Forth and Rebel!

The world is way too unpredictable to set your social media presence on auto-pilot. However, with a bit of care, you can flip on the cruise control for a few kilometres and keep moving ahead.

Social Media Masterclass is a collaborative initiative developed by Reed Construction Data and EllisDon. Christine Zakrajsek is EllisDon’s social media manager. Social Media Masterclass appears every Monday in the Daily Commercial News and the Journal of Commerce. Please send any emails to editor@dailycommercialnews.com or editor@journalofcommerce.com

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