The OpenWater Blog

Learning Series: Social Media Overview

Social media is for more than just millennials these days. In fact, more organizations than ever before are using social media to reinforce their message, goals, and spread word about their awards programs.

The reason? Social media is where their audience is!

Consider this: 78 percent of Americans had a social media profile in 2016. That being said, if you target the platforms where your audience spends time, you have a much better chance of raising awareness for your program and and relating to your audience.

In this article, we’ll discuss:

• The platforms you should use; and
• Why social media matters

The Social Media Platforms You Should Use

There are countless social media platforms, but you can’t be on them all. Instead, it’s important that you focus on a few, select platforms to put forth quality content and a relatable presence rather than stretching yourself too thin.

The two best platforms for awards programs are:

• LinkedIn – LinkedIn unites experts and enthusiasts and makes it simple to target audiences that are interested in your specific awards program.

• Facebook – Facebook is by far the most popular social network around. And, while most organizations assume Facebook users are young, the average age is actually 35 years old. Thus, there are plenty of opportunities to advertise, especially when you target a local area or use demographic filters.

Why Social Media Matters

If your organization is already active on social media, you should understand its power. This isn’t surprising when you consider how 86 percent of marketers believe social media is important to their business.

Social media matters because it’s a simple platform you can use to engage with your audience in a natural, engaging way. However, you need a step-by-step approach to ensure you do it properly. Some of the most important steps include:

1. Creating a content calendar;
2. Working on your profile’s appearance;
3. Publishing advertisements;
4. Create communities using pages, groups, and events
5. Create hashtags or use trending hashtags to get your post in front of more audience members

How are You Using Social Media?

By focusing your efforts on just a few platforms and following logical steps to publish content and get that content in front of your audience, you can ensure each of your profiles works to your best advantage.

Are you working on your marketing efforts, social media and otherwise? Do you want to learn more about each of the steps above? If so, download our free companion worksheet to get on track!

Ashley Surinak

Ashley Surinak is the resident OpenWater expert on all things content. From the blog to guides and beyond, you'll find her at every turn in your OpenWater journey.

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