#VOOM How to run a social campaign

HOW

to RUN A GREAT SOCIAL CAMPAIGN

First up, what is social media?

Running a great social campaign is critical to getting as many eyeballs on your Pitch to Rich page as possible.

It’s the most cost-effective medium to reach a global audience and drive people to vote for you.

Basically it’s a way of communicating with people and building relationships online. There are several different popular platforms available to build your own online community. Use them to spark conversations and ultimately to build engagement.

Sometimes that’s just with your friends or acquaintances, but it’s a huge opportunity for you to connect your business network. So let your customers, employees, suppliers and peers in on the act too.

The most versatile social media channels to use are Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. But other channels can offer more specialist communication, such as Google+, Instagram and Pinterest, which mainly just publish pictures. All these platforms can be incredibly effective ways to engage with audiences if you choose the right one to reach them and get your conversation and tone right.

You can learn more about your options and brush up on your digital skills at www.learndigitalskills.co.uk The following pages show some top tips on how to run a great social campaign.

PLUG IN TO OTHER COMPANIES AND INFLUENCERS

What to post and how often?

You may not have a huge social following, but that is a hurdle you can overcome. A good starting point is to build the support of companies or influencers who have an established social following. The best way to do that is by targeting those who share the same passion as your business.

Don’t just keep posting links on your social channels asking people to vote for your business. You need to deliver more diverse and exciting ideas, and share content that you believe people will find genuinely interesting.

Use the breadth of content from your pitch.

And be creative to go beyond.

Having a common cause should make thirdparties more likely to support your campaign.

Even if you already have a large social following, having a credible third-party publicly share their support for your business will give you a major advantage in the competition.

Everybody goes on social media for a reason – to laugh, to be better informed, to keep up to date.

Think of social media as a party.

Never turn up empty handed. Always bring something of interest to the table.

The best social channels are a reflection of the company’s or individual’s brand. Make sure your social channels embody what you or your business stands for.

START A DIALOGUE

MIX IT UP

It’s important to engage with your audience and build a rapport. You should try to always respond to people who get involved with your social campaign. That could be a simple thank you or reply, but it’s still wise to show engagement, even if that’s only to a selection of comments if you get a lot of traffic.

A great social campaign uses a mixture of content that’s tailored to the platform.

Don’t ignore negativity, respond to it and state your case. If that turns into aggression its fine to draw a line under the communication, but we’d recommend you don’t get into fights you may regret – it’s a very public forum!

Your social channels are as important as your website – it’s where your customer service and ethic is open for all to see.

For example, on Twitter you don’t have to only post text. Why not add a picture or video? In terms of platforms, make sure you use the major social channels (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+), but also consider experimenting with other forms of social content if you think those channels could be popular with your customers, such as Vines, Instagram and Tunepics.

Keep it diverse and fresh – the more snackable and punchy the better.

5

Have the end game clearLY in sight Engaging in genuine conversations is the best way to build your social profile, but you also need to remember the prime reason why.

In this case that’s votes on your Pitch to Rich page so don’t be shy to call that out and make direct asks to people who engage with you online.

Now you’ve got your social strategy sorted get online and get sharing your pitch.

Everyone at Virgin Media Business wishes you the very best of luck.

We’d love to help you #VOOM.