4 social media tactics major brands swear by

We’ve touched recently on how social marketing for small businesses requires a different skill set than for global brands (FPR blog 30.11.11). Yet certain rules apply across the board. Social Media Today recently interviewed C.C.Chapman, co-author of Content Rules and strategic consultant to powerhouse brands including Coca-Cola, Cisco and Warner Bros. What follows is valuable advice: why not learn from the best rather than repeating the mistakes of less-informed predecessors?

1. Integrate social and content with all aspects of the business, from customer service to sales.

Don’t create a separate social department. PR and customer service are the first three areas that need to be integrated with social – train and empower customer service teams to interact with customers over social channels.

2. Tailor your social media presence to fans’ passion points

Ford has created multiple Facebook Pages for each of its key marque brands, such as Ford Focus, Ford Mustang and Ford Racing, each with their own thriving fan communities.

3. Use video and humour for truly creative campaigns

Check out Cisco’s 100th episode Cisco Unified Computing Celebration. Chapman believes Cisco has social “down pat” because it knows its target market and exactly how to engage with it.

4. Set specific goals from the get-go

Start with the final objective in mind, whether that be more views, more email sign-ups, sales or donations…then work back from there. And be very specific: think increasing number of page views by 10% rather than just generally increasing the number of views.

As always, we welcome the opportunity to hear about your experiences. Has integrating social marketing across the business or setting clear objectives for a social media strategy benefited your company?