Brands and companies today have an image problem. A social one, to be exact.
How to manage an online presence, create a dialogue and keep consumers and potential clients engaged? Between Facebook, LinkedIn, Orkut, Google+ and Twitter, the ways and means in which to "share" have exploded with new applications and even greater ways to maximize visibility, for even the smallest and niche names out there today.
But how to successfully reach out to potential clients via social media can be, not only be time consuming, but often counter-productive. Would broadcasting scheduled "tweets" be as effective as running a dialogue during the business day? Or, would outsourcing the whole process of consumer/client engagement be worth the investment?
Salorix has conducted in-house research on the social and digital media landscape, focusing particularly on the power, effectiveness and challenges of working with Twitter. Addressing issues of frequency ad increasing engagements, the firm's proprietary research findings are a must-read for brands seeking to elevate their image, ROI and digital presence.
An Ongoing Process
Creating a successful brand presence on social media, Twitter in particular, is and must be an ongoing process. The rules of engagement are clear: Create and properly define social media guidelines, begin to establish a network, jump start the engagement process and lastly, track and analyze the data to make it work to the advantage of the brand. If, for example, traffic is heaviest between noon-3pm on certain days, and in a certain region, this should be given the attention it deserves.
The firm's research looked at what brands should be addressing, and with what frequency. Visibility is critical, as a lack of engagement can lead to a loss of "followers" not just interest. Essentially, the optimal frequency of tweeting is critical, as it gives followers something to actively engage with, as well as look forward to, time and again.
Salorix has selected and studied 230 companies. The results prove that social media engagement is not just a necessity, but also a powerful tool in delivering the message, vision and product of a brand. One common thread amongst those studied was the "following", with each holding more than 1000 followers, and also having a solid US presence. With sectors ranging from electronics to apparel, to food and beverages, Twitter data was collected over a one week period and studied from the perspective of the brand itself, not that of an individual.
The accompanying diagram depicts the conception and evolution of the social media lifecycle and how Salorix's in-depth analytics come into play.
The Salorix Solution
After extensive analytical research and testing, Salorix has found that two tweets per day (if and when done right) can and should steadily optimize social media engagement.
Proprietary results point to an optimal frequency of tweeting for a maximum engagement amongst followers--both before which and beyond when their (user) engagement begins to decline. In addition, subsequent campaigns can also be optimized based on the optimal tweeting frequency. This too can help to enable maximum follower and user engagement.
Brand managers should also take note that the risk remains of losing followers and users, too. Salorix research proves that "engagement level" actually peaks when a brand tweets two times a day, but over-tweeting, for example, typically backfires. For example, tweeting more than seven times a day may easily be classified as "spamming" in tune leading to disengagement and even dismissal of a user/follower.
The answer to optimizing social media initiatives? Look, listen, act and engage with Salorix!