Social media is a truly remarkable product in that it’s completely free to most users. Though we all have Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts at our easy disposal, we’ve never paid a penny.
The flip-side of that is that, every now and again, we do end up having to suffer a few adverts. But, if these are well targeted, tasteful and easy to avoid then we can’t have too many complaints.
The nature of these third-party sites, however, does make on-brand use of social media quite a challenge and it’s not always easy to get your corporate message across on someone else’s website. It’s a tough task but it’s not impossible: here are a few steps towards getting it right.
Personalise At Every Opportunity
If you are given limited opportunities to make your own stamp on a site then you need to make sure the first thing you do is use them all. Make sure any opportunities for filling in information are there, use on-brand and well-resized corporate images wherever possible and don’t leave anything blank. Unfilled forms will look like you’re trying to hide something from the viewer, so make sure everything is tidy and complete.
Tone Says Everything
What you say is absolutely fundamental, saying it in quite so few words is not always easy. However, there should be no obvious differences between the way you would describe your company on your own corporate web space and the way you would on Facebook. You may be writing for a marginally younger audience and, potentially, you may wish to be a little more informal in a blog than you would on your site, but you should be able to adapt these parameters within a style.
Always Keep Up to Date
If you are launching a new marketing campaign then your social media needs to be updated at exactly the same time. This is particularly important for recruitment sites: if candidates spot that brand is inconsistent they will assume the information is too. This could mean candidates assume positions are vacant when they’re not or, that they were perhaps intended for previous years.
Keep an Eye on Things
Finally, it’s important to remember that social media, unlike your web capital, is public. Beware of the sort of things people post on your sites and make sure you deal with anything that might damage your brand swiftly and efficiently. Don’t simply delete complaints, make sure you fully address them, but they don’t need to be public forever.
Just because you’re using a different format, don’t forget that your web capital still belongs to you. Make sure you use it wisely, in the future it could be the most valuable asset you have.
Tom started his career early; taking on an associate role at Deloitte just a few days after his eighteenth birthday, working in a technical role but with a focus on identifying and recruiting talented undergraduates. He is now entering his final year at Exeter University and he continues to work with the recruitment side of the firm and remains an active brand ambassador on campus.
Over the last few years, Tom has spent time building up a reputation as a freelance writer and has developed both a strong client base and good knowledge of social media along the way. Though there’s still plenty to learn, experience working in both the smallest and the largest of businesses has served him well and given him a feel for balancing strong corporate ideas with a personal tone.
As a student, Tom is able to offer a valuable insight into the way graduate recruitment works from the other side and how students and interns react to particular styles of marketing and recruitment. Eventually he hopes to take off his copywriting business before embarking on an MA in philosophy.
