Online classes are the rage. With the fall school season closing in, it’s fond for us to remember when platforms like Facebook were strictly reserved for college students and their benevolent love for poking.
(Perhaps we’re dating ourselves here, let’s move on shall we?)
Hootsuite Academy was one of the first, and dare we say pioneers, among companies with more to offer than just their services. A social scheduling and strategy platform, Hootsuite knows more than a thing or two when it comes to social engagement, and social learning fits right under that scope.
So without further adieu, here are our 5 takeaways from Hootsuite Academy’s Social Marketing course.
Taking a good hard like at yourself is important to achieve success. And the same goes for social performance.
It’s important for brands of all sizes to analyze the effectiveness of existing their efforts, understanding audience and competitor behaviors as trends. To do this, Hootsuite Academy provides three methods
Content calendars must work in tandem with strategy to map your publishing and scheduling needs. The goal for content schedules is to be consistent, balanced, strategic and relevant.
Hootsuite Academy provides these best practice for social scheduling.
Advocates are game changers, and an advocacy program can make or break your social presence.
While a broken record, community engagement is essential. Engaging with followers to derive value always trumps the quantity of followers you have. Not all followers are created equal!
Reach out to offline communities to join online (consumers, vendors, attendees). You can do this by providing incentives for existing customers. Examples include free downloads on Twitter and hashtag contests on Instagram.
The core of community is the principle of reciprocity, so always use brand voice and mission.
Cultivating and leveraging your community is essential, so strive to uncover a deeper understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. Brands can also seek their input to cement positive relationships, as self-monitoring in a community space can save time with questions. Here, it’s important to keep a keen eye of conversation to sales team for leads.
Remember, the goal here is to not just amplify your brand, but contribute their trusted influence to your community to raise its value.
Curated groups are gathered from a trusted source. This diversity of viewpoints helps balance out your self-promotional content. The main benefit of this contingent is that it requires minimal resources, while building new relationships and relevancy within your industry. Ask yourself: What is valuable your audience? Who is aligned to your values?
Created groups are produced within your organization. These include blog articles, white papers. infographics, and channel specific content. These methods allow you to position your organization at thought leader. With insight, knowledge, and perspective, created content can drive conversion Collaborate with designers for optimal quality and branding!
In conclusion, not all content is relevant. Whatever you create, brand or produce, must bring value to your organization. Whether your repurposing content or keeping track of scheduled postings, markets must also be in the mindset of sharing valuable gems with their audience.
What online learning tools are you engaging with?
How can your brand benefit from eLearning?
Let us know in the comments below!