Flash Communications

Tales from a student-PR agency at Kent State University

Three tips for managing your social media like a pro

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Before I took on the position of social media director for Her Campus at Kent State, social media was just another way to entertain myself. I can’t say I never cared about putting effort into maintaining my platforms, but it took on a whole new meaning once I began to manage accounts for work. In the past year, I’ve come to realize a few things about cultivating a successful social media presence. Here are three things to keep in mind that apply to both professional and personal accounts.

  1. Stay true to your brand (yes, you have a brand)

The definition of what a “brand” is constantly changes, but Forbes reports that it is essentially “the intangible sum of a product’s attributes.” You may think this definition only applies to those with a product to sell, but consider this: You are a product and you advertise who you are as a person when you use social media. The key point to remember about your brand on social media is consistency. That’s not to say you don’t have room to grow, but just like you wouldn’t expect ESPN to start tweeting about New York Fashion Week, you too should stay true to your identity.

Here’s an example with the main Huffington Post twitter account dipping their toes into the entertainment world and getting criticized in the replies.

  1. Multimedia elements are your friend

A quick scroll through my timeline shows very few plain text tweets and there’s a good reason for that. According to Twitter, “tweets with photos get 313% more engagement.” Everyone from The White House to “Common White Girl” knows the power of a good multimedia tweet. Just take these posts for example:

  1. Contribute to the Conversation

What are people talking about and how can you become a part of the conversation? Not every situation needs a response and there is something to be said for selective participation, but if it *makes sense for you to participate, then go for it.

Here’s a great example from Her Campus Kent State from our Women’s March coverage. I had one of my social team members live tweet while they marched and a fair number of people picked up this particular tweet.

*see tip #1

I’m sure you know how your social media presence comes off and you were probably already posting pictures and commenting on current events before I told you how important it is. My point is to do these things consciously so that next time you type out a tweet, you know that it’ll be a hit. Now go forth and conquer social media like it’s your job.

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