Marriage therapists are fond of saying that when sex is good it’s about 10% of a relationship, but when it’s bad, it’s 90%. I can’t think of a more fitting analogy for a company’s social media strategy.

Arguably one of the most valuable and least understood pillars to an effective brand strategy, social media is critical in today’s 24/7 digital and always-on mobile environments. When it’s humming along it’s a mere 10% of your efforts, but when you’re doing it ineffectively it can eclipse everything else you may be doing right.

But unlike the other pillars of your communications efforts, social media can be a tricky double-edge sword. On the one hand, it is easily shared, measured and targeted. On the other, it can quickly gain its own momentum and has the potential to snowball out of control.

Most companies we work with understand the value of social media, but they’re stuck on how to do it well. After years of helping organizations in all types of industries stand out from the crowd, we’ve identified three critical components to making your social media presence successful.

 

Consistency

Once you determine where your social media time is best spent, you must find a way to be consistent. We always tell our clients the worst thing you can do from a brand perspective is to pull off a big launch and then disappear, and the same rings true with your social media presence. Whether you choose to use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest, it is imperative you create a plan before you start that compliments itself and builds on it’s own momentum.

There are many great tools on the market today that help automate your social media postings, and they each have their own value. But the first step must be deciding what your voice will be and how you can reasonably maintain that voice over time, in a 24/7 environment.

 

Creativity

The social media landscape is a crowded one, and you are trying to fight for mindshare not just from your own direct competitors, but from a slew of other distractions that bombard your customers moment by moment. It can seem daunting, but with the right creativity behind your social presence and posts, you can quickly rise above the noise and deliver content that doesn’t just inform and entertain, but also compels your audience to share with their audience.

To be truly creative, you must move beyond your own self-serving message and find a way to take part in the larger ecosystem that surrounds your company and brand. Creativity is more than just catchy slogans or eye-catching campaigns. It must also demonstrate thought leadership, engaging content, market awareness and a deep understanding of your customer.

 

Conversation

One of the most egregious errors we see companies of all shapes and sizes make on social media is to create a one-sided conversation. The very nature of social media is that it allows you to engage with your customers and your market in a two-way discussion. Customers love nothing more than to know their voice is heard, and they reward the brands with which they feel the most connection. Whatever your activity on social media, it should be undertaken with a desire to listen and engage with the conversation going on all around you.

Social is only one part of a successful brand strategy, and while it can’t be ignored, it shouldn’t be your only focus. Going back to our relationship analogy, when your social media presence is humming along nicely, it takes its proper place in your overall communications plan and allows you to effectively focus on all the various pillars.

 

Ensuring you address the consistency, creativity and conversation elements of your social strategy will help you elevate your brand and maximize your investment across your entire marketing strategy.