If you’re nervous about getting started with a new approach or campaign on social media, you’re not alone.
What you need is a plan. Or a playbook, more specifically.
“But social media is all about creativity!” I hear you cry. “Don’t turn it into a process!”
A good social media playbook will help your creativity, not hinder it.
It will give your teams clear boundaries for posting and responding on social, but allow them to be as creative as they want within those lines, so your brand can shine (in the moonlight).
It will give you the confidence to get involved with conversations, to jump on trends and memes, while staying true to your brand.
A great playbook will give clarity on who the brand is, what it stands for.
It will:
- Set your social strategy. What is it you want to achieve on social? That might be social selling, engagement, community building, awareness or problem solving for customers. Whatever your strategy, lay it out clearly so your social team understands what they’re there to achieve.
- Define your audiences (and the channels they’re on). Who are the people that really matter to you and where are they having the conversations you need to know about?
- Show where you can add value by getting involved in a conversation. That value might be helping a customer, providing information, getting involved in a cause that’s close to your brand, or simply making someone laugh. If it doesn’t add value, don’t post it.
- Be clear about who the brand is at its heart. Its tone of voice, what it stands for, its values, its approach to politics. If you’re clear about who you are, it’s a whole lot easier to create on social.
- Be clear about boundaries. Yes, you can jump on that meme, respond with humour, create visuals on the fly – as long as it fits with the brand. A good playbook will have examples of what’s ok, what great, and what’s off limits.
- Outline what topics you can get involved with, and the ones you should avoid. Are you happy to stoke up some controversy, get involved in political debate, or talk about the news? Or would you prefer to keep it lighter?
- Let your social media team have some fun! This is a playbook – the clue is in the name. Be a bit playful, experimental, creative. Rules can be liberating, not just restrictive!
- Set your escalation policy. Occasionally, things go wrong, or your team will come across an issue they can’t solve. Your playbook should outline your plans to resolve problems, and deal with a potential crisis or social media backlash.
And finally, review your playbook regularly. Things change fast on social media. Fads die out, trends move on, platforms update their features. Make sure your playbook is relevant, helpful and bang up to date.
At The Social Element we build playbooks for all our clients – want one? Get in touch!
