How to manage a company's social networks

The difficulty of managing a company’s social networks can vary according to experience and available resources. Here is a guide divided into three levels: Basic Fundamentals, Strategic Optimization and Impact Strategies, each with recommendations to help you move forward.

Level 1: Basic Fundamentals

1. Define simple objectives.
   Start by defining what you want to achieve with your social networks. For example, “to raise awareness of my business” or “to attract more visitors to my website” are basic goals that allow you to have a clear focus.
2. Select one or two suitable platforms.
   You don’t need to be on every platform. Choose one or two that best suit your type of business. For example, Instagram if your business is focused on visuals, or Facebook if you’re looking for a broader audience.
3. Create complete and attractive profiles.
   Complete all the information on your profiles: name, description, links to your website and good quality images for the profile picture and cover. This creates a good first impression for your visitors.
4. Publish consistently.
   Set a simple schedule and post content regularly, for example, once or twice a week. The key is to be consistent, not so much the quantity of posts.
5. Share visual and accessible content.
   At this level, you can focus on product images, simple videos or relevant quotes. Keep the content accessible and straightforward to attract the attention of your followers.
6. Respond to comments and messages.
   Interact with your audience by responding to comments and messages you receive. This helps build a good relationship with your followers, increasing trust and connection with your brand.
7. Create a consistent visual identity.
   It is important that your brand image is consistent across all social networks. Use the same colors, logos and fonts on every post so that people can quickly identify your brand. Consistent visual identity reinforces your company’s presence.
8. Learn from your competitors.
   Look at what other companies in your industry are doing. See what kind of posts work best for them and which ones don’t generate much interaction. This can give you ideas to improve your strategy without having to start from scratch.
9. Post at the best times.
   As you get more data about your audience, start identifying when they are most active. Posting at times when your audience is most engaged will increase the visibility of your posts. Analytics tools will help you determine these times.
10. Use design tools to create better graphics.
    At this level, it is important to increase the visual quality of your posts. You can use tools such as Canva or Adobe Spark, which allow you to create attractive graphics in a simple way. As you improve the quality of your visual content, you will increase the interactions of your publications.

Level 2: Strategic optimization

1. Plan a content calendar.
   At this level, planning is key. Create a calendar that includes different types of content, such as videos, polls, images and articles. This helps keep the account active and varied.
2. Use analytics tools.
   Platforms like Instagram and Facebook offer analytics tools to learn more about your audience. Data such as age, location and preferences will help you tailor your content to what your audience wants to see.
3. Schedule your posts with tools.
   Use tools like Buffer or Later to schedule your posts. This helps you maintain consistency and ensures that content is published at the best times without the need to keep an eye on it.
4. Create content of value to your audience.
   Don’t limit yourself to just talking about your products. Share content that is useful to your audience, such as tips, tutorials or interesting facts that relate to your industry. This will make your followers value your content.
5. Start paid advertising campaigns.
   Social media advertising is a way to expand your reach. You can segment your audience by characteristics such as age, interests and location to ensure that ads reach those who are likely to be interested.
6. Collaborate with microinfluencers.
   Seek out micro-influencers who share your brand values and have an audience aligned with your target audience. Collaborating with them can increase the reach of your business in a more authentic and credible way.

Level 3: Impact Strategies

1. Analysis of advanced metrics and KPIs.
   At this level, it is critical to delve into advanced metrics such as engagement rate, conversion rate and ROI. Use tools such as Google Analytics or Hootsuite Insights to thoroughly analyze the performance of each post and campaign.
2. Use social listening tools.
   Social listening allows you to understand what is being said about your brand and your industry. Tools such as Mention or Brandwatch will help you detect opportunities and threats, and adjust your strategy according to audience perception.
3. Automate processes with specialized tools.
   Automating certain processes can improve efficiency. Use tools such as Zapier to connect platforms and automate tasks such as responding to repetitive messages or tracking mentions.
4. Continuous A/B testing.
   To optimize the strategy, perform constant A/B tests with your publications. Change the type of image, text or time of publication, and analyze which one gets better results. This will help you fine-tune your content strategies.
5. Advanced segmentation and personalization.
   Target your advertising campaigns to specific segments of your audience, tailoring messages to each group according to their interests and demographics. The more personalized your content is, the better it will resonate with your audience
6. Collaborate with influencers strategically.
   Collaboration with influencers should be more targeted at this level. Look for those who really fit with your brand and have an engaged audience. Content generated in collaboration with influencers can be very powerful if done in a strategic and authentic way.
7. Run omnichannel campaigns.
   Connecting your social media efforts with other digital and physical channels can take your strategy to the next level. For example, you can combine email campaigns, social media posts and in-store promotions to maximize the impact of a launch.
8. Develop evergreen content strategies.
   Evergreen content is content that does not become obsolete over time. At an advanced level, it is important to have posts that are useful throughout the year, such as guides and tutorials. These posts can attract new followers and keep the audience engaged in the long run.
9. Implement predictive analytics.
   Predictive analytics uses historical data to make predictions about future audience behavior. This will allow you to anticipate what types of content will work best and how the audience might behave in future campaigns, thus optimizing your efforts.
10. Gaming to increase interaction.
    Incorporate gamification elements into your strategies. You can create contests, challenges and rewards to engage your audience in a more dynamic and fun way. This technique generates a high level of engagement and helps create positive experiences around your brand.

Here are the tips classified according to the complexity of social media management. Each level allows you to advance and deepen, from the basics to the use of sophisticated strategies that generate a great impact on your business.