Next in our People of Pace series we’re introducing Abbi, our Senior Social & Content Manager.
Abbi heads a team of five creators and influencers who excel in content creation and copywriting.
Here she tells us all about the role of social media in our work with clients.
· How does Pace currently use social media for clients?
We have such a breadth of clients at Pace and we never use a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, it always starts with why? Why do you need to be present on social media? Why should people follow you? Why is it important to your business model?
· The role of different platforms
Each social channel has an entirely different purpose. The ones on which you have a presence depends upon what you have to say and what value you can bring to that channel.
How this might manifest is that our clients might only have a presence on one or two ‘hero’ channels, for example, or they may be active on every platform but we’re producing different content for each one. Whatever the strategy, we have a highly effective content marketing machine hard at work behind the scenes.
· How has social media changed?
This tailored approach to social channels is becoming increasingly more important as social media continues to evolve. Your communities on social media are expecting more than information – they’re expecting an authentic voice, a two-way conversation and for your content to be of value to them. This makes our jobs more time consuming but the scope to create brand advocates when you approach social media like this is huge.
· Social’s role within the wider marketing mix
There are businesses that exist which are, first and foremost, a social brand – their presence on and use of social media is integral to their business model. But that is not the case for a lot of businesses where, instead, the use of social media fits within a wider marketing mix.
The beauty of social media is that it can be used with great effect along the whole funnel – from brand awareness to action. Measurement on social media can be more tangible than other communication tools hence demonstrating ROI is much easier.
· Why are some businesses reluctant to use social channels?
This can be driven by a lack of understanding or expertise within a company or a disconnect between the time it takes and the value of what they get in return. This is why it can be so important to work with social media experts – we know the channels inside out so we can advise the best approach and we’re efficient at managing the channels because this is what we do every day.
· What would your advice be to a company starting a social presence?
Figure out the why – what value could this bring to your audience and your business? And then always use this as your guiding principle for any content you are producing.
· Any other tips?
Type your business name into Google. When you see how high up the search results your social channels are, and, therefore, how likely they are to be clicked on by your audience, you’ll understand why they are so important in the marketing mix. Social channels are often one of the first impressions your potential customers will have of your business and if you’re not representing well, you could be missing out.
