The four most important social media dos and don'ts: Why not every follower counts

Attracting attention as a company in social networks is a major challenge. Reaching the target group and ideally inspiring them is a masterstroke. There is no one plan that is guaranteed to lead to success, even if it is often promised. Nevertheless, there are a few dos and don'ts to bear in mind when building a brand.

Do: Regularly refocus the objective

Classic goals of brand strategies include generating attention and reach, increasing sales or strengthening a brand. Social media experts should first determine where the journey with the channel should take them and then pursue this goal stringently.

It is also important - regardless of the strategic direction taken - to determine together with the team what resources are available for this. Social media professionals need to be clear about their priorities: "How much reach do I want to generate in what period of time?" would be an appropriate question. It is also important to differentiate between short-term and long-term goals. Ultimately, however, short-term measures should always contribute to the long-term vision. Nevertheless, social media experts must regularly analyze their objectives. Where should the journey with the company's social media channels lead? Is the course still right or does it need to be sharpened?

Don't: Only look at the pure number of followers

Measuring the success, or supposed failure, of your own social media presence solely by the number of followers is too one-dimensional. Of course, followers are relevant, but - alongside posts and interaction - they are only one side of a three-sided coin in this case. The three points are mutually dependent. Even with a small community, for example, a high level of engagement is possible. Depending on the chosen objective, a good presence can be built up in the long term. The following applies: Key figures create comparability. They provide an overview of the evaluation of the measures. A good question to check the success of your own channel is the following: "How many interactions were achieved with how many followers through which post in which period of time?"

Do: Fall for it - stand out with your personal uniqueness

Sure, this tip sounds very obvious at first. However, it often fails when it comes to implementation. If the recognition value of a brand is low and the channel is too similar to that of the competition, users will not become active. The opportunity lies in standing out from the crowd with small unique features.

How does a brand build recognition value? Basically, you should ask yourself where your USP lies in comparison to the competition. Once you are aware of this, social media experts need to communicate it to the target group. In addition to communication, it is also important to work out visual differences. Pretty, professional pictures are no longer enough. Recognition values can be created through a clear design line, a coherent color concept or even specific sounds. The aim here: before the user is aware of it, he recognizes the brand through the visual language, gets stuck and doesn't scroll any further. Social media professionals should also pay attention to exclusive content, quick information and detailed elaboration.

Don't: Take Low Hanging Fruits with you

At first glance, the sweet fruit (a.k.a. entertaining trends) is tempting. For many social media departments, it's a real treat, but it should be treated with caution. Internet trends pop up frequently - and usually disappear from the face of the earth just as quickly. There is no question that sometimes the trends fit in perfectly with your own approach and can be picked up on optimally. In general, however, a brief hype hardly strengthens your own brand strategy. This is why social media experts should be clear in advance about whether and if so, which challenges and content should be taken up.