Why Your Business Needs Social Media

For the uninitiated social media user, Gary Vaynerchuk’s Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook is a great start to understanding the differences among the many social media platforms.

And unless you’re Trader Joes, you need to have a voice on social media (Trader Joes has a cult following on social media where diehards are tweeting and instagramming about the American grocery store’s unique products on the regular – but the grocery chain doesn’t use social media platforms.)

This book is a great resource for both small businesses and multinational corporations alike.
Vaynerchuk breaks the book down into different social media channels. Facebook, for example has its own section. As does Twitter, Instagram and the rest. Here are three social media platforms the book talks about.


Facebook
There are more than 1.3 billion active users on Facebook. “The majority of brands and business still haven’t realized the unprecedented insight Facebook gives us into people’s lives and psychology, insight that allows marketers to optimize every jab, every piece of micro-content, and every right hook,” Vaynerchuk says.

He uses the boxing lingo to describe what marketers should be doing on the massive social media channel. The ‘jab’ (times three) is about creating content that users want and find entertaining. Most Facebook users log on to socialize, connect and catch up with those in their network.

Creating content for Facebook should take this into consideration. Vaynerchuk also points out that companies need to use their logo on any photo they put out onto Facebook. Otherwise, how would a customer know what brand you’re representing as they scroll down their Facebook feed at lightning speed? 

Vaynerchuk adds that text should be short and witty. Avoid multiple call to actions on one post. In posts that are just ‘jabs’, you don’t want a call to action. It’s all about catering to the needs of the customers, not about selling them something. And while you’re at it, make sure the photos you post are high quality.


Twitter
I love Twitter.

Twitter is the one platform where customers engaging with brands is the norm. You tweet with the intention of getting others to retweet you or start a conversation with you. In turn, you’re creating a dialogue with your customers on a grassroots level.

It’s important for companies, large and small, to sound authentic on Twitter. Be true to your voice. No one wants to read tweets that sound like they’re repurposed by a robot.

Twitter is also where hashtags matter. Top trends are great hashtags for companies to use. Ride the hashtags but do it playfully and consider context (If #heatwave is a top trend and you’re in the business of ice cream, ride the trend!)
 
 
Instagram
Instagram is an important platform to tell your story visually. And for that reason, Vaynerchuk emphasizes quality of content. “No one is going to Instagram to see advertisements and stock photos.”

One of the challenges multinationals face is making their content authentic. Corporations usually sound stuffy, technical and fake with their brand message getting bogged down by layers of internal bureaucracy. It’s important to make Instagram content artistic and creative, which is the native language of Instagram, Vaynerchuk says. It’s also a platform that skews to a younger demographic. Make sure your content caters to them through photos. And use hashtags, which help spread your message on the platform.