Social media management: worth it?

Preston, Creative Commons

I currently do social media management for two Twitter accounts plus tending to my own. There is nothing like getting stuck in to teach you what works or doesn't work - reading social media management guides will only help you so much.

I am trying various tactics and am quite pleased with results so far. Twitter is an immediate platform so you don't have to wait like the proverbial spider in the web for flies to stick to you. Did I say flies? I meant followers. So if you have a childish penchant for instant gratification, Twitter is your digital tool. Not that I am saying I am childish!

My experiments are about engagement in terms of content and time. I am trying out humour, expert tips (from a variety of marketers), curious photos (with a touch of vintage) and intriguing products/concepts. For my own account I try to tweet about hobbies and past-times at the weekend, keeping week days as business only (unless I get really tempted by something shiny!). I am using Buffer and finding that the basic, free account works quite well. Buffer shortens links and is very easy to use, I am saving time as scheduling means I can leave the app to manage tweet delivery while I do something else.

On my own account I started with around 300 followers and I am now up to 464 in a short amount of time. With my clients I am also having good results. But the most important thing is not the quantity but the quality. There is no point having lots of followers for a company if these are not customers or potential customers. So if the business is niche or geographically limited, it doesn't make sense to have a huge amount of followers, especially if the business couldn't cope with huge orders. I love challenges, but "Know your limits" is the most valuable business lesson I have ever learned.

What else have I been up to? Find out reading these two articles I published on LinkedIn:

Shoot 'Em Up copywriting – don't hire a cowboy

This is all about copywriting within a marketing strategy. There are a few insights on planning by a fellow marketer (see comments).

Why I love digital marketing

This is why I love my job and what my current challenges are. I am mentioning a free digital marketing course and the names of a few experts to follow.

STOP PRESS, STOP PRESS, HOT UPDATE! Making a geography gaffe creates huge engagement. This morning I wrongly said that Lille is in Belgium, which is not incorrect but the event I was tweeting about happened in France... #mustreadthedailymailproperly.

UPDATE: followers are now 596 at 9 November 2014 and it's quality followers too, I am getting a lot of CEOs for some reason....

Followers are at 1698 in May 2017.
More articles:

Taking the pain and hazard out of pricing

The secret of success