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Social Network Management: 21 Principles

Social Network Management: 21 Principles
17 abril, 2012 Andrés Silva Arancibia
In SocialMedia

ASA-Sofofa-4-copia

The manner to communicate has changed in a radical way. People express each other and want to be heard and the Social Networks are their main tool to achieve that purpose.

 

Then, the different brands, politicians, government’s organizations, among others, have been forced to adopt this new way of communication, and if they don’t, they won’t be heard and the people won’t receive their messages.

 

The Social Networks are a natural platform to the “Free Innovation”. Brands can explore y prove their products and services before launch them to the market. The free innovation lets expand their limits more than their areas of I + D. In this context, the social networks are natural orchestrators and make the collaboration easier, then the Social Network lets for example, suggest to the clients new designs, products and services, to stimulate the co-creation as is the case of Whole Foods. Nowadays, there are too many companies which are creating forums for the clients to promote ideas of products and share opinions about them, and they also vote for the best. With this, they give no just a sign of that they are putting attention in their around, but also the clients are part of the creation process of the new products and services, and the companies give incentives to do it.

 

Procter & Gamble was one of the first in adopt the social networks; now all their business have created sites for specific markets and communities. Lego is another emblematic case of free innovation that created a community for the different kinds of clients and interests.

 

The free innovation covers; observation, experimentation, orchestration, collective creativity, collaboration, share ideas, co-creation, bring close the company to their costumers and the industry to the universities which let to transfer knowledge among the researchers, scientist and inventors and more. The Social Networks are the platforms that make easier all those process.

 

According to the context, we will propose the 21 principles to innovate in marketing through the main platforms 2.0 and Social Networks, where people and different brands are expressing around the world.

 

1- The beginning of the Interaction

To answer the questions and consider the follower’s opinions is very important at the moment of generate compromise and recognition in each of them. Each question that you answer is an opportunity of fidelity, strengthening the follower’s compromise, with what you say and what you do. Each opinion that you consider is an unmistakable sign to your followers, if you read what follower has to say and if you take your time to comprehend what he is saying.

 

The interaction stimulates the dialogue, cornerstone in the generation of the follower’s information, because is in the dialogue where the follower says what he feels, thinks and knows. The more information you have about your followers, the more knowledge that you have about them, which with the time, will let you recognize what your follower needs and satisfy that need. This last thing we call it “The Power2.0”

 

Enhance the interaction recommending and supporting your followers. They will value a lot this action, thanking you by recommending you with their own followers, commenting your information, etc., making your account well-known, creating a virtual circle of communication.

 

2- The Selection Principle

You must wisely select who reply to, who to recommend, who to share and who to follow, otherwise, you will lose coherency and consistency with your audience.

 

Your biography in your profile in a social network limits your action range according to the limits expressed in your biography. To speak and write about the things that you really know strengthens your image, asertivity and credibility.

 

Finally, materialize your selection by creating lists and groups by similar profiles and contents. Starting in those lists and groups well-created, you’ll be able to optimize your recommends of contents and linked accounts to your profile. Remember that a good recommendation usually becomes in a good promotion for your account and you’ll start to build a reputation.

 

3- The Search Principle

If you interact with your selected followers (principles 1 and 2), your website 2.0 will become a magnet for new followers, increasing the magnitude, and with the time, the influence of your account.

 

Is advisable, too, that you search and follow your pairs, in this way you will link your account with your interests, Finally, the accounts that share your interests will follow you, making grow your network influences.

 

4- The Quality Principle

The quality is the relation with the contents that you create and distribute. The more related you are with the needs of your followers, the better quality of your content. The degree of assertiveness and relationship of your content with your followers depends on your performance in the interaction because is in it where you develop the knowledge and needs of your followers.

 

To be emphatic in the fact of interaction, let you look deeper in the motivations of your followers, therefore in their deep knowledge. This process makes easier the production of contents of high quality, given that, you are able to create or reproduce high-rated content to your followers, creating close ties that will make stronger the loyalty of your followers.

 

5- The Automation Principle

Do not automate too much your account, because you will lose the link with your followers. People value personalized treatment. The automatic and standardized answer weakens the link between followers and followed, therefore, weakens the loyalty index.

 

You must be pretty careful when choosing what to automate. The automation is good while it makes easier your job in the social networks saving time, however, if your followers feel that you are answering in an automatic way, they’ll punish you by stop following you.

 

The massive automation creates and distributes a lot of content in no time, saturating of information the profiles of your followers, which finally is reported as spam, bot or it is simply blocked.

 

6- The Self-Reference Principle

Speak just a little about yourself and your achievements. Recommend other people and highlight other’s achievements. Do not speak about personal acts, which do not contribute to your followers.

 

7- The Pertinence Principle

Write and recommend when your followers are connected and they can read and listen to what you want to say. To have at the right time the contents that your followers are looking for, will make your account a site that everyone would want to follow and comment on.

 

8- The Relevance Principle

Seek that everything that you write and communicate gives a real value to your followers. The followers exceedingly value the utility of the contents that you provide and recommend.

 

9- The Consideration Principle

Never leave a question without an answer. Everyone deserves an answer. The indifference makes harder the strengthening of the link follower/followed and ultimately, the Engagement.

 

10- The Differentiation Principle

Say what you want to say in a different way than the others. Be creative in the shape and substance. Invent and put some new Hastags, Groups, and Sites.

 

11- The Collaboration Principle

Support other people and they will support you. To be an active collaborator on the 2.0 website makes it easier that other people know your profile, which, ultimately means more mentions of your page, comments, Likes and Retweets, strengthening your influence between your pairs. To help other people always will give you a benefit, sooner than you can imagine.

 

12- The ‘Keep Current’ Principle

Never leave for tomorrow what you can answer today. Keep active and seek comment and communicate new contents, try always to set the trend.

 

13-   The Entertainment Principle

Write and communicate in an attractive way. Fight the monotony. You are not a robot first of all you’re a human that can improvise and surprise to the followers. Give to your 140 characters a little bit of humor and imagination.

 

14-   The Attraction Principle

You have to always draw attention from your followers. Write and share important information with the target groups. You must surprise every day in shape and substance to your followers. You can do this by debates, pictures, and videos. To find the perfect provocation level to find your audience is your daily challenge. If you provoke too much you can generate rejection, if you do it, no one will follow you.

 

15-   The Technical Synergy Principle

Relate and make stronger your networks. Link your Twitter accounts with other networks as Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+, and others. Build your own Architecture 2.0 and take advantage of your precious time and keep your status online in all your social networks.

 

16-   The Reputation Principle

Be consistent with what you say and you will achieve prestige among your followers. Never lie or invent comments that don’t have the power to gain followers in a short time. A lot of times we fall into the temptation of posting some sensationalist news to get some impact, but mortgaging our credibility in a long time.

 

17-   The  Connection and Belonging Principle

Socialize with your pairs y show them that you are as capable as them. Develop relevant content for your pairs. Link them and follow them if it is necessary. Develop a sense of belonging.

 

18-   The Coherency Principle

Never, contradict yourself. You must revise everything before you upload something. Respect the editorial line of your biography. Remember that you owe all the respect to the trust that your followers have put in you. Change your mind from one day to another in the network, may generate the reject of your community because you have changed the proposal that you offered them from the very beginning.

 

19-   The Empathy Principle

Always put yourself in other’s shoes to understand what he/she needs and wishes. Empathy allows you to generate high-demanded and accepted content for your audience. All previous is translated into a high tuning between what you do and what your audience wants, affecting positively in the loyalty of your followers.

 

20-   The Intuition Principle

Not always what you plan has a high impact on the network. To improvise products of the acquired experience, lots of times generate the greatest benefits. To surf the internet raises the chances of finding relevant content, which, to improvising (re-posting via RTs at the right time) and not being planning previously, can generate a significant number of retweets,  positively impacting in the account’s influence’s level.

21-   The Innovation Principle

It creates a new and significant value for a lot of people. You have to enhance the capacity of converting a good idea into a product, service or successful process.

 

The innovation in the social networks, allows you to communicate con people which you wouldn’t normally have the chance to meet. Tools as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn, and others, allow to manage brands, political campaigns, educate about digital platforms, create community support services, direct customer service, market researches, and many things more. The statistics indicate that 500.000 million is the number of impressions that the costumers share online annually with other people about products and services

 

Then, take advantage of this great source of opportunities, innovating in the way of communicating your value proposition.

Author: Andrés Silva Arancibia