Sebastian Quinn on leading a social media engagement strategy at Hard Rock International
Your business is unique. Don’t try to take a cookie-cutter approach to content strategies.
Hard Rock International’s Director of Digital Marketing and SocialMedia.org member, Sebastian Quinn, shared advice for leading a social media engagement strategy in his presentation at our Brands-Only Summit. And he starts with this simple directive: Know where you’re going.
“What are you trying to achieve with social media, and how can your conversations help you achieve this?” Sebastian says, “Your business is unique. Don’t try to take a cookie-cutter approach to content strategies.”
Align your content marketing goals with your social media goals.
“It doesn’t necessarily need to mimic it, but your social strategy should be an extension of your larger marketing goals,” says Sebastian. Sometimes, that requires beefing up your content strategy.
He says that even if you’re working with a smaller budget or no budget, it’s still important to “think like a big brand.” He recommends looking for resources through outsourcing or bringing on existing content creators from your marketing department to help with your social approach.
Find and define your voice.
If you’re having fun, that will translate to your guests and customers.
Sebastian says that while you may already have a voice defined for certain products or campaigns for your brand, it may not translate well to social. “That’s where the opportunity comes for you and your team to hone in on a ‘local niche spin’ on a certain brand voice,” says Sebastian.
That takes having a deep understanding of your company culture. He explains, “Knowing those nuances of your business can help you develop a voice that extends well into social media.” But, he warns that it’s just as important to make that voice consistent across each of your digital and social platforms.
Follow social platform changes.
“I think everyone in this room kind of groans when you hear about Facebook changing its algorithm,” he says. “That fluidity of our business is certainly a challenge, but it gives us an opportunity to pivot and optimize our strategy on the fly.”
To keep up, Sebastian’s team gets updates directly from the platforms, signs up for their newsletters, and reads tech industry news. He also recommends setting up Google alerts, which, according to Sebastian, often gets them the news first.
“SocialMedia.org is also a great vehicle for social media experts. Tap into our daily communications and conversations if you’re a part of the community. There are already people facing the same problems as you.”
The last step is to have fun.
“If you’re having fun, that will translate to your guests and customers,” he says.
According to Sebastian, if you’re not having fun with the content you’re creating and the conversations you’re having with your followers, you’re missing out on a big opportunity.
To learn more about Sebastian’s 15 steps for creating an engagement strategy watch his full presentation here. Sebastian has been a member of SocialMedia.org since 2015.
This article first appeared in www.socialmedia.org
