{"id":103483,"date":"2013-02-21T03:14:00","date_gmt":"2013-02-21T08:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/how-to-avoid-dead-social-media-syndrome-2\/"},"modified":"2024-12-19T16:42:03","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T21:42:03","slug":"how-to-avoid-dead-social-media-syndrome-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/en-gb\/insights\/blog\/strategy\/how-to-avoid-dead-social-media-syndrome-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Avoid Dead Social Media Syndrome"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/a>A quirky little news item today caught my eye: A newly-announced Twitter app called LivesOn<\/a> will allow people to keep tweeting after they die. It promises to scan the content of your Twitter feed, and to continue posting links and status updates that fit the algorithm.<\/p>\n

If this strikes you as more than a little bit creepy, you’re not the only one. But it also occurs to me that much of what we read today on social media channels is so formulaic, robotic and dry that it may as well have been written by a dead person.<\/p>\n

Corporate blogs, Facebook pages, YouTube videos and Twitter feeds can easily fall into the trap of being boring and lifeless. There are many reasons for this, but the consequence is usually the same: Nobody wants to read them. It’s called “social” media for a reason. When was the last time you went to a party and enjoyed spending time chatting with the on-message corporate drone in the corner? Yeah, me neither.<\/p>\n

So if you’re wondering why your social media efforts aren’t generating the interest or buzz that you expected, here are some tips to avoid “Dead Social Media Syndrome”:<\/p>\n

In-source community management<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It can be tempting to outsource the role of community manager —\u00a0 the person who sits on Facebook and Twitter and posts updates — to an intern or a gun-for-hire. Resist that temptation. Some of the most successful corporate social media accounts are run directly by the company President, CEO or other prominent public face. If that’s not realistic (and don’t underestimate the time commitment), then choose trusted employees with sufficient experience and expertise in social, PR and communications<\/a>. Nobody knows your brand like the people who live and breathe it on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

Have a sense of humour and play to your audience<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The White House’s recent response<\/a> to a petition by Star Wars fans who wanted the government to commit to building a Death Star is a perfect example. Instead of issuing a dry government communiqu\u00e9, White House official Paul Shawcross used quirky, tongue-in-cheek humour and science fiction references to wink to fans while still maintaining the government’s position. By all means, respect your brand guidelines and stay on message, but don’t be afraid to have a personality. People want to interact with humans, not corporations.<\/p>\n

Don’t bite off more than you can chew<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It may be tempting to launch corporate accounts on every social media channel and network that you can think of. But be realistic about the time, effort and resources that it will require to keep all of those communities active and up to date. The only thing worse than having no Facebook page at all is having a Facebook page that hasn’t had any new posts since 2011. Judiciously select the social channels most important to your brand, and remember that it’s okay to participate in existing communities instead of always feeling like you need to build your own.<\/p>\n

\n \n
\n
\n

\n Stay Forward <\/h2>\n

\n Get exclusive insights into digital
media's top-trending topics delivered
directly to your inbox. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\n \n