Social media has created a communication revolution and it’s not going away. This has an obvious impact on business and many business are still trying to get to grips with it all, so here are my 5 Top Tips on social media for business use.

1. Get a plan – All too often organisations set up social media accounts because they think they should, but then their posts are just a bit random. In everything we do in business the most successful people have a strategy. That applies to social media too.
   
2. Research – Organisations have a tendency to use social media like traditional media – for announcing. But it provides us with a set of great tools to do so much more, like research, listening for feedback, competitor analysis and customer care.
   
3. Be in the room – Many organisations have got into the bad habit of thinking if they schedule posts they have ‘done‘ social media. That is a big mistake. Social media is about being social and building relationships with the right people. It’s when we build those relationships that the magic happens.
   
4. Add value. When I ask people why they have posted the things that they have, they often don’t really know. When we have a strategy we understand what it is that our customers want to see and read – and we share that.
   
5. Ensure your team understand the Do’s and Don’ts – If you employ people, get a simple social media policy in place, but more importantly train your team, paid staff and volunteers so that they fully understand the implications of what they are sharing and the consequences of bringing your organisation into disrepute . Bringing the whole team on board will also bring you many benefits.