golden questions of socialIn a world of over-sharers, gossip,140 character limits, and spam– how does your company stand out above all of that? When times get tough (let’s face it, lately they have been) there are two questions that you can ask yourself: what value does this have to my followers, and what purpose does this serve for my company. Careful, this only applies when deciding what to post on social media sites, and possibly your website and blog.

Question 1:
What value does this have to my followers?

You should always ask yourself this before you post anything. Why are you posting it? Are you using it to inform your people about industry news? Are you using it to inform people about company news? Are you using it to thank them for their service? Are you using it to strengthen your relationship with them based on their interests? Are you teaching them how to do something? Think about what goal your content has before you become a posting fanatic.

Question 2:
What purpose does this serve for my company?

This question relates back to the company, but again ultimately asks: why are you posting it? What benefit will you get out of posting an article from Forbes? Why should people download your whitepaper, what will you get out of it? Why are you posting a picture of your office? Why are you telling people about a new product launch? These are often things that people think they should do or get in the habit of doing, but you should stop and think of the purpose behind those actions. Often times your answer to this question will answer the first question, but if you can’t find an answer to either one of these questions than don’t post it. It is as simple as that. This is a great check and balance to making sure you are utilizing social media sites in the right way and not to spam your followers. It is also a good method of making sure you aren’t posting things you will regret later, I’m sure you have seen some horror stories of social media blunders already.

Bonus Question: 
How can I analyze it and improve? 

After reviewing both of the above questions, think of how you are going to measure the success of that post. It shouldn’t take you too long to figure that out because most social media sites make it easy to analyze your page actions. Look and see how people responded to your post and what you can do to improve. Could you add a link or a picture? Could you word it better to draw people’s attention to it? Was it the time of day that you posted it? What the topic relevant when you posted it? These are all things to consider when looking back on the performance of a certain post.

Keep all of these questions in the back of your head when posting content on social media sites. Think about if it makes sense to post something before you actually post it. If it does not serve a purpose for your followers or for your company, then chances are you probably shouldn’t post it.

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