There are 2.3 billion active social media users. Last year alone, this number increased by 176 million.  Facebook has 1.7 billion users, Instagram has over 400 million, Twitter over 320 million and LinkedIn over 450 million. Whoa.

All of these users are also consumers. Some hold powerful social influence and others could be your number one fan. A good way to reach them? Get in on the action! Working at an award-winning marketing communications agency in Cincinnati, we’ve learned some tricks of the trade we’d like to share with you. Set yourself up for #success with these five must-do’s before you get social.

1) Make a strategy.
Before you go social, you need to have a plan. Although you may be all over the place on your personal social pages, you want your brand’s page to be cohesive and organized. Be sure to set goals and keep them in mind for every social tactic. Ask questions like:

• “What are our key messages?” Think about the things that speak to who your brand is and what it lives to do.
• “What do we want our followers to know about us?” Are you an award-winning marketing communications agency (cough, cough)? Say that. Are you passionate about a particular cause? Promote that.
• “What do we want to be for our followers?” Do you want to be a source of information, entertainment or advice?
• “What is our voice?” Do you want to be funny, serious or informative?

Once you’ve figured out who you are, you need to figure out who you’re talking to.

2) Know who you’re talking to.
The number one question to ask here is, “who is our audience?” Think about things like age, gender, interests and location. See what your audience is talking about and talk about it, too. See what your audience is searching for and become their source.

This is where the “social” aspect of social media is. If they comment on your post, respond. If they retweet you, thank them for the retweet. If they post something relevant to your brand, like it or even better, comment on it. You want to engage and interact with your audience and in turn, they’ll probably engage and interact with you.

3) Pick which platforms are best.
Not all social platforms are the same and not all social platforms work for all brands. Think about the best way to convey who your brand is and what you want to say.

Is your brand something that is easily photographed and visually captivating? Food, beverage and retail brands dominate the Instagram space. Is your brand a little more complex? Do you need more room for written explanation? Facebook and LinkedIn offer no character limit to posts and still have visual add-ons. Are you out and about and all over town? Is engagement your top priority? Twitter is the spot for your real-time, play-by-play engagement go-to. Do you have stories to tell? YouTube is your new best friend.

Of course there are dozens of other social platforms that could work for your brand like Pinterest, Meetup, Google+, Snapchat and the list goes on and on.

4) Build a complete profile.
Once you’ve chosen which platforms you’re going to use, your next step is to build your profile. It seems simple, but you want to build a complete profile. Be sure to upload photos with descriptions, give a thorough description in your “About” section, link up any other social profiles or websites and follow relevant accounts.

5) Divide responsibilities.
This is one of the most important steps of them all. You’ve created this stellar strategy, compelling profile and an audience review, so who’s going to make the magic happen? Assign and divide responsibilities within your team. Ask questions like:

• Who is drafting/developing content?
• Who is reviewing/approving content?
• Who is posting/scheduling content?
• Who is monitoring page activity?
• Who is commenting, liking or responding to engagement?
• Who is pulling metrics?
• Who is keeping the strategy on track?

Don’t have the time, manpower or ability to manage all of this? Call your savvy social media experts at Rasor Marketing Communications.

Now, what’s next? Go for it! Our biggest advice from here? Adapt and evolve. See what works and do more of it. See what doesn’t work and do less of it. There are hundreds of tips and tricks out there so check those out. (And be sure to check back in with the Rasor Marketing Communications blog for more!)