Social Media as a Tool

by Madelyn Brenner

​Sometimes it’s overlooked as a nuisance; others it seems too complicated to understand. But it is important to note and learn how helpful social media can be when running a business or even just trying to spread awareness. Just take the tragic Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting. Events, fundraisers, and marches have been organized solely using social media tools! It’s easy to make an impact when the world is at your fingertips! Here are some helpful hints that CBOB uses for how and why to use social media to your best advantage in order to be the most successful individual, as well as business, that you can be! ​

It’s more than just having an account. Many businesses open accounts solely to seem relevant, yet rarely post or update their followers. It’s better to not open a social media account until you’re fully ready to invest the time and energy into posting on a consistent basis with information relevant not only to your business, but also to your followers (Hudson). CBOB aims to post every single day on each of our accounts in order to best engage our followers.

Pictures are your friends! If you want to attract the attention of others it is key to use images in order to increase your chances of getting someone to share your post, which is the main way to increase your impact, which is the newest form of “word of mouth!” (Hudson). At CBOB, we try to add a picture to each of our posts in order to showcase what our events, fundraisers, and merchandise look like.
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Validate your brand with your followers. 33% of customers have claimed social media as the number one factor in how they identify and select new brands and services. Over sixty percent of consumers with an online presence say they are more likely to choose a brand with an informative social media presence (Why you need…). We do our best to match our posts with the brand we aim to represent.

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Respond quickly on your platforms. Whether it’s to messages, comments, or wall posts, it’s imperative that your social media presence is active and responds quickly to any concern expressed by a follower. Nearly three quarters of consumers who received a quick response on social media say they would recommend that brand to others, so checking actively and often can be crucial (Why you need…). CBOB tries to respond as quickly as possible to any concerns expressed.

Hone in on your community. Having a loyal following on social media creates a community that becomes a group in your corner. After establishing this base, you’ll be able to further expand the circle by inviting this group of followers to your events, and hoping they’ll do the same with their friends in order to merge circles (Fita). We try to invite anyone who has expressed interest in our organization to all of our events and ensure that they see all of our posts.

​While these tips and tricks are more specific to business, you can also apply them to your personal accounts as well to make sure you’re representing yourself in the best possible way. These are just some ways CBOB has attempted to achieve success with our social media bases. Hopefully you enjoy our social media presence! Keep in touch with us and receive updates by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! 

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Sources:
https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-social-media-2890301
https://www.growthgurus.com/blog/business-brand-need-understand-importance-social-media/
​https://www.brandignity.com/2011/03/4-reasons-why-social-media-is-more-important-than-ever/