Five Tips for Professional Service Firms to Improve Social Media Marketing in 2016
TROY, Mich., Dec. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- As professional service firms are planning their 2016 PR and marketing efforts, a proprietary study conducted by Bianchi Public Relations, Inc. offers firms five tips for improving their social media efforts. The study, "Social Media Use by Professional Services" (SMUPS™), analyzed social media usage by 25 of the top metro Detroit professional service organizations – including law, accounting, engineering, architectural and staffing firms – on their four most popular social platforms: Facebook; Twitter; LinkedIn; and YouTube.
"As 2016 PR and social media strategies are being readied, Bianchi PR's SMUPS™ study can provide the needed intel to really boost the effectiveness of professional service firms social media outreach efforts," said James Bianchi, president, Bianchi PR. "Incorporating these tips is simple and easy. Marketers just need to reevaluate and optimize the content being created based on our study's findings."
Data from the SMUPS™ study indicate that firms looking for improve their 2016 social media presence should:
- Post more earned media coverage. While third-party articles in trusted media outlets are the most effective source of information impacting people, on average, less than 10 percent of social media posts by professional service firms share media coverage. Firms can increase their credibility by leveraging their earned media coverage … and by acknowledging the reporter and/or the publication in their post.
- Focus more on LinkedIn. While LinkedIn is viewed as the most important social network for business people and professional service firms have a greater following on this platform than all others, less than a quarter of the average professional services firms' social media posts populate LinkedIn. Bianchi suggests firms follow their audiences and target more of their 2016 efforts to this platform.
- Become more engaging. While most professional service firms cite engagement as an immediate goal for their social media presence, only six percent of the reviewed professional service firms' social media posts on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are interactive-type posts that encourage engagement. Firms should make a focused effort to post more engaging context – questions, surveys, opinion polls, etc. – in 2016, Bianchi said.
- Always add a visual. While studies show that people prefer visual content because it is four times more memorable than text, nearly two-thirds of professional service firms' Twitter posts do not have visuals. Taking the extra step to plan for and then post a visual can make a marked improvement on the firm's social media success.
- Focus on the audience. While social media experts stress that at least 75 percent of posts should contain something that a company's audience finds valuable, most professional service posts – 79 to 88 percent, depending on platform – focus solely on the firm itself. Bianchi suggests firms focus more on the audience's interests and sharing more relevant third-party content in 2016.
The SMUPS study reviewed 90 days' worth of posts from 25 of the top Detroit-based professional services firms selected from Crain's Detroit Business lists. For more information, please visit: www.bianchipr.com.
About Bianchi PR
With experience in assisting professional service firms with media relations and related digital/social content needs, Bianchi PR has earned recognition as a "go-to" PR firm local and global companies looking for market knowledge, local connections and PR expertise. For more information, visit www.bianchipr.com or call 248-269-1122.
Bianchi PR is a member of the Public Relations Global Network – "The World's Local Agency" – one of the world's largest international public relations networks. PRGN harnesses the resources of 49 independent public relations firms and more than 800 communications professionals to connect international companies and organizations with individual and culturally diverse markets globally. Visit PRGN online at www.prgn.com or on Twitter at @PRGN.
SOURCE Bianchi Public Relations
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