X Channel Management
The following costs approximate what it would take to support content production, supporting that content with paid dollars and the community management on all comments.
- Content Planning & Production:
Level 1 – €135K+ | Level 2 – €50K+ | Level 3 – €35K+ - Paid Support:
Each team’s business objectives and channel goals are different, which means the paid spend will be as well. Regardless of spend, it’s important to keep a consistent paid presence on our channels in order to engage with our audiences. - Community Engagement:
Level 1 – €55K+ | Level 2 – €20K+ | Level 3 – €12K+
Note: These costs do not include any out of pocket costs (e.g. video production, photo shoots, paid budget)
Bayer Brand Narrative Direction
At Bayer, we work to make lives better. And we believe science is the key. Since our foundation, we've built our reputation by delivering on our purpose: "Science for a better life." We've brought essential products to millions around the globe. And we've become a trusted brand that everyone, everywhere can rely on. Together, we're helping people and our planet thrive.
Our journey toward a more dynamic, outward-oriented and human brand continues.
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Bringing to life our focus on advancing health and nutrition
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Putting emphasis on the human aspect and impact of what we do
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Being outward-oriented beyond our own sites and labs
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Confidently express our desire to push the status quo
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Dynamic and agile — helping people and planet thrive
Covers & Profile Photos:
- Profile images on all social Bayer Communications channels should be the Bayer logo and any changes should be driven by the Channels & Amplification Team
- Social cover photos should follow brand guidelines and feature exceptional imagery, highlight diversity, and be globally or regionally appropriate (based on channel).
- Cover photos can be changed up to once per quarter but should not exceed that unless there is a compelling business reason
- Alterations involving logo need approval by the Corporate Brand Management Team
- When naming business partners on the channel, use the "|" or "pipe" to separate Bayer from the business partner name. For example: Bayer | Pharmaceuticals
Feed Asset Branding:
- Add the Bayer Cross logo to any assets promoting large business announcements (Report releases, Company and Leadership milestones, etc.) and announcements that will likely be widely "shared".
About Section:
- Ensure your about section is up-to-date and consistent with the current Bayer messaging strategy. Because this messaging may change, refer to the Global Bayer X page for the most up to date about section messaging.
To build better relationships with your online community, it’s important to create content that they will not only see, but will also engage with. Below are best practices to write successful X posts. While these insights offer a great place to start, it is always a good idea to keep testing approaches and content to continue to learn about your audience and what makes them click.
Copy Length
Recommended: 71-100 characters but can use up to 280. Full sentences are not required. Opt for shorter but essential key words.
Frequency
Feed: 3x per day, including Retweets; (Exception: During events, it is acceptable to post more frequently).
Tone
Brevity is key. Use active, not passive voice. Tone should be informative, helpful and direct, but not cold.
KPIs
To be measured by likes, Retweets, video view rate, click-through rate, follower count, and/or engagements.
Mention Approach
Tag collaborators, partners or individuals mentioned in specific posts or story content if he/she/they are active on X.
Hashtag
Use 1–2 hashtags per post
Best Posting TImes
For organic posts, the best posting time is dependent on your time zone and location. Furthermore, this can change over time. That’s why it’s generally best to use a 3rd party scheduling software (Sprinklr) to determine the best times on an ongoing basis.
For example, the United States best posting time is generally between 9am–3pm across time zones.
Hashtags are a great way for brands to make their social posts more visible, increase engagement, and update a group of like-minded individuals on relevant topics in real time.
Below is guidance to ensure your hashtags are aligned with Bayer’s hashtag strategy:
General Hashtag Guidance
- If relevant, use 1–2 hashtags per post. Hashtags are about joining the online conversation. If there is not a current, relevant conversation, no hashtag is necessary.
- Because this platform is primarily for business and caters to a different audience, keep hashtags straightforward and professional.
Bayer Branded Hashtag Guidance
- Only create new branded hashtags when there is a clear need to start a conversation and track it. Intent must be long-term use.
- This existing branded hashtag has a strong link to our company, brand purpose and reputation:
→ #TeamBayer
Hashtag Placement
- Hashtags should be included within the post copy lines where relevant (common hashtags in line: #sustainability #innovation).
- If the hashtags are not a natural fit within the post copy, include them at the end of the post after any URL.
Always check the hashtag usage on the channel before including it in the copy. Connect with the insights team if more research is needed.
When a user follows a profile, they’re showing support for that user/company and that they want to see content from it. Users are able to find what companies or people Bayers follows on our profiles.
Bayer “Following” Guidance: Follow pages of companies we have ongoing partnerships with (publications, affiliated Bayer pages, partner NGOs, etc.) so we show collaborative support and easily share content we are tagged in. Ensure you are liking a given page through the company page, not your personal account. Review your following every 6 months to ensure your follower list is up-to-date and reflects current partnerships.
- The Channels & Amplification team is responsible for maintaining our ‘follow’ protocol on the Bayer global page.
- Each country and business partner page owner is responsible for maintaining our ‘follow’ protocol of their X page.
When a user likes or retweets posts from a profile, they're showing support for that user/company and choosing to amplify their messages. When we like and retweet posts, some of our followers can get notified via notification or can see this interaction on their newsfeed. Therefore, it is important to ensure that we are interacting with users and companies that are aligned with our business goals and are diverse across all divisions to not oversaturate the feed with one topic.
Bayer “Liking” and “Retweeting” Guidance: Only interacting with Bayer-affiliated accounts, accounts of companies we have ongoing partnerships with (Wall Street Journal, Politico, etc.), and followers who are legitimate and non-inflammatory (follow community guidelines) should be responded to as timely as possible. Ensure you are interacting through the company profile, not your personal account. Before retweeting, keep our channel cadence recommendation in mind so as to not overwhelm the feed. Make sure the retweets are aligned with planned content topics to keep feed posts relevant and consistent.
What is Community Engagement?
The process of community building with our target audiences across owned and opportunistic, external channels that enhances the experience of our audiences. It also improves societal perceptions and positions Bayer as an industry leader through reputation building.
Bayer Community
A group of people that share an active interest in Bayer and related topics. The Community Engagement Virtual Team builds and fosters communities. They identify, engage in and moderate discussions that relate to our brand and the fields we are operating in to build trust and provide a positive brand experience. They also take an active role in editorial planning and bring in content creation and publishing experience.
Engagement Tone
Brevity is key on X and community managers are not required to write in full sentences. Instead opt for shorter but essential key words. Use active, not passive voice and your tone should be informative, helpful and direct, but not cold. User and employee engagements that are legitimate and non-inflammatory (follow community guidelines) should be responded to as timely as possible. The Community Engagement Virtual Team goal is to respond to all engagements within 24 hours. Mention (@) key leaders at Bayer and collaborating partners mentioned in specific post or story content if he/she/they are active on X. Retweet key business leaders if their messaging is relevant to the global online X community.
For any questions about community engagement or the virtual team, email engage@bayer.com.