When the Social Media conversation gets noisy, tune in to what matters most – results.
Whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert, these days everyone is social. With more than 901 million monthly active users on Facebook, 67.8 million daily posts on Tumblr and a billion tweets sent each week on Twitter, it’s not a question of whether or not your target audience is using Social Media to communicate. It’s a question of where and how you should engage with them as a brand. Just as you wouldn’t advertise a retirement community in Florida on a billboard on the Las Vegas Strip, you don’t want to be on all Social Media sites just because they’re heavily populated. Thinking about these key elements could make you a thought leader in your industry through Social Media, if you play your cards right. (Yup, we like puns.)
OK, so your grandma is on Pinterest. But is your target audience? Internally, it’s important to clearly define and understand your audience, and then do your due diligence to research what Social Media platforms they’re already on. Start by utilizing resources such as DoubleClick Ad Planner by Google, which will help you identify the websites your target audience is likely to visit. Once you’ve selected a few applicable Social Media sites, take a look at the type of content others are posting there, and who is posting it. Do your competitors have an online presence there? Chances are – if you notice that multiple competitors are active on the same platform – it might be worth starting a conversation of your own.
Content must be relevant to the people reading it. At MoreVisibility, we have “Bagel Fridays.” When it’s your turn to bring them, you’d better be on time because salivating graphic designers, SEO engineers and programmers does not a good start to the morning make. And while you may feel like we’re better friends after reading this little tidbit, you’re probably not going to want to read a series of ongoing blogs about it. In addition, your target audience will only continue to Follow, Like, Retweet or Share your content if you post information relevant to them and the things they care about. If you’re a personal injury lawyer or plastic surgeon, it’s probably safe to say you don’t need to share your work on Flickr. But it could be the perfect place for a budding wedding photographer to grow their business.
Time is money. Be strategic with how you spend it.Social Media is all about quality, not quantity. It takes many hours to research, strategize and create relevant content for various Social Media sites. We know because, well, we do it every day. But unless you have a team of experts dedicated solely to Social Media integration, it’s better to stick with a few sites you can regularly maintain and update on an ongoing basis. If your customers or clients look at your latest blog post and it’s about how revolutionary pagers are, what are the chances they’re still going to look at your company as cutting edge? Successfully building an audience on Social Media sites, such as Twitter, requires that you not only post new, relevant content, but follow others who do as well. And if a past customer posts negative feedback on your Facebook wall or YouTube channel, you have to be ready to address it in a timely and appropriate manner. Social Media is a two-way conversation: It’s just as important to listen as it is to talk.
