Almost half the globe is now on one or more social media platforms; this amounts to over 3.2 billion people engaging in digital social connection. At first many of us jumped on board to more conveniently connect with our friends and family, but we now look to social media to keep us updated on current events, be entertained, be inspired, give reviews, and interact with some of our favorite brands. (To name a few)
Due to the many needs that are being fulfilled on social media, people are now spending on average just under three hours per day; this is now longer than folks spend watching other all other media sources. Social platforms are so attractive because they are interactive; people, brands, governments, thought leaders, politicians, musicians (and many more) can connect in a multi-channel engagement and we feel our voice can be heard. On social we are in the conversation, not just a spectator.
As a company trying to connect with current and future clients on social platforms, you need to understand why people are hanging out there in the first place. We believe it boils down to three main reasons; To Connect, To Be Entertained and To be Inspired. We can also tell you with 100% certainty; absolutely no one is there to be SOLD!
So many companies take a halfhearted approach to promote their business on social. They produce a few sporadic “in-service” posts, often poorly conceived, lacking strategy, consistency, and overall vision. They then produce an ad and ask people to buy a product or service, and maybe even double down by spending money boosting this poor strategy to a wider audience. When this does not deliver the expected sales or engagement they discount social media as a viable way to reach their target customer. We can safely say this approach would always be doomed, with little to no chance to succeed.
Imagine you are standing in front of an audience of your current and potential customers. You have an opportunity to connect with them, entertain and inspire them and afterward move them to action. Your social media followers are your audience and if you learn how to effectively reach them in a meaningful way you can and will move them into action and as a bonus, you will also have an opportunity to be moved by them as well. After all, if done right, this is a two-way conversation if you choose to listen.
Top 5 objectives a Social audience wants from you and your company
Be a thought leader – these are trusted sources that move and inspire people with innovative ideas.
Create a connection– Facilitate connection with like-minded people, stimulate conversation, and share relevant information.
Demonstrate passion – Show people you care deeply for them as people and how they connect with your product or service.
Entertain –A big reason people are on Social is to be entertained, being the person entertaining them will give you their attention for a longer period of time and a chance to leave a lasting impression.
Educate – Help people to make the quality of their life better, expand awareness and be a trusted place to look for answers.
Top 5 Benefits you will receive from an effective Social Media Strategy
Brand Loyalty – showing you care about your current and future customers and the and the world we live in will cultivate that good gut feeling people get when they think about your company.
Earn the right to ask – Your focus on being in-service to your audience will be rewarded when it is time to ask for action. They have choices, why choose you?
Stay Relevant – In the digital age, information moves rapidly and so do trends. Staying in close contact and listening to your social audience will keep you current, hip and happening.
Data/Feedback – All social platforms provide tons of data that you can use to test ideas, see what is working and what is not, a key tool to help guide intelligent business decisions.
Increased Web traffic – Your web site is your digital street corner address, use social to steer traffic to your area of the web so you can have an even deeper connection with current and potential customers.
Many businesses spend an enormous amount of time to refine their product or service and take immense pride in what they have created, and so they should. But when it comes time to bring the company to market, they do themselves a disservice by not understanding how to craft a consistent message for a very important social media audience. This is unfortunate because a social strategy can not only be extremely effective but at the same time, it can be fairly inexpensive compared to the many other ways of getting the word out to the marketplace about your company and its offering. As always we are here to help in any way we can.
David Fyfe
info@hopefulbuilder.com