Our American culture is eerily effective at turning real concepts into buzzwords with little underlying meaning. Corporate America is the worst. We have words like “synergy” and “open-communication.” In reality, these concepts are powerful. Synergy can make or break a department project. But when words and phrases are thrown around without ever tapping into the reality of the words themselves, then they quickly lose meaning and become buzzwords.
Over the last few years, Social Media has become a buzzword. Too many companies have adopted “Social Media Campaigns” that are often simply done in order to check the box, instead of actually gaining the attention of existing and potential clients, which is the real purpose of social media.
Returning to Purpose
In this article, we are going to discuss the very purpose and nature of social media, and then we will lay down a number of practical steps a company can take in order to gain a potentially significant social media presence.
The purpose of social media is to gain attention for one’s product, service, or message via a social channel, such as Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Too many companies simply set up a Facebook or Twitter account and post random updates about products or services, without a clear, detailed plan. This is the wrong way to use social media. Following are a few rules to get started.
Don’t Just Sell
Consumers don’t want to be sold to constantly. If your social media efforts are bent toward selling, selling, selling, you will most likely find a quick dropoff in followers. Consumers do not want to be simply be told about your product constantly. What they do want is information. Information and education are powerful forces that help draw natural interest into your product or service.
Become The Expert
Social media is a prime channel to establish yourself as an expert by simply giving away information—constantly. Let’s say you sell a specialty line of expensive garden plants. Instead of talking about your garden plants 365 days per year, become an expert source of information regarding gardening. Every season will bring new topics, new discussions, and new information to your clients. Clients are not looking for someone they can buy a product from, they are primarily looking for someone they can trust. By assuming the role of expert, you will begin building trust with your customers.
Go Video
People are much more likely to watch a 3 minute video than they are to read a beautifully written article. Video marketing campaigns are powerful. Look at your business and get creative. What type of videos could you create that would help to service your clients? If we stick with our gardening example, a great idea would be to roll out a series of videos of you actually out in the garden, conducting a few training videos of how to plant certain types of plants, how to fertilize for optimal growth, etc.
Each of these steps we have mentioned in this article are meant to demand attention from your audience. Remember, this is always the primary purpose of all social media campaigns. Develop your content with this thought in mind, and the results will speak for themselves.
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