How To Put The “Social” Back In Social Media

Hey Social Butterflies!

Everyone knows what social media is. Every business knows they should be doing it. But, is your business doing it wrong?

Misconception: Social Media is Free Advertising

Most businesses think social media is just a free source of advertising. A way to continuously plug products, specials, or services that they offer while expecting a massive return. Social media was not designed to be used like this. Businesses get largely caught up on the media side and forget about the social side. Followers need a reason to follow you. That reason needs to be more substantial than constantly saying “check me out”.

Providing Value to Followers

It is a proven fact that you have milliseconds to garner someone’s attention on social media. Think of how many times you have been scrolling through Instagram, for example. Think of how fast your thumb flows up your screen, stopping only when something catches your eye. How often does something catch your eye—a price point, an ad, or a special? Likely not very often. The average person will see upwards of 10,000 advertisements per day. We have conditioned ourselves to tune them out. This is where social media can really help you - not being just another ad, but a brand with a personality that people actually enjoy engaging with.

The 80/20 Rule

There is an unspoken 80/20 rule in the land of social media. Guess which number is the one that can be allotted to shameless self-promotion? Hint: It’s not the larger of the two. The vast majority, yes, somewhere around the 80% mark, of your content should be providing value to your followers. This can include things such as expert advice or interesting facts from your field, pictures or quotes, polls, or giveaways; in some cases, you can even use social media as a customer service gateway through private messaging. It doesn’t always have to be a post, though; it could—and in most cases, should—be comments and engagements on other people’s posts.

The Power of Engagement

Engaging with your social media followers isn't just about numbers; it's about humanizing your brand. When you actively respond to comments and initiate conversations, you're fostering a sense of connection and building relationships. In today's business landscape, where people prefer to buy from those they know, like and trust, social media serves as a powerful tool to develop the "like" aspect. By showing the human side of your business and genuinely engaging with your audience, you can cultivate loyalty and turn customers into advocates. So, embrace the power of engagement on social media to not only boost your brand presence but also to create meaningful connections with your followers.

Examples of Success

Want an example? I have one here for you. Wendy’s. Yup, that delicious fast-food chain read the book on social media and won the game. You know why people follow Wendy’s? Absolutely not a single reason to do with fast food. Wendy’s twitter account became famous for roasting its followers. It uses cheeky responses and savage comebacks to entertain its followers, providing that ever-elusive value I was speaking of before. They have so many followers (3.7 million!) because of the personality behind the tweets that when they do post about the Baconator (or any other self-promotion), it has the effect most businesses seek in terms of free advertising via social media; it is seen by millions of people.

Another great example is Virgin Mobile. There is a great story about how marketing guru (or un-marketing, as he prefers) Scott Stratten reached out on social media to his (then) current mobile phone carrier regarding an issue he was having; they did not respond. Virgin Mobile, however, was monitoring conversations in their market, saw this complaint as an opportunity, and responded. Their response was a humorous commentary on the issue, with a “we don’t have those problems at Virgin” causing him to switch and they got a new and loyal client as a result. It is important to note that Scott didn’t switch because they said they didn’t have those problems; it was their human and timely response that he connected with.

Conclusion

Let this be a lesson if you decide to go down the Social Media path;

Fail to engage and lose your clients, potential or established. Respond in a genuine fashion and you just might see the return you were looking for.

Social media is not the time or place to be corporate and stoic; loosen up and be human.

Author: Whitney, Director of Business Development

Ready to take your social media game to the next level? Contact us at info@thejuicemarketing.ca or visit our website at www.thejuicemarketing.ca to learn more about our services. Let’s create some social media magic together! 🍊🚀