This past Halloween, I hosted a costume party at my home for 120 of my closest friends. We all had a blast -- we laughed, we drank a lot, some got sick, etc. You know how the story goes.
But in the middle of my party, a friend of mine came over and started telling me about his new startup business. Was it a good business idea? I don’t know, I wasn’t listening. Would I buy whatever it was he was selling? Again, I wasn’t listening and don’t care.
So why do I sound like such a jerk? Because I was at a party, that’s why. Let me drink, crack a few jokes and be obnoxious without you bothering me about your new business. Is that OK, buddy?
Which brings me to the point of this column.
When social-media marketing became a “thing” a few years back, companies got all excited. I know because I was one of them. It was a new way of reaching out to the customer. No longer did I have to wait to send my monthly email to my customers. No longer would I fear that reaching my customers would be costly and time consuming.
I was now able to reach my audience daily -- daily! -- for free. That’s right, I did not have to pay a nickel to post a new Facebook status about our recent GQ placement, tweet out a new sale or post a picture of our new products on Instagram. I could now do it every single day and it was free. Marketing had never been easier or less expensive.
Fast forward to 2015.
Because it’s (mostly) free, social-media marketing is now everywhere. It’s in your Facebook feed. It’s on the side of your Facebook feed. It’s in your Twitter feed. It’s promoted in your Twitter feed. It's in your Instagram feed and now promoted Instagram photos.
Sheesh, I’m exhausted just listing them all. Now, imagine how the customers feel.
Here we are, at least five years into social-media marketing, and the results are still inconclusive as to whether companies make any money off this stuff. With advertisers so heavily invested in social-media marketing now -- through hiring, promoted posts, endless time -- they continue to try to break the code on maximizing their return on investment for their social-media efforts. To date, these efforts still aren’t working.
Why? Let’s go back to my Halloween party.
I’m hanging out with my friends. A little buzzed. Having fun. And then someone came over to me and wanted to talk business with me. He didn’t give me a hard sell. It wasn’t even a lengthy conversation. But still, I wasn’t in the mood to be sold to. I was talking to friends.
And that’s how I feel when I am on Facebook or Instagram, and to a lesser extent, Twitter.
I am hanging out online. Talking. Socializing. Not looking to be interrupted. Not looking to be sold to. And yet, that’s all these brands want to do. Interrupt my time with my friends. I’m tired of it.
Most brands, because of its low (or no) cost, market on social media daily. Which means we are not only bothered when we want to be left alone, but we are bothered multiple times a day.
That’s why I conclude that we are about to face a social-media burnout unless some industry-wide change is made.
Social media, at its best, is a brand enhancer. It is a new “two-way” communication tool between brand and customer. “Two-way” meaning the customer can initiate dialogue with the company (traditional customer service/engagement) or the company can initiate dialogue with the customer.
But that’s all it is. Social media is not a new sales channel, and it is time for companies to stop treating it like one.
I may not be a millennial, but I sense a change in the air. The constant noise of advertising (yes, social-media marketing is advertising despite its "marketing" name) is causing people to tune out the marketing messages. Some do it is consciously (unfollowing a company) and some do it subconsciously (scrolling quickly past the message). Social-media marketing, in my uncalculated/speculative opinion, is becoming like print advertising in newspapers -- we all just look right past it.
No, I am not calling for the death of social-media marketing. It will be around for the near future, for sure. But I do think we are nearing an era of customer apathy and it’s time for some kind of a reinvention by the industry.
Article curated from Entrepreneur
Specialists in small business social media marketing
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
5 Tips to Get Active on Twitter and Reach Your Brand's Audience
As social media continues to evolve in marketing, brands are constantly feeling the pressure to be more social on all platforms. But which platform is right for you?
Someone once told me this, and now I pass it along to my clients: Think about online audience in three ways. Facebook is for the people you know, LinkedIn is for the people you need to know, and Twitter is for the people you want to know. With about 232 million "monthly active users," Twitter is an insanely popular micro-blogging platform with an incredible reach of people you may want to know.
Here are a few tips on how to increase your Twitter followers and keep your platform alive!
1. Work on your social media voice.
Your brand should have a personality and voice on social media. There is a good chance that your brand is being discussed, hopefully in a good way, online. Every platform has a different audience, so identify that audience and cater your voice and message to them. Try and be a part of real-time conversation.
If you want to hire someone to converse on your behalf, make sure they are familiar with your brand's message. Hiring an intern to save money is probably not a good idea. It could backfire. While the tone may change depending on the platform, your brand's message and authenticity should be intact.
2. Make it easy for your audience to find you.
There is no question that people are moving quickly -- reading articles and watching videos on their mobile devices while on the run. With this in mind, make it easy for them to share your information. Place share buttons on your company website pages, your blog posts, on your other social platforms and in your email signature. Put the buttons in a place where they are easily accessible.
3. Be proactive.
A good way to increase your followers is to follow people you know by importing your email contacts to Twitter. Make sure that this list is updated with all your recent email contacts and your LinkedIn connections, as well. Once you are following them, you will be surprised at the number of followers you will get!
4. Tweet often and increase numbers.
According to a study by Mashable.com, it takes about 10,000 tweets, on average, to break into the 1,000 followers mark. Without compromising the quality of content, make sure you remain a consistent and prolific presence. Even better, join real-time conversations by setting your Twitter time to the peak time your audience is online.
Tap into the moments that matter and that people can relate to and can create a conversation. Your brand may benefit from shared discussions about cultural events, sports, pop culture, news events, etc. Stay grounded in popular demand and trending topics. This can only contribute positively to your social presence.
Be careful and conscious of participating in controversial topics that may put your brand in a spotlight you might not be interested in.
5. Use compatible hashtags.
Your industry has hashtags that are already being used. Join the conversation with relevant content and use them, as well. #ThrowbackThursday, #ShopSmall, #Entrepreneurs are a few good ones. Also, expand your reach by following prominent names in your field, sharing posts or articles, and including them on the tweet along with the hashtag.
Remember, tweets are not just bits of conversation. In mass, they have the power to affect your business. The sooner you join that online conversation, the better!
Article curated from Entrepreneur
Someone once told me this, and now I pass it along to my clients: Think about online audience in three ways. Facebook is for the people you know, LinkedIn is for the people you need to know, and Twitter is for the people you want to know. With about 232 million "monthly active users," Twitter is an insanely popular micro-blogging platform with an incredible reach of people you may want to know.
Here are a few tips on how to increase your Twitter followers and keep your platform alive!
1. Work on your social media voice.
Your brand should have a personality and voice on social media. There is a good chance that your brand is being discussed, hopefully in a good way, online. Every platform has a different audience, so identify that audience and cater your voice and message to them. Try and be a part of real-time conversation.
If you want to hire someone to converse on your behalf, make sure they are familiar with your brand's message. Hiring an intern to save money is probably not a good idea. It could backfire. While the tone may change depending on the platform, your brand's message and authenticity should be intact.
2. Make it easy for your audience to find you.
There is no question that people are moving quickly -- reading articles and watching videos on their mobile devices while on the run. With this in mind, make it easy for them to share your information. Place share buttons on your company website pages, your blog posts, on your other social platforms and in your email signature. Put the buttons in a place where they are easily accessible.
3. Be proactive.
A good way to increase your followers is to follow people you know by importing your email contacts to Twitter. Make sure that this list is updated with all your recent email contacts and your LinkedIn connections, as well. Once you are following them, you will be surprised at the number of followers you will get!
4. Tweet often and increase numbers.
According to a study by Mashable.com, it takes about 10,000 tweets, on average, to break into the 1,000 followers mark. Without compromising the quality of content, make sure you remain a consistent and prolific presence. Even better, join real-time conversations by setting your Twitter time to the peak time your audience is online.
Tap into the moments that matter and that people can relate to and can create a conversation. Your brand may benefit from shared discussions about cultural events, sports, pop culture, news events, etc. Stay grounded in popular demand and trending topics. This can only contribute positively to your social presence.
Be careful and conscious of participating in controversial topics that may put your brand in a spotlight you might not be interested in.
5. Use compatible hashtags.
Your industry has hashtags that are already being used. Join the conversation with relevant content and use them, as well. #ThrowbackThursday, #ShopSmall, #Entrepreneurs are a few good ones. Also, expand your reach by following prominent names in your field, sharing posts or articles, and including them on the tweet along with the hashtag.
Remember, tweets are not just bits of conversation. In mass, they have the power to affect your business. The sooner you join that online conversation, the better!
Article curated from Entrepreneur
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