All too often I hear my customers say, “I need to tweet more,” or “I don’t use Facebook enough,” or “How do I get the most out of LinkedIn?”
In response, I politely ask three questions:
- What do your target audiences want from their social media experiences?
- Where do your target audiences spend their time when it comes to social media?
- What are you doing to address #2 and #3 that makes good business sense for your organization?
I can’t stress this enough, it is not about the social media sites (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, SlideShare, Xing, Ning, Pinterest, and the other bazillion sites), it is about the content first.
Social media is always about the content.
You have to offer social media content with high educational value, differentiated, and preferably unique. Otherwise, people will find other sources for their information – see #1 and #2.
In the end, you are competing for your audience’s attention across social media, television, radio, cable, mobile, print, billboards, word of mouth, and so forth. Generate interest with engaging and compelling messages. Keep your audiences engaged with awesome content that teaches them something new, generates activity, or inspires them to think differently.
AWESOME CONTENT TAKES TIME
Ask your audience Question 1. Do keyword research. Look at your competitor’s content. Look at “adjacent” content (similar and complementary industries and topics). Watch your analytics wherever you publish and post.
Examples include:
- White papers they can’t get anywhere else
- Articles offering different perspectives
- Interesting tweets (not just retweets)
- Insightful blogs
- Engaging videos
- Advertising that makes them go “hmmmm?!”
- and more…
After you identify what your target audiences want, figure out how to deliver the content they want…on the appropriate social media site(s).
FURTHER READING
- 50 Communication Mantras to Live By 2018
- 10 Branding Lessons from Social Media
- It’s All About Them – Simplifying Your Message
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