It is amazing how we live in a world where social media
marketing has rose to such a level that it's just part of our normal routine.
What do you do when you first wake up in the morning? I know what I do, I check
my phone and my Facebook account. In fact 80% of smartphone users do the exact
same thing with in the first 15 minutes of getting up. So what keeps us to want
to be so connected all the time? A survey was taken about why people stay
connected. The following were the top reasons.
·
They have contests or requests for
suggestions regarding current or new products
·
They post fun and interesting
topics/items
·
They create content that is worth
sharing
·
They answer emails or messages I
send them
·
They respond to comments or links I
post on their page
That seems about right. With this in mind when it comes to
advertising I think that there are some rules that should be followed.
·
Know who your targeted audience is,
don't be too vague.
·
Technology compatibility, needs to
be able to run on a platform of different operating systems.
·
The
content should be up to date and relevant.
·
It
should draw people’s attention to it, make it fun.
That
makes sense, but what about the other side of it? I found this interesting to
do a little focus on what not to do.
·
Don’t
be all talk. Tweets that include a
picture attached get 200% higher ratings then just text. Now I don’t personally
use Twitter but I do see how that is true. Even on Craigslist if there is a
picture it is going to get more hits than not.
·
Not
sharing content that other people want to follow. Consumers don’t want to hear
about “you the man or company” they want to interact.
·
Think
before you tweet, sometimes the buzz is in and out faster than you can keep up
with it.
·
Not
all platforms are created equally. This is very true. B2B are going to use
LinkedIn more than Pinterest. B2C are going to head straight to Facebook.
·
Complaints
they are no longer hidden. Ever had that bad restaurant experience? Yep you bet
I’ve got it on Facebook before the check is even on the table. The thing about
that as well is that it doesn’t really matter how many friends you have because
more than likely you checked into the location to begin with.
·
Remember
that consumers are not just a number, they are human. If you get the chance to actually
have a conversation don’t bombarded them with corporate words that mean
nothing.
·
Don’t
assume it’s working just because it was “liked or tweeted about” find the time
to invest in some sort of metric measure to be sure that you are getting your
return on investment.
So
after writing this and thinking about it, it brought me to a great example. I
have a friend (Emily) that started her own photography business. I was looking
over your blogs and reading them, enjoying the pictures. Every single one of
them the focus was on the people in the event. There was no focus on her business
what she does, rates or anything. They all are very personally to the people
and made me feel good reading them. That is the kind of social media
advertising I would for any company. Not only does it easily go viral but it
also enhances word of mouth and word of mouth is still just as important.
Another
recent Facebook incident was a posting of what a certain company was getting
from the government and what it intends to do. That went out faster on Facebook
then the public relations for the company could comment and give their side of
the story. But it does not help that in small communities that is all it takes
for a reputation to be ruined.
I
would have to say that I have learned so far that everything said or done has either
side to affect. I can see how it’s a tool that has all the potential in the
world. We just need to remember to follow some of the basic rules of thumb. If
there is a setback, just remember that it was really just a learning experience
so that the next advertisement is ten times better than the first.
Thank
you for reading.
