Social Media is here. It’s everywhere. In fact, the absence of it sends a signal that the sponsoring organization is completely disconnected, un-hip, and behind the times.
Unfortunately, this zeal to include Social Media is often taken to the extreme. There are numerous cases where “doing” Social Media makes no sense at all. Three examples:
1) When the target audience is not using the platform. After all, what is the goal of the effort in the first place – for the organization to have a conversation… with itself? Nursing home residents are not as likely a target, although their families may be.
2) When there is no call to action – or when there isn’t even a social address provided. In the picture below, taken at Toronto’s Canadian National Exhibition, there are helpful Facebook and Twitter stickers on the doors to one of the major buildings – but zero indication about what the patron should do.
3) When it is physically impossible for users to act. How often, for example have you noticed QR codes in places where there is no internet service – such as within an airline magazine. Worse is the picture below – one of many examples of ads that appear in underground subways:
This week’s action plan: While Social Media is indeed everywhere, it shouldn’t be. This week, look for other examples of over-indulgence – starting with your own.
Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.RandallCraig.com to register.
Randall Craig
@RandallCraig (follow me)
www.RandallCraig.com
www.108ideaspace.com
www.ProfessionallySpeakingTV.com
No one cares about you – they care about how you can solve their problems. Write for your readers.
These two expressions epitomize the most important marketing (and social media) concept: relevance. How often have you seen a post, picture, tweet, or comment that adds zero value? Or where the signal-to-noise ratio is, well, noisy?
When it comes to using social media as a professional tool, there is a subtle shift that must happen. Instead of a self (or corporate) focus, the post must be designed to be user-relevant, and user-focused. It’s true that celebrities (and politicians) often break this rule, but they would do better if they were more relevant.
Social relevance isn’t rocket science – here are five tips that can help:
- Define the primary and secondary audience for your Facebook and Twitter updates, tweets, videos, and blogs.
- Define the overall goal and the high level messaging that you need each audience to adopt.
- Brainstorm on the key information needs of the target audiences. And if you’re not sure, ask. The intersection of this and your goal/messaging should define your overall theme.
- Brainstorm specific post topics within this theme.
- Seek to engage, not just broadcast. A great barometer of relevance is the degree of engagement. If there are no shares, likes, or comments, your post may not have hit the mark.
This week’s action plan: What’s your signal-to-noise ratio? This week, review all of your social posts, using this five-point checklist as your criteria. (Are the posts really written for a targeted audience? Does it appear that there is an underlying goal? Are the topic choices important to the audience? And on a similar theme? Is there engagement?) If the posts are too wide-ranging and diffuse, then start writing for your reader: they will care about you once you begin solving their problems.
Competitive insight: Reviewing your competitor’s social posts can often give you insight to their marketing strategy: reverse engineering what they have been saying, provides visibility to their priorities and goals.
Postscript: Read the last 30 (or 300) posts of mine at www.RandallCraig.com: What is my signal-to-noise ratio?
Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.RandallCraig.com to register.
Randall Craig
PS: My firm now publishes a no-spam high-value monthly newsletter, the one-o-eight. It’s filled with more content and news you can use. To subscribe, fill in the form here.
@RandallCraig (follow me)
www.RandallCraig.com
www.108ideaspace.com
www.ProfessionallySpeakingTV.com
