Is Social Media Broken?
Oh, it’s got a good side too, and a lot of potential for endearing charm with the right guidance. But can it make you money?
Possibly, but here’s the issue: The distance between what marketers want from social media – and how consumers actually use social media – is a pretty sizeable gap. To close that gap:
Get Smaller. The time of trying to grow large followings is so five years ago. It’s better to have 100 true fans rather than a follower count filled with people who aren’t in your market or otherwise interested in your products or services. Getting a big following did not turn out to be the same as growing a large email list (there’s still cash in the list; in the followers – not so much).
Tell Stories. Tell customer success stories or share stories of the heroes on your team and how they selflessly went above and beyond the call of duty during a customer emergency.
Show Your Face. Use the visual platforms to be authentic (think Facebook and Instagram). Let people see the real you. (Sort of…to a degree. Or at least let them see the real you cleaned up.)
Have conversations. Ask questions that can help you learn more about your customers – what they want, what they don’t want, what they’d like to see. Keep talking even – especially – if they bring up negatives.
Make an impact. As you build relationships based on paying attention and being genuine, you can sell if you take the time to meet your customers overarching needs.