Get A Foot In The Door - Not Just A Toe
Sticking A Toe In Social Media Waters Series - Part 4
In this final installment of the "Sticking a Toe" series we will discuss what didn't worked in our experiment and why. We'll also discuss what's missing from most social media campaigns and how to make changes to get your foot in the door.
Didn't Work: Just Having a Twitter and Facebook Page
As discussed before, the simple act of opening a Twitter account and putting up a Facebook page does not a social media strategy make. Being there just isn't enough. Engaging in the space is crucial, but even then it is no guarantee that you will find success. Part of engaging is having a genuine presence including a complete profile which shows people that you are real and not a spam bot.
Also, it's really important to see where your people hang. You need to do research to determine the social network(s) of choice for your customers. And don't forget to look for the other communities out there that are created and loved by the people who may be interested in your particular product or service.
Didn't Work: Strange Engagement
An important part of engaging is having a clear vision of who you are and what you are trying to accomplish. Remember me Tweeting about social media stuff? Talk about lame! What did social media tweets have to do with MyLeftBigToe? Since there was no description of what "the toe" was all about, why would people engage with me even when I observed Twitter protocol and followed people that were interesting to me? The few people who did react were kind but tentative at best. And on Facebook I'm pretty certain my dear friends became fans simply because of their affection for me - not because they were true fans of "the toe". I'll take rabid fans anyday - and they are a crucial part of any connection mix. However, to gather new opportunities it is every bit as important to engage with new people in a way that will produce credible leads.
Most important didn't work: Not Having the Critical Asset
This experiment demonstrated the main reason people may not be finding success with social media marketing. What's missing is the most crucial part of any social media marketing strategy - the critical asset - a website full of helpful content. This content is what is crucial to any social media marketing campaign because it is the content that will make interaction with other people possible. Without it, you are left with nothing to share. Nothing to make interaction with people valuable for both parties. Nothing to provide the validation that you are a real person.
Take Away
Stop thinking about "doing" a social media marketing campaign and more about creating a valuable website asset that will allow you to do content marketing. Be certain your website includes:
- Helpful, frequently-updated content
- Easy ways for people to interact with you (comment box, contact forms, social media links)
- Simple ways for people to share your content (social media sharing tools like AddThis, Sharethis, etc)
- Helpful, frequently updated content (this is so critical it must be listed twice)
To successfully market online requires a desire to reflect what people look for when developing a relationship in real life: honesty, integrity, helpfulness, simplicity and a desire to be real. Those qualities expressed through good, helpful content and in real interaction with people will allow you to not only get a foot in the door, but will help keep the door open long enough to potentially make a sale.
-Paul Konrardy
Other posts in the Sticking A Toe In Social Media Waters Series:
Sticking A Toe In Social Media Waters - Part 1
Build it And They WON'T Come - Not Without A Reason - Part 2
Stubbing Your Toe With Inadequate Social Media Engagement - Part 3
QR code campaigns can create buzz and user participation. They remain novel and lead to unique interaction for your customers/visitors. Here's what you need to know.