Did you know Facebook has nearly 2 billion monthly active users? That is a lot of cute cat videos people!
Aside from being an addictive distraction from things you need to do, social media is a fertile hunting ground for all manner of marketers, advertisers, and business owners. And can you blame them? It’s a great way to establish connections with prospective customers and spread brand influence. But with all of our work to attract new followers, are we loosing our older followers in the process?
People on social media have very short attention spans but very long memories, so consistency is key. Here are some tips and tricks that will help you avoid common mistakes and ensure you keep from sending your followers running for the hills:
1. This is social media, not a sales media
This may seem obvious from the name but the true purpose of social media is to be ‘social’ and connect with other users. Yet brands seem to forget that the only way to experience some measure of success is if they try to connect and establish a relationship with the audience instead of constantly selling. It’s time we realised that sales will come with better visibility and carefully planned marketing campaigns. Focus too much on sales and you’ll alienate people instead of drawing them in. Try to follow the 1-6 rule and make sure you team every promotional post with 6 pieces of content that are more casual, entertaining, and engaging.
2. Speak up
The most successful brands on social media have their own voice and personality that shines through and keeps audiences engaged. For example, some brands have a very humorous and sarcastic voice that fits modern sense of humour well. Others come across as knowledgeable and sophisticated, which benefits them as well. Without a good social media voice, it’s easy to become lost in the crowd and become invisible. A great voice and personality immediately grabs attention creating that killer first impression you’re aiming for.
3. Consistency is key
Like I said, people on social media have short attention spans, especially on highly mobile platforms like Twitter. You need to post things consistently and regularly in order to be present and keep the audiences engaged. If you post once in a blue moon, even a winning personality and voice won’t help you maintain traction. The brand will be exposed to new audiences every day so it’s important to maintain a good image and provide a consistent message. People will browse through the profile and research the company before they make their choice to follow you.
4. Check twice and check again
Mistakes on social media can quickly turn into PR nightmares. All kinds of trolls will come out of the woodworks to mock you over small typos or rage at you for every perceived offence. It’s important to check, double check, and then check four more times for good measure just to ensure your message or content is grammatically sound, void of spelling mistakes, and not stepping on anyone’s toes.
5. Be the giver
People love freebies and the best way to find traction on social media is to give your audience a little somethin’, somethin’. This doesn’t always have to be discounts or rock bottom process, something as simple as games, challenges, and humorous tweets can keep them engaged. The purpose of your social media account should be to provide some tangible or intangible value to you tribe of followers.
Follow these steps and you’ll start to gain long term attention and adoration all over your social. In turn, you will be bringing in the cash. Creating long term loyalty is also about trusting that little gut of yours. So, right before you press go on that next post, just ask yourself – Would I want to see this?
