ANNIVERSAY ISSUE 0717

TECHNOLOGY
Social Media . . . that’s just for hormonally-charged teens,
political pundit wannabes and doting grandparents trying to keep
up with where their geographically-dispersed families... right?
While the above may be true for some, the
reality is that Social Media has thrust itself
into the marketing and communications landscape—an
essential tool for businesses and individuals
of all types to engage their customers and potential
customers in conversations about their brands
and/or themselves.
Do it right and rather than you reaching out to your
target customers, they come to you for the indispensable
content and sense of brand community that
only you can provide.
The key, of course, is doing it right. Read on for how.
SIZE MATTERS
First, whether you’re selling a widget, an album, or
promoting a new film, size does matter. Of course,
you want a quality audience that’s genuinely interested
in your brand and what you have to say, and
interested in sharing news about your brand with
others, but you also want numbers—BIG numbers.
Case in point, telling 10 of the most interested and
loyal fans all about your products and services just
won’t create the kind of
buzz telling a self-selected
target audience of a hundred,
a thousand, ten
thousand, or even more
“fans” will.Twenty years
ago, advertisers and marketers
could only dream
of such a thing. Now, with
social media it’s reality . ..
and commonplace.
ROOM TO GROW . . . BUT
IT TAKES COMMITMENT
So now you’re either thinking,“I’ve already got those
numbers,” or you’re shaking in your boots wondering,“I’ve
got 100 followers, how am I ever going to
get numbers like that?” Regardless of the current
size of your Social Media followings, you have room
to grow—and audience growth is achievable, so long
as you are committed, patient, and in it for the longrun.
Success through Social Media is not a one-anddone
proposition.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: content.
Content. CONTENT! Without providing valuable
content that your followers can’t find elsewhere,
you’re just treading water.Articles, blogs, infographics,
videos, white papers, etc., are all examples of the
kind of content you should be generating and posting
to social media.
Participate/post/tweet often. If you post articles
or comment on Social Media only once or twice a
month, you’re unlikely to create buzz around your
brand.Those who follow you want reassurances that
you’ll be a frequent contributor, otherwise they’ll just
go elsewhere.To you, daily
updates might feel like
overkill, but remember
only YOU read 100% of
what you share.Your audience
will not see everything
you post, so frequency
is important, just
like it’s important when
running radio or print or
TV advertising.
more>>
IN ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE 29