Good brands do social media marketing but great brands create value for their market through social media marketing. It is a thin line, especially when large numbers of social media marketers only speak the language of me-myself-and-I; a language that customers hardly understand.
More than half of global email traffic is spam, and as social media trail blazes its way to the top of the communication channels list, the rise of social spam is apparent. However, the saddest thing is that a significant number of us play a part in filling social media with content that does not add value.
It is in every marketer’s interest to have the consumer in mind with every single word, image or video posted. Put yourself in the shoes of the customer and ask yourself, ‘What value I’m I offering?’ Think long and hard, If there is no gain, then you are probably spam in their eyes.
Create value
John Reith, Fonder BBC Radio had a commandment for everyone at the station to follow; ‘thou shall inform, educate and entertain and do these with the pursuit of excellence.’ A commandment that should apply to every Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn post on every company page or account.
Targetting
Targeting whom your message will reach by age and gender, location and interests is vital and possible across the various social media channels. This makes sure that you only reach your niche, those with similar interests to what your product/service offers.
For instance, Facebook has a feature where you only input the details of a current customer and Facebook will search for people with similar characteristics within the platform who are more likely to respond to your message.
Social media Interaction
In another world, the father of gravity-Sir Isaac Newton would have been a marketer (eyebrows raised), for at least he understood that for every action they is a reaction. Where else in marketing, that reaction is not always equal and opposite, it should be present nonetheless. Consumers should interact with your message: click, share, like, retweet-if there is no interaction then there is no effective communication happening.
Use a combination of media to boost interaction rates, include videos, images, GIF’s. Mix in quizzes with prizes, competitions, gifts etc. Additionally, consumer interaction determines the number of people reached by your un-promoted (post not paid for) post.
Facebook recently changed its algorithms such that its news feed algorithm(the technology that determines what is shown on your Facebook news feed) prioritizes posts from friends, family and groups. All in an effort to create meaningful interaction on the platform.
