Do you catch yourself increasingly scouring your Facebook newsfeed for the latest retail deals instead of flipping through magazines? Have you participated in at least one Twitter contest to win that $100 or beach getaway? Have your interactions with brands across social platforms become exceedingly ubiquitous?
In truth, we should not be all that surprised by our ever-changing consumer behaviors as they are largely shaped by the corporate social media movement. That’s because 87 percent of B2B companies and 88 percent of B2C companies rely on social platforms as their chief content marketing tactic and both use an average of six social media platforms, up from five and four last year respectively. Simply put, your consumer behaviors have so naturally evolved because your favorite brands—as well as brands you have never been familiar with—are talking directly to you across social cyberspace. And they are relying on compelling custom content to do so.
If you take a look at some of your most beloved brands, chances are they talk about the industry they serve as much as they talk about themselves (in other words, you don’t find them self-serving). That’s because best-in-class companies steadily understand the need to transition from a company-centric, presentation-focused business to a customer-centric, conversation-centered entity. As such, they are sharing daily promos right alongside blog posts about the industry. They are commenting on videos and white papers that they did not even create. In short, they are becoming more adventurous with the type of content they share across social platforms to drive engagement in a new way.
Has your brand been watching from the sidelines for quite some time now as your competitors inundate the web with a myriad of social posts? Let’s take a look at the key tips to get you in the game:
- Develop a Strategy: Chances are you wouldn’t launch your blog or inbound marketing campaign without a fully conceptualized strategy and the same should go for social media. Many companies think that launching a Twitter and Facebook profile and slapping on occasional statuses is enough. But conversely, each post needs to be strategic so that you don’t risk alienating your audience or losing followers.
- Give Them Something with which to Engage: Engagement across social media is critical. After all if you have 1,000 followers but only three who actually retweet you, your influence is considerably weak. Therefore, give your social media audience juicy tidbits that are worth sharing—i.e. custom copy that is evocative, educational or inspiring in nature.
- Give Your Competitors a Hand: If there is something your biggest competitor is doing well on social media, don’t dwell too much on your jealousy and “I-wish-that-had-been us” mentality. Alternatively, give your competitors a hand and figure out what angle you can take on social media platforms to be just as cutting-edge and innovative.
Are you ready to give social a fair chance? How will you start making splashes? Let us know in the comment box below.
Edited by
Brooke Neuman
