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How to use social media: It’s not about you, it is about them

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Almost everyone is on social media. And every company should be present here as well, right? But what exactly is there to gain from being present on social media platforms, and how are you supposed to act as a brand? The quick answer is this. No one wants to hear about you. What we all want is something that has value for us.

Traditional Marketing

You probably know the drill. If you want to market yourself, be it a company or person applying for a job, the whole thing will evolve around you. You have to do everything to make you look good as possible. If you are a company, you’ll need to have a communication strategy where you closely monitor your consumers reaction and make sure to close any gap that should occur between theirs perception and how you as a company would like to be perceived. In order to monitor these reactions, you will do surveys, analyse sales numbers, make qualitative interviews and so forth. The problem is that it isn’t so easy to figure out what exactly is working at what isn’t. As the legendary Henry Ford once said, he knew half of every dollar he spent on advertising was wasted. He just didn’t know which half.

Dave Kerpen writes about this in his book: likeable social media, where he compares the traditional marketing method with how a mom and her baby communicate. I can relate to this as I am a dad to three beautiful girls. I remember how it was before my kids had a language. The communication evolved around more simple methods such as facial expression and sounds. I can see my self a couple of years ago holding my youngest daughter in my arms desperately trying to make her stop crying. I tried everything, from feeding her, carry her around singing or in other ways try to get her attention to something else. Finally, at some point she would stop. My goal was reached, but I wasn’t sure If her need had been taking cared of.

Social Media Marketing

Now let’s forward a couple of years forward to today’s realities. My oldest daughter is just about to turn 12 years old. She has not any difficulties with her verbal skills, and then she has this annoying ability to bring up things I thought we already had dealt with. This typically happens when I’ve tried to downplay the issues telling her that she was overreacting. This might have worked when she was younger, and I had this superior authority as a parent, but those days are gone. Nowadays she will haunt me, keep telling me how unfair I am and how I totally don’t understand her at all. Our issues are not solved until I realise that it doesn’t matter what I think about her behaviour and start taking the time to listen to her and try to understand her point of view. We might not agree, but that isn’t what is important. What matters is that she feels heard and understood. This is how social media works. Think of it the same way as being social in the real world.

So if before you push that send button on Facebook, think about what type of content you are sending. If it is a message about you and your brand, then think about all those disturbing spam-like messages that appear in your newsfeed every day. What value is your message giving your “likers” and their friends? Whats in it for them? You have to think and act as a consumer, and this requires you to listen first. How else can you have a conversation with someone unless you first know what they care about, what they dream about and how what they like about your company.

Because, it’s never about you, it is about them.

Image Credit: Mihai Tamasila


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