Content is key

 

 

You’ve started using your social media accounts and you’ve hit a wall. What are kind of information are you supposed to put out there? What kind of stuff is going to make people want to buy your products? Asking people to like your pictures and participate in your polls just doesn’t seem to be working. What are you missing? Content marketing.

In the flurry that is social media marketing these days, people can often forget that the most important aspect of this is your content. If you don’t give your followers anything of value, they are going to lose interest in you. You can’t create content by asking “What can I create that will get shared?” You need to be asking yourself “What makes my brand special and will make people want to talk about it and share it?”

Your content shouldn’t be shameless promoting, but rather something that adds value to the life of consumers. If they perceive you as an expert or someone that helps to resolve problems in their lives, consumers will begin to trust you and look to your brand. Look at your target market’s interests, pain points, needs, preferences, etc. to find what content will be most appealing to them. Remember: Most of your content should educate consumers and help to solve one of their most important problems.

One of the best ways the motivation behind content marketing was explained to me was by asking me to pretend that I was paid by the potential customer and not by an employer. How would this change the content I created? How would this change its style and timeliness? It makes a difference. So try the exercise and see what you come up with. Does your idea of good content change?

Content marketing market is a big subject to tackle and it can’t be done in just one blog post or just one planning session. You’re going to need a strategy and all of the building that goes with it. So while you’re waiting on more information to come, my advice is to start small. Focus on one target market segment. Understand what kind of content they seek from you and then give it to them. You can work your way up from there. Just remember that content marketing isn’t all about you. That’s the best place to start.



Be prepared for PR problems!

If the PR disaster that plagued Applebee’s just a few short weeks ago did anything for other companies, it reminded them that social media is not all likes and messages of praise. (In case you missed it, check out http://rlstollar.wordpress.com/2013/02/02/applebees-overnight-social-media-meltdown-a-photo-essay/ for a pretty comprehensive summary of the events and how everything unfolded.) It was a very real reminder that social media can exacerbate PR problems and sometimes social media actually helps to create the problem.

Obviously, social media risks are real. Social media is putting your company out there for consumers and customers to interact with and you cannot control what they do or say. However, you can control how you handle it.

You don’t want to risk a fire destroying your entire inventory and severely hurting your business, so you install smoke detectors and sprinklers to try and prevent this and buy insurance in case this unfortunate event takes place. Do the same thing with your social media.

Make a plan for putting out small fires. Did someone tweet about their negative experience? Did someone complain to you on Facebook? Establish a way to handle those complaints. Customers do this because they want to feel heard. By establishing a way for you to respond to these customers, you won’t freak out the first time you see a negative comment.

For problems like these and bigger problems like the one Applebee’s faced, you need to determine the tone you want to respond with (This is a big one to consider, because you don’t want customers to think you’re not taking them seriously.), who you want to be responsible for responding, the content you want to respond with, and how quickly you want someone to respond. Go ahead and brainstorm all the possible crises your company can face and determine what you would do in each situation. You might not want to, but it will help you in the long run if you already have a plan in place. Test out your plan internally and make sure that it works for you. If you notice that you’re not getting the response you want, go back to the drawing board and adjust your plan.

Social media PR problems are not a reason to stay away from social media. They are just another risk to include in your crisis management plan. So go ahead and create your plan. If a crisis ever hits, you’ll be glad you did.

Tips from a Textbook: The 8 C's of Strategy Development

 

 

Normally I’m not one for textbooks, but I recently came across some information in a social media textbook that I thought would be good to share. I’ve mentioned that getting your business started on social media means creating a strategy for your social media marketing. There are an endless number of things to consider when creating your social media strategy, but today I’m going to share with you The 8 C’s of Strategy Development.

Categorize

 

Categorize social media platforms by target market relevancy. Consider who your audience is and where they are on the social web. This may mean that different segments of your target audience are in different places and that you may need to alter your content for each group and location.

Comprehend

Comprehend the rules and behavior standards for each platform. “Listen” and learn how to behave and obey the social norms for the platform. Don’t become a spammer. By understanding the rules of the platform, you can better engage and connect with your audience.

Converse

Followers and fans don’t want to be bombarded with your marketing message 24/7. Remember to engage in actual conversations with them and help them to feel a connection to the company and the brand. Understand that it is your job to be a contributor to the platform, not a shameless promoter.

Collaborate

Establish a mutually beneficial relationship with your online community and collaborate with them. Listen to their feedback and provide them with content that is beneficial to them. This will help to build stronger brand loyalty and perceived value for the consumer.

Connect

Influencers can help shape opinions on your product or service and connecting with them is a big way to help you further connect with your audience. It can help to increase your word of mouth and positive brand image, so make connections with your audience and influencers.

Contribute

Contribute valuable content to the online community. Don’t just promote your product and send out your marketing message. Become a valued member of the forum and offer content your fans and followers care about. It will help build your reputation and drive engagement.

Community

Get the community to participate in discussions and in the creation of content for your brand. This can benefit you and the consumer. Consumers like to feel involved and heard and by allowing them to participate, they feel a greater connection to your brand. This can also help you by creating more loyal consumers and give you some great feedback on improving your product or service or some altogether new ideas.

Convert

Convert your strategy into desired outcomes. Make sure you know what you are working towards with your social media strategy and accounts and make sure your content and interactions support these goals. If you’re doing it right, you should be able to turn brand awareness into consideration, then conversion, loyalty, and advocacy.

There are so many different components to developing a good social strategy that it takes time and patience to make sure you get it done right. With all of the different questions and planning tools you’re considering, don’t forget the 8 C’s. They’ll help to keep you on track and remind you of some of your most important goals and actions.