Some wise person in the late 80s or early 90s (I forget which) wrote a book that talked about what you learned in kindergarten applies to business as an adult. You know: be kind to your friends, share and share alike, etc, etc. Today, as a follow up to what has become somewhat of a three-part series on high level concepts in social media, I’ll explore how for brands, the concept of the four C’s—Community and Conversations, Connections and Content—can only be effective through Sharing. That’s right, your mother taught you how to do it, but for some reason, as brands, we fumble with it on social media platforms. Here are five reasons brands don’t share on social media platforms. And when I say share, I mean more than just superficial marketing and promotions speak:
- Brands fear they are giving up a degree of control if they show some authenticity or transparency.
- Sharing means that the content may not always be about your own brand. This gives some brands the shakes!
- Sharing is the exact reverse of what many brands see social media as—an opportunity to take or otherwise profit from their community with every interaction. Some marketers rule out social media because they don’t see an immediate return on investment or that it does not necessarily impact sales.
- Sharing means your brand has to give up something and you may not necessarily receive something in return.
- Some brands fear that they will lose a competitive advantage if they share, even a little bit.
If brands can get past these five stumbling blocks, they can prepare to give their social media strategy the staying power it deserves. Sharing is key. It is the glue to the four C’s.
“So, LMS,” you ask. “What can a brand like mine share?”
I’m glad you asked!
Let’s flip the the first two items on the list above on their ear, and you’ve got your first couple answers:
1) Share a personality. Be authentic and offer some transparency by offering a persona that your brand fans can get to know. Again, you are not to “give away the farm,” but with some planning, you can devise a plan for your persona. What will s/he say? What will s/he not say? Develop a conversation calendar of topics. Prepare for questions. Let your brand fans into your persona’s world in order to give your brand some depth.
2) Share thought leadership and point to helpful resources. Your persona can do this with links that may not always lead back to your brand. One of the keys to social media is extending yourself. It’s really suppose to be a friendly place. If this is a community and not simply a neighborhood, you know that you can knock on your new neighbor’s door and offer a water hose for their parched lawn. You could wait for them to ask, but if you take the initiative, they will view you as a good neighbor. You’ve set the tone.
Now for some more practical sharing tips:
3) Click the Share button on your followers’/friends’/fans’ sites. Take an interest in what your followers/fans/friends are interested in. If it is relevant, share it with your community. It facilitates connections around the content, and it makes your followers feel valued. If you’re on Twitter, the concept is called retweet. Get busy, and you will see them begin to reciprocate.
4) Drive your community to relevant content with at least 85% of your updates. Links to content are one way, but consider sharing rich media as well. Podcasts, video, vlogs, live streams, photos, slideshows, other networks…there is abundance of relevant content out there that will keep your community engaged. Map out a plan, and go for it.
5) Brands need to begin to view social media as a brand builder first, a money maker a distant second. If you’re only in it for the money, you may want to consider some forms of direct marketing. You’ll make money faster. In fact, it may seem counter intuitive, but to build and sustain an effective social media strategy, be prepared to spend for the resources and the know how to do it right. Your return will likely come over time in the form of dedicated brand fans online who can be called to action to do some amazing things to heighten the awareness of your brand. Eventually, you may begin to see the dollar signs, but it shouldn’t be your sole motivation.
Finally, a side note: it is so tempting to flip over to your competitor’s social media site and be discouraged by their number of followers if they outnumber your own, or see the way cool applications they’ve engaged that you may not have the budget to develop. Some brands are giving up on the opportunity to connect with their communities with superficial observations like these, and they are missing the opportunity to speak to the people who are just waiting to hear from them. Ten followers who can be called to action are worth so much more to a brand than a million who will not act on your behalf.
My advice: Plan. Keep it simple. Start the conversation. Share. You’ll be amazed at how your community will begin to come together and rally around your brand.
LMS
