Do you struggle with creating or curating content for your social media platforms? For some business owners, it can be a challenge. They aren’t sure where to start, and they are told that they can’t talk about their business. This is true to an extent. You can sell your business on social media, but it needs to be done in a slightly different way and can’t be in your face marketing like people are used to. Your customers and community expect a different experience on social media than they do watching TV, reading the newspaper, or listening to the radio, even when these traditional experiences are online.
Social Media Content and Engagement
The bulk of your content should be engaging and relevant to your customers and community. Think about your customers like they are your friends or family. When you are with friends or family, you all share stories, information or jokes that you think they will enjoy. You share something that is relevant and will make them, smile, laugh or think, something that can start a conversation.
Have you ever met someone at a party or had a friend who would only talk about themselves? It’s very unpleasant. Think about the people on the other side of the screen. They probably feel the same way if all you do is talk about your brand on social media. You want to have a two-way conversation.
“To Do or to Have? That is the Question?”
The best conversations start from stories or questions based on experiences. It was studied and reported by Dr. Leaf Van Boven in his study “To Do or to Have? That is the Question?” that we get more pleasure and happiness out of experiences than materialistic purchases, which makes sense because experiences resonate and stay with us for a very long time.
What’s better “I went on vacation and watched the sun set over the pacific ocean.” or “I bought a TV at Target over the weekend.” Something interesting or funny could have happened at the store or on the way there, but the prior experience will probably, have a longer lasting impression.
ActorsFCU, a credit union that services entertainment professionals working on Broadway posed the question on their Facebook page “What was your first Broadway Show?” This struck a very big chord with the Facebook fans, getting over 200 comments and 30+ shares. The reason this was successful is that ActorsFCU was really talking to the members on a personal level and asking about an experience. An experience, in fact, that was very fundamental in their career path. Content that resonates is key.
By sharing content that you think your audience, community, and customers will like and relate to, it shows that you care, and understand them. It also adds a human element to your company. This allows you to engage your customers and give them a reason to participate. It can take some time to figure out what your customers will really like but once you do you will be well on your way to building a strong social media presence and community.