It sucks being a small business all the time. You don’t have the tools, resources or the money to develop all these crazy ideas you want to experiment with, like the super hybrid thing you wanted to do involving every single social media application out there. Heck, I’m still trying to emulate Toys R Us’ Facebook Page campaign and their successful drive during the Christmas period collecting fans. I sell toys too!
But no it doesn’t work that way.
Although it’s good to keep those ideas flowing, sometimes you just need to stay focused and stay and work well within your context. Hence, I have my own simple list of the three vital things that any social campaign must have. They are extremely obvious points, but sometimes you simply forget to add that ‘share’ button or launch with a very bad conversation topic. So as you draw up your next online social campaign, keep the following in mind:
- Stay– After clicking and visiting the page, there has to be a good reason for them to stay and explore. Something even as simple as a catalogue or a video. Create a video introducing yourself and saying hi. Even if your idea seems lame, when you don’t put something remotely engaging, it’s like seeing a friend on the street and not even saying hi. You’re not acknowledging them or making the slightest bit of effort.Who do you notice in your twitter feeds/ facebook feeds more? Someone who posted a random link to something remotely interesting, or that person who never logs into their account? And then who do you feel more compelled to closely follow?I’ve noticed so many facebook pages of massive brands which simply collect fans; what reason is there to stay and join? And it’s a bad reflection on the company itself; it sends out a message that it doesn’t care.
- Socialise– Simply put, are you getting people reacting and talking? This involves actually going out there to know your audience so you know what they want to talk about. That’s right, you have to socialise and use your interpersonal skills creatively.You don’t talk about tupperware to your football buddies at a pub, nor do you try to have a ‘salesy’ pitch to an emo crowd. If your audience are luxury car appreciators,engage them in more exclusive locations other than facebook. You get the drill.Don’t forget your manners either. This is so overlooked; treat them online like you would in real life. If they give one of your products a compliment, thank them. If they aren’t happy about something, ask them what is wrong. There are countless case studies of successful online social engagement where it simply took basic manners to turn something that was potentially a PR disaster into just more positive marketing. It sometimes seems that once you are online, basic etiquette becomes void, but it doesn’t.
Out of the three criterias, I believe this one is the most crucial one of them all. It makes the biggest difference with the least amount of effort because it relies on the idea that consumer-generated word-of-mouth feedback takes precedence over company-produced marketing and that you want your customers to talk positively about you!
- Share– You’ve got media and you’ve got great content for that media.And only one person saw it, and they couldn’t be bothered:
- Highlighting the url
- Pressing Ctrl+C
- Load Twitter
- Ctrl+P into the field
- Come up with a comment
- Click tweet
Or you can make the process more painless by creating a Retweet button, where they:
- Click It
- Confirm tweet
People will always fundamentally try to avoid taking too many steps to do something. Afterall, they are helping you spread the word, so why don’t you scratch their back as well by providing facilities such as Facebook and Twitter share buttons near your content. Even leave a harmless little message (considering at the same time who your demographic is) reminding them to share it with their best mates if they enjoyed it.
Next time you, your company or your product want some attention, just remember Stay, Socialise & Share!
Plasmo and the Infinite Sadness 