You Suck at Social Media

May 4^th 2017 Sally Ormond how to use social media, social media, social media for business, social media strategy

you suck at social media

You jumped on the bandwagon.

Your competitors dived into social media so you thought you’d better do the same.

Without thinking you created a Facebook business page. Then you dabbled in Twitter, Instagram, and Google +.

What did you do with them?

You posted umpteen updates about your products, services and business.

What happened?

Nothing.

No engagement, no shares, no retweets, just tumbleweed blowing through your social media presence.

Yes, you suck at social media.

Try being you

The thing about social media is, well, it’s social.

People hang out there to interact with others. That means they want conversations with real people.

What you’re doing is effectively bombarding them with adverts.

The key to social media engagement is to listen to what your audience are talking about. Once you know what they need you can interact with them.

Offer tips and advice rather than selling.

Empathise with the problems they’re facing and offer solutions.

Talk to them as you would if they were in front of you. When customers come into your shop or call you, you don’t launch into sales patter. Instead, you ask questions, listen and make small talk – i.e. start to build a relationship with them. And that’s what you should be doing across your social media channels.

Use images

It’s a well-known fact that updates with images receive more attention and shares than those that are purely text.

Exploit this by using images of your products in unusual places, or explainer videos that help your customers by answering questions you’re frequently asked.

How about showing off some of your customers’ stories?

Be human

Using social media is all about being human.

People use it to connect with others. They want to get to know the real you; the person behind the brand.

Stop posting corporate ‘sales pitches’ and start chatting.

Tags: how to use social media, social media, social media for business, social media strategy

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