It Isn’t about Likes and Followers
When you go on to any of the social media sites, the first thing you see is the number of people who “like” you or your page, or how many people are following you. There is an instant gratification in seeing these numbers go up and when it goes down, you may feel like you were just kicked in the gut. The truth of matter is that these numbers don’t tell you much of a story at all.
There is a phenomenon in social media that likes beget more likes. People want to be part of a crowd and not feel like they are missing out of anything. However, how many of these people are going to respond or take action on your posts? You can have thousands of followers, but if they are mostly indifferent to your product, then your numbers may be impressive to look at, but your bottom line will not see any movement at all.
The goal should never be about the number of likes, but the value of the likes you have.
Of the millions of people on social media, most of them are not very active. Their own pages are fairly static. They are very deliberate in the information they read and pages they look at and they don’t contribute much or anything at all in the form of likes, shares or comments. How do you get through to those people while building up a following that is active and supportive of your message and your product?
As the old saying goes, content is king! Your message has to have value to those that see the message. Even if the message has value, it needs to be combined with appropriate timing as well as some level of targeting.
Remember that social media isn’t like other forms of advertising. It is a conversation. Encourage people to participate. Ask questions, encourage comments and even offer stuff through the use of contests or sweepstakes.
In social media, no page is better than a static, not updated page. If you take the dive into social media, remember that it is a commitment. Like any other commitment, you have to take it seriously. Keep your posts consistent, relevant and most importantly, keep it professional. Have fun with it, but don’t get controversial or inappropriate.
If the social media aspect of your marketing plan becomes too overwhelming, then seek assistance.