You’re not that interesting
“Why would anyone into social media be interested in my company or product?”
Truth is, you’re right. Your company or product probably isn’t that interesting.
Contrary to popular belief, social media users are not waiting anxiously for their favorite brand of dinner rolls or laundry detergent to launch a Twitter feed. As marketers, the problem we face is presenting our advertisements in a way that generates enough interest that our audience will tolerate and even want to see our ads.
This is by no means a new challenge for marketers. In the 1950s, manufacturers of household products struggled to find a way to market their products to stay-at-home women on then-new television. The iconic “soap opera” was born.
The soap opera used a formula where 80 percent of the television broadcast was aimed at entertaining the audience with compelling, an often over sensationalized, stories and just 20 percent aimed at advertising. The entertainment value these broadcasts provided to women who were often confined to their homes for the majority of the day was well received. This formula worked then and works now.
Providing your audience with value is still the most successful strategy in today’s new social media world. So the question instead becomes…
“What value can you provide your customers through social media?”
People become devout followers of a social media presence because they feel the channel provides them value. This value can be in the form of entertainment, exclusive deals, prizes, exclusive content, or as a source of local or industry news. Base your social media efforts on providing your audience these values, and they will in turn engage with your brand.
