Brian Basilico: FEELING IGNORED? – 10 Confusing Clichés with Social Media (Part I)

Guilty as charged. Nobody starts out using social networks and gets it right out of the staring blocks. It’s a process.

I have been using it for almost 6 years (somewhat of a late adopter in some circles), and I am still learning. The first day I joined Facebook, my cell phone and computer staring dinging like a winning Vegas slot machine with friend requests. Over the course of the past few years, I have worked hard as a student of the game to find out what works and what does not. Also as a teacher and trainer, I have heard most all of the concerns and objections that stop people from getting started or making the most of it before completely giving up.

Social networking and social media is about learning how to use it, what to post and how to measure it’s usefulness for you and your business. What follows are some misconceptions and observations that I learned or overheard from clients or peeps. I hope these can help you make some sense of it all, and maybe help you see how social media REALLY can help your grow your relationships and your business:

Posts

Just Post – Have you ever tuned a radio to a station that was not on the air? You hear static and noise. Without having a clear plan of who your audience is and what they want to hear from you, that is what your messages sound like. Define the audience for your messages, ask them what they want to hear, post good stuff (quality content). Quality Content is something that attracts, engages, and creates conversations. It takes, trials, errors and measurement to determine what messages work for your audience and fans or followers. Lather, Rinse, Repeat!

Content Is King – Content is important. Content that your audience wants to hear and engages with (likes, comments and shares) is king. It’s all about creating great stuff that resonates with people who know, like and trust you. Don’t be afraid to bring your A Game. Don’t water down your content with the hope they will come back for more. WOW them, with your best. If you only have one WOW idea, then you don’t have a business… just a WOW idea.

The Right Way To Post – When you find the right way to post for everyone and every business, please share with all of us. Every business has it’s own DNA. It has a different audience, different product or service, and a different approach to solving customer needs, problems, and opportunities. If someone says they have the magic bullet or secret sauce, you are buying something that is generic and has a 50% or less chance of working for you. You always need a custom solution that is specific to your audience and your business. There are ways to do this through advertising, but that’s another topic!

It’s For Kids – The truth is that there are mostly Gen X, Y, Z people using social media. That does not mean that millennials and baby boomers are not paying attention or part of the mix. Smart phones are the entry point for many of the older users and that is making them more aware and exploring other social media options and tools. The other part of this is just because you have a young person who knows HOW to use social media, that does not mean that they KNOW HOW or WHY to communicate with your audience (most likely the older crowd). Think that through.

Viral Marketing – Content that goes viral, is more often than not, funny, trendy, and short lived. It does not mean that you should not aim to create content that strikes a funny bone or a nerve, just be careful since sometimes it can have less than desired consequences. Aim for consistency, commitment, and conversations. Creating and maintaining engagement is work. That work can pay off by you and your business becoming top of mind when people are looking for a company or person that offers what you do or sell. Have patience.

Check back next week for the rest of the list…