The majority of corporate social media
accounts languish in obscurity.
Maybe no one shares their posts. Or they
can't get any engagement.
So they try posting more frequently, or
using the latest tactic they read about on Mashable.
But they still struggle. And the results
don't get any better.
Because under the surface, there are road
blocks in your social media strategy that are holding you back.
Here are 3 little-known reasons why no one
shares your content.
Reason
#1: Your Raw Materials Aren't "Shareable"
Most people will not want to share your
commercial site, commercial message, commercial content, or commercial tool.
Nothing kills social media activity faster than a sales pitch. [Click to
Tweet]
But you have to sell with social media at
some point... you can't just sit around and hope for the best.
So what are you supposed to do?
Corrective Strategy: You need to create
"shareable" content to promote.
Every social media update should have an
interesting hook that grabs attention and keeps your customers interested.
You have to "bait-the-hook"
first, and then try to sell them later. This type of "shareable
content" acts as the bait.
And it usually embodies the following
qualities:
Insanely Useful / Utility: If it doesn't provide some use or immense
benefit then it probably won't be interesting enough.
"Evergreen" or Timeless: Don't waste
time chasing new stories or limited content. This should still be relevant for
years to come.
Branded: Branding your offering will make
it unique, stand out from the others, and improve how people remember it.
Promotable: Your idea, or content needs to
be simple to spread. Not dumbed down. But really focused so it's easy to
understand.
For example, it's hard to get people to
engage with you or share your content in aggresive industries like insurance,
real estate or other financial services.
So instead of promoting insurance policies,
promote the lifestyle your customers have -- or want to have. Change the
positioning of your social media messages to match their worldview. (You'll
hear more about positioning in Reason #3 below).
The only reason for insurance is to protect
against risks, and to give you peace-of-mind to focus on your family and
career. So talk about how risk-management fits into retirement planning, or how
technology is affecting their careers.
Reason
#2: There's No Core Benefit
One of the best ways to get someone to
engage, participate or share your content is by using incentives.
You reward people for taking action, and
entice them to do more in the future. It's effective, and easy to do.
But at the end of the day, people have to
willingly want to share or engage if you're going to have long-term success.
Corrective Strategy: Focus on your
customers pain points, and position your content, social media updates and
products/services as the solution.
Why should someone interact with you in the
first place?
You could try humor, but it's difficult to
pull off online (especially if your legal department has you in hand-cuffs).
So the best way is to provide relief, or
have an interesting angle that benefits the audience.
PayScale helps job candidates, employees,
job seekers, and employers (HR) to compare their salaries across job titles,
industries and locations.
So basically they provide information,
research and insight to business professionals and hiring managers.
They analyzed their data and created an
infographic about how employers are using and managing social media for their
employees. Then they found bigger partners, like Mashable, to publish it. So
far it's received:
2,900 Tweets
999 Likes
1,700 LinkedIn shares
And 901 Pins
It was successful because it was
"shareable" (see reason #1), and interesting enough to spread -
because people were spreading the story first. Then after getting attention and
interest, they can introduce the company.
Reason
#3: You Have No Positioning or Value Proposition
How are you unique, interesting or
different? (After all, only things that stand out get remembered).
Being "low-cost" doesn't work.
Everyone claims that, and few really are. Being "better" doesn't
always work either. Someone will always be better than you at some specific
aspect.
But this goes beyond taglines or slogans.
Your social media strategy should be an
extension of this positioning.
Corrective Strategy: Stand for something
and make more enemies.
Stone Brewery is the largest brewery in
Southern California, and one of the biggest craft brewers in the country.
Last year they announced an expansion plan
that includes (among other things), a 18.7 acre organic farm so they can use
the best ingredients in their beer and restaurants, and a possible tourist
hotel because their brewery is one of the largest tourist attractions in San
Diego.
Stone believes in a certain way of doing
business, and they aren't afraid to voice their opinions.
They're unabashedly against light, tasteless
lagers (and the people who drink them). And as the scrappy up-start, they're
the complete opposite of the large, stuffy corporations in the industries.
The label on one of their most popular
beers, Arrogant Bastard, warns people straight away:
Their social media accounts are no
different. Each update is witty, interesting, and slightly arrogant in a
funny-sarcastic way.
Sure, beer is an extremely
"shareable" topic (see point #1). But you'd be hard pressed to find a
more dedicated and engaged audience.
And regardless of your taste in beer, you
can't deny Stone's originality and bold positioning.
Their social media accounts are an
extension of their brand. Which sounds obvious. But if it's so simple, then why
don't most companies do it?
Most companies have no engagement, because
people don't care enough about them.
Even if you're never heard of Stone Brewery
before (and whether you agree or disagree with their philosophy), you already
have an opinion.
And that's the first step to getting people
to talk about you. Or interacting and engaging with you in social media.
