Who Needs Social Media
From smoke signals to telegraphs. From postal emails to E-mails. From text messages to social media. Its obvious that communication is built into our DNA, we are social beings after all! Don’t believe me! Well, here’s a little treat! Did you know that 3.81 billion people use social media? That’s like half of the world population! Can you believe it?
Now, if you are a business, can you imagine how many people you will get to reach through social media. I am not saying 3.81 billion, but it will still be a staggering number if you play your cards right!
With social media, the possibilities are endless! Not only will you have to decide which social media platform to use but you will also have to figure out who your targeting, what are their needs and interests and how can you keep them engaged?
Stumped by the endless possibilities? Not to worry! Here are six social media milestones curated by TomKin Consulting to act as your guide! They will help you understand your audience, how they use social media and that way you will know what social media strategy to go for!
So, without further ado, let us begin:
I need my privacy!
When it comes to the identity milestone, its all about personal preferences and how we present ourselves online. Think of yourself. How much are you willing to share on social media? Your name? Your age? What about if we go deeper? Like for example, on Facebook, would you mention your relationship status, your hobbies?
Now think of your audience. You need to know how much they are willing to share because if you tip the scale and ask for too much, it may push them away!
Communication communication communication!
It’s our KEYWORD today! The communication milestone is essential. It is all about the way you talk to your audience! What kinds of conversations do you have?
Personally speaking, I always make sure to reply to any comments I receive on my Facebook or Instagram posts. I take the time to think about how I will respond rather than automatically liking or hearting the comment. Being thoughtful matters, so humanize the way you speak to your consumers!
Also, always keep your audience on the loop, keep updating your content so they do not miss out on anything! This is again something they will appreciate! Its all about that extra drip of effort!
I have more, you didn’t think that was it did you?
Here’s a cool list of ideas:
- Have a monthly Live Q&A with your viewers using the “Story” feature on Instagram
- You can use the “Questions” sticker on Instagram to ask your followers any question that will help you understand their needs better.
- Get your followers opinion and insight: Post a poll asking your followers to vote. If, for example, you are Potato chip brand like Lays, you can ask your followers to vote for their favorite new flavor, New York Reuben vs. Southern Biscuits and Gravy! (I’d go for option 2 if you’re wondering!)
What’s going on in that little head of theirs?
Now it’s time to get into your audience’s psyche! Its time to discuss the sharing milestone! Its all about what and how consumers share content on social media.
You need to ask yourself, what are my consumers into? What do they post about, share, like or dislike on social media?
Do they like funny memes? Or educational videos?
Do they like to share big picture albums?
Some of my friends shared picture albums of their favorite vacations from Bali and Spain. While my other friends preferred to share memes about the political situation in Egypt! Or more recently, the current Tumblr craze about Nov 5th like Destiel and Putin resigning!
So, figure out what makes your audience tick because once you do, you will be able to curate your content to their needs!
Where are you? Can you share your location?
Social media is just evolving and evolving. We might have started off with sending text messages followed by sharing pictures but now, we can even share our location and geo tag our pictures! Its time to discuss the presence milestone! It’s all about knowing where we are and if we are available for a chat!
Some people, like my sister, easily share their location and are always available online for a chat. They even up the ante and have each of their post’s geo tagged! While others, like my mother, tend to prefer to be a hermit and hide under a big shell! They rarely open social media so are probably never available for a chat.
So, you need to figure out the extent to which your followers are firstly available and secondly, willing to share their location. Plus, you need to only ask for it if it is absolutely necessary!
We go way back!
Relationships are another essential human trait, second to communication! Because, again to recap, we are SOCIAL BEINGS!!! So, when it comes to the relationship milestone, we need to pay attention to how our users are connected.
Tumblr for example, is a deep-rooted community! My friend has been an avid user since 2016. They are practically her family! In the 21st century, a social media platform is what makes us ironically even more connected than before!
So, understand what kinds of relationships and forms of connectiveness do users create through social media and use that to your advantage by bolstering it!
How do I look?
Just like we always do a double or triple check of how we look in the mirror before venturing into the scary, opinionated world… the same thing applies to the online brand milestone. Its all about how people judge brands, products, and people!
So how do we decipher this complicated code known as the “Human Opinion”. Not even Dan Browns’ Robert Langdon can break this complex mesh.
Don’t worry, Its not the end of the world! I got your back, here are a few simple tricks to tap into that heavy opinionated skull of ours:
- Count… Its all about the numbers. Count how many followers you have, how many likes or dislikes you got on the posts you shared, how many views did you get… Compare it to other brands or people. Create charts and graphs. Channel your inner Hypatia or even Cardano!
- Read… Get those glasses out and read what people are saying. What are they writing in the comment section of your post or video? Who did they share your post with? In this situation, you will need to channel your inner book lover like Oprah Winfrey!
Retaining your reputation is all about balance. You need to pretend you are holding a filter, encourage the users who boost your reputation through likes and shares and what not and filter out or discourage the users who will be your downfall!
And there you have it! Six ways to up your social media game. The obvious glue that is holding all the milestones together is of course the social media users. They are our bread and butter. Understanding them is key to a successful venture through the social media terrain.
So, if you feel like trying out the social media route, TomKin Consulting can help dig out the clearest path towards a solid social media strategy with their knowledge about the nooks and crannies of the social media world!