Things I’ve Learned from Lately #8

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“Things I’ve Learned from Lately” is a regular compilation of articles that have made me a smarter social media marketer. Hopefully, they’ll help you, too.

Olympics Offer Learnings for All of Us – Big sponsorships like the Olympics tend to be the focus of big brands, but The Miami Herald columnist Tasha Cunningham explains why we can all take something away from the social media issues that have been under scrutiny over the past two weeks.

Key Takeaway: Cunningham’s article lays out what should be common sense but surprisingly has not been over the course of the Olympics. Social media is about people, and when interacting with people we must always think, be responsive, be respectful and maintain self-control.

Marketing in a Gift Economy – Harvard Business Review points out that social media is not cut out for pushing messages to fans and followers. People use social channels to build relationships, so focus not on participating in a market economy but, instead, a gift economy.

Key Takeaway: Social media is about relationships and thinking of someone else. Brands can’t focus on thinking about what social media can do for them. They’ll go nowhere. At the end of the day, the consumer cares about themselves and what you can do for them. Focus on their wants, needs and unfulfilled desires. Then give them the gift of fulfillment. Both the audience and the brand will then benefit.

The Numbers Say It’s Quality, Not Quantity that Matters – AllTwitter shares the results of a New York University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology study that found that who your brand’s fans and followers are is more important than the number of them.

Key Takeaway: Reach is not social media marketing’s strength most of the time. But focusing on connecting with the right people and inspiring them to push your brand message forward is how a brand can successfully leverage the space at scale.

Focus on Micro for Macro Results

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Social media marketing is about creating relationships with a brand's customers (I know, that's nothing new), but why is this so important? Well, too often we're going after the mass numbers, the macro, instead of going after what can actually raise the needle. Going after mass numbers is important, but if that's the objective, traditional media channels are the best way to achieve results.

Real social media marketing success occurs when the focus is on the micro level, building and establishing real relationships with customers. Establishing relationships builds trust between the consumer and the brand, which opens the door for the brand to provide the reasons and means for the customer to share. That's where the payoff results because when they talk about a brand, their social connections listen.

eMarketer notes that brand recommendations from friends and fellow community members carry a lot more weight in influencing consumer decisions than messages from brands, themselves.

Micro Interactions

Micro is not easy to do. It can be meticulous, and results aren't necessarily fast. Still, here are a few simple ways to get started.

  • Monitor and Respond. Listen to online conversations about your brand and category to identify opportunities to reach out to consumers. Offer customer service to those in need, answer questions and reward advocates with special deals, offers and even, sneak-peak information.
  • Bring Serendipitous Joy. Don't be afraid to surprise advocates. Single people out, and offer to do something for them. That's what people in relationships do. They help each other. This doesn't have to be public, and there shouldn't be a requirement from the recipient to take any action. Be nice to them, and remember, what goes around, comes around.
  • Respond to Your Advocates. Too often brand channels (e.g., Facebook Pages, Twitter profiles, etc.) receive questions and comments from customers that go unaddressed. They are opening the door for a brand to enter their lives at a deeper level. Respond and prove that you're there for them. If the opportunity is there to encourage them to share more, do so.

The Set-Up to Win at the Micro Level
Only the most nimble of brands are able to create real relationships with consumers, so it's important to set the organization up for success.

  1. Be internally aligned on who is responsible for social media.
  2. Establish a workflow to identify how consumers will be identified on an individual level, how the response process will work and who will be needed to address questions and comments.
  3. Empower those representing the brand with enough freedom to take actions to address customer complaints and reward advocates without too much red tape and hesitation.

Relationships, trust and advocacy--all the pieces build upon each other, while starting at the micro level.