 Recently social media scheduling platform, Buffer, wrote an article explaining how they lost 50% of their social traffic over a 12 month period. Social Media Today also reported a loss of 17% in a similar period. At the same time there are various studies that suggest a 500% increase in the amount of content being uploaded to the internet. So does that mean that there's more being written than read?
It's being called the 'Content Shock' effect, whereby there is just simply too much information for audiences to consume in their limited online time. It's also indicative of the rise of 'clickbait' and social media platforms having to narrow their API feed algorithms to try and weed it out all the rubbish. In essence, we think it means that in an effort to make sure users are seeing quality content, social media is effectively having to reduce how much content users are exposed to. Which also means that not all of your followers will ever see all of your content. It also means that accounts with say 100,000 followers can churn out any content they like and still have less reach than a page with only 100 followers which produces quality and engaging posts. The cure for content shock is simply that we need to be more responsible for the content we post, ensuring that it is useful, informative and valuable. We think that a more sustainable and ethical approach is required to social media content, automation and general usage. The responsibility starts with agencies like us, but we all have a responsibility. What do you think?
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 It seems that many business-owners are leaving their online brand reputation in the hands of younger interns or 'millenials' within their organisations because they understand or use the technology more than senior management and have no qualms about posting anything from press releases and company updates to photos of cats or dogs (which we've seen a lot of this week!) and spurious hashtags which don't remotely relate to your business or brand.
The alternative is paying more to outsource to agents (like us) who have a deeper understanding of the principles behind business, content creation and social media strategy. Who understand the importance of your brand reputation, tone of voice and credibility. Agents who also have greater experience of using social media platforms and technology for business, to achieve real measurable results which actively benefit your business and a return on your investment. So given the choice, which approach do you think would be more beneficial to your business in the long-run? #SocialMedia #ThoughtOfTheDay  It's no secret that some of the world's biggest brands and businesses have invested significantly in their social media presence and platforms. But if you're thinking of using social media effectively (and you should be!) you need to think a lot further than simply reaching or obtaining more potential customers. There are a few things you need to consider if you're using social media for your business.
1. Listening You're business needs social media to be able to work out where it sits within the online business world. All social media platforms represent a huge opportunity for your business to listen to what the general public, your customers and your competitors talk about within your industry. What they're interested in, what they talk about, what they like, what they dislike. We firmly believe that active listening is the biggest single advantage that your business needs social media for and strongly encourage all our clients to spend at least a week just listening before even considering what to post on their platforms. 2. Spontaneity In this internet age of instant gratification, if anyone wants an answer they Google it. If they want to get in touch with your business they look for your website and social media channels first. Why? Because the days of call-centres are numbered, because no-one has time to wait for a postal reply, an email reply or to sit on hold in a queue waiting for the next available agent whilst being constantly reminded that their call is important. Instead, customers simply reach for their smartphones and fire off a tweet with their customer service issue. Your business needs social media to be able to answer them, educate them, apologise where necessary and still go the extra mile to delight them, before they become some other business' customer. The principles of great customer service remain unchanged, but the delivery platform is now instant. 3. Personality People don't respond well to what they feel are 'faceless' corporate entities as we're born with an in-built need to identify other people and give things a face for us to relate to. Why are the big brands so successful on social media? Because they've developed an online personality which is a friendly extension of their brand. Your business needs social media to show the online world who you are, what you do and more importantly, why you do it. Human beings have an amazing oral tradition of story-telling, which is why customers heavily buy into why your business does what it does, perhaps even more than they're interested in what you do. Social media gives them an opportunity to reach out and be a part of your story, but when they do, it must be a real person reaching back and talking to them. 4. Transparency When your business has an online presence and social media channels, you've allowed it to be found by everyone in the online community. As a result you've agreed to a certain level of transparency in your social media communications and it's important to remember that this is a two-way street. For the customer, transparency is all about vindication. When customers are upset, they want to be heard, and posting on social media is the perfect way to be heard. By allowing your customers to make their complaints or questions public in this way, you’re giving them an immediate outlet. They feel in control, and appreciate the urgency companies feel to respond when the issue is made public. For your business, transparency means that other potential customers get to see how well you handle the situation. 5. Visibility More interactions on social media means you have more opportunities to point back to your own brand. Your customers will mention your brand in their posts, making you visible to all their contacts. Even if they come to you with a concern or an issue, you’ll get brand visibility and an opportunity to show off your ability to quickly and effectively and correct the problem. When relevant, you can also post links to your site for more information. No matter how you handle questions and comments, you’ll be encouraging more activity and more brand mentions, which can help your SEO rankings. Still not convinced that your business needs social media? We'd be happy to buy you a coffee and talk to you personally about your business and why it needs social media, just get in touch. Yours Socially M |
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