The instant knee-jerk of many businesses is to produce more content, more frequently and with more outlandish headlines, in the vain hope of making theirs stand out amongst everyone else's. But it's not about shouting above the noise or cutting through the noise as I've heard some experts say. Instead, I like to employ a little technique that I use with my children. Simply put, when you're surrounded by noise, shouting just adds to it, so instead, I whisper.
That probably sounds strange and in complete contradiction of what you've been told by other marketers. But I promise you there's value in it. If I imagine that my children are my audience, what's the one thing that I already have from them before I even open my mouth? The answer is trust. As a parent, I've already established a level of trust with my children, because they know I keep them save, know that I love them and know that I don't shout to get my point across. So when they all decide to talk over each other at the same time, I whisper. I actually make it harder for them to hear me. There's an element of reverse-psychology to it, but essentially by not competing with the overall noise of children or the overwhelming noise on social media, it makes what you have to say far more valuable to your audience. Because they can't always hear you, it means they make more of an effort to listen or find your content. As with the majority of things in life, when it comes to social media, quality is far more valuable than quantity, and we already know that we have deliver value to our audience. All social media is at a very basic level an exchange of value between you and your audience. By showing that you care enough to provide value and quality, you automatically make it far more likely that your audience will share your well thought out content. There's evidence from various studies that suggests that around 73% of people process information more thoroughly and thoughtfully when they share it. Why? For the same reasons we as content creators took the time to consider what our audience are interested in and how they're likely to relate to it. Users sharing your content will also consider who to share it with, who most needs it, who's likely to respond. Sharing is something that's actually hardwired into human DNA and it's something we actively encourage with children from a very young age. So it should come as no surprise that it's also an essential part of social networking. Without sharing, there is no networking. Essentially, if you're creating content that no-one shares, then what's the point? Likewise, if you never share anyone else's content, then you're not showing that you value it. You have to be able to do both more effectively. Everything we do in social media is based on people and relationship building, which is something that a lot of businesses conveniently forget. Showing you care and sharing value with others is how we prove to people that a relationship with us is an attractive prospect. So from my point of view, businesses should be spending less time on broadcasting how good they are, or where you can buy their latest offer from and spending more time on showing people why they're an attractive relationship prospect. Showing that they offer value selflessly upfront, without asking for anything. Showing that it's not about then and that it's actually about their audience. By building emotional intelligence and trust with your audience gives them what they want and as a result, your brand gets what it needs. Every piece of content you post, every piece of someone else's content that you share, every comment and every interaction, is an opportunity to form the invisible bonds of sharing and caring that your audience can identify with. Try it yourself over the course of the next week and see what happens.
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October 2023
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