Social Media Marketing And Doing It Better

Effective PR on social media is a moving target. As consumers spend more time on the internet, PR needs to develop new strategies and use subtler approaches. Here are some of the things that need to change for most who do social media PR and advertising to improve their approach and results.

Number of Followers

No matter what platform is used, gaining more followers is good, but only if they are followers that move the company goals forward. It’s not just about the numbers. That’s easy to fake by purchasing followers – who will never bring a dime more business to your organization or share your content. All those fake followers do is make you look like you have an audience larger than your actual one. Most people are aware of that possibility, so if they are checking on that, they will also check for the amount of engagement happening on your sites. If those numbers don’t correlate to the number of followers, the account will feel bogus to them and ultimately chase away potential customers.

Getting More Leverage on the Accounts

Though many social media platforms allow you to advertise for reasonable rates, that’s not always the most effective way of gaining attention or leverage. Advertisements are so easy to scroll past that most people don’t even register them anymore. Getting more eyes on your posts and to your website may be easier if you don’t post quite as often and you improve the quality of what you post while focusing it more to your target audience. The concept of “content is king” has not changed. It still is what will drive business and effective followers.

Automating Out the Social

Using automated posting services can be helpful, but don’t use it as your primary connection to followers. The great advantage of having your organization active on social media is all about the personal connection. Too much automation of posts, even if they are written by your people specifically for your audience, will be felt by those reading them.

That creates distance when your purpose is to get closer. Not every post has to be directly related to your brand, but it should relate to your audience. When your target audience is women in their 40-50’s, asking them if they prefer World of Warcraft or Sudden Impact won’t get a lot of response.

Instead, asking them what their easy go-to dinner is, or if they had a choice would they get a mani-pedi or hire a housekeeper for the day will connect better.

When responses come, don’t ignore them. Engage further. Ask another question. Conversation, even if it is typed, creates a bond, and that bond eventually translates to them sharing your material, or buying your product.