An initial promotional campaign using social media should first start with listening. Find where your audience is taking up ‘residence’ on social platforms, and ‘listen’ by reading and absorbing what people post. These are in the form of the language they use, the things they say, and their needs and wants. Read between the lines.
When becoming more adept at using each profile, begin forging relationships based on common interests and topics. Join conversations, start conversations, and respond to people. The more of a personality and ‘real person’ factor you have, the more open people will be to listen and interact with you and ultimately your brand.
An example:
Let’s look at a hypothetical offline situation. Take for example a backyard summer party. One person who you do not know walks around with a branded product t-shirt, and you see him/her numerous times. Conversely, a friend of yours sparks up a conversation with you about the same particular brand or product. The two of you discuss the pros, and cons while your friend works (naturally of course) a few testimonials for that product into the conversation.
Now, the question: Would you be more apt to buy the product based on seeing the product on someone’s t-shirt or would you consider buying based on the conversation? Probably a no-brainer.
The same holds true for a website owner using social media. Don’t talk all about you, and what you have to offer. Don’t plop link after link to your homepage. That is just interruption marketing, and the public is smart, they won’t easily fall for that. Signal them by way of active conversation, and you’ll see those signals take you a lot further than the interruptive noise.
