You’re doing everything the “gurus” say to get fans and followers, but no one is turning into a buying customer.
That’s because those cow-pattie-gurus want you focused on all the ACTION that’s taking place. Then you might not notice that there’s no PRODUCTIVITY happening.
Just pick your favourite guru and look at their Twitter account. They probably make a big deal out of the huge number of followers they have. But take a look at the number of people they’re following and ask yourself this:
- Are they really paying attention to the thousands of people they’re following?
- Is it even possible for them to be paying attention?
- And if the gurus aren’t paying attention that means they’re teaching everyone else that it’s okay to not pay attention.
So it’s not your fault that you’re following their advice and no one is paying attention. That is, after all, what they teach.
Let’s have a look at what really does work in social media. And you can hear what I have to say on this week’s Social Media: Cheap and Easy.
Since social media is also called Relationship Marketing, stay focused on relationships. Get people you know to connect with you.
You see, social media is different from “normal” life. We’ve all been taught the analogy that life is like a pond. The action you take is a stone dropped into the pond. The ripples reach out to impact everyone in your life.
Social media is more like a sandbox. The action you take drops in the sand and stops. Plop.
To get other people to pay attention to your action, you need friends to pick it and show it around. This is why you start with people you know, and who are interested in what you do. They already have an interest in YOU – what you do is less important.
Sure, they have an interest in knitting, car repair, or whatever it is you do. But they pay attention to you because you let your personality show through and you’re fun. More accurately, you’re entertaining.
When you put something into social media (whether that’s Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or any of the thousands of other social media sites), your friends, patients, clients, and business colleagues pay attention because it’s entertaining. Things that are entertaining get and hold our interest. They can also be educational and useful (just think of educational TV).
Tell me if I’m hitting the mark with this week’s radio show.
Here’s the secret ingredient to why you start with people you know: You ask, beg and plead for them to tell you whether what you’re putting into social media is entertaining.
Ask them to tell you if something you do whether something you do is good, bad, crappy, great, or most importantly – whether it’s boring. You can do something that’s completely corny. As long as it’s entertaining, people will pay attention.
Just think of comic strips. There are all different kinds of comic strips that are successful. Dilbert is very short and witty. For Better Or Worse is a longer comic that deals with everyday family life. Peanuts is about a boy and his dog.
Each is entertaining and has a fan base.
Make the people you know the beginning of your fan base. These are people you can call on the phone or send an e-mail to asking what they think. And if the answer is “I’m sorry. I haven’t had time to look.” Then you know you’re missing the entertainment goal.
Oh, and keep in mind that when you ask someone for feedback, you need to give them a reason to look.
Do something more than send an e-mail saying “Hey, look at my latest update, please.”
Tell people how you’re being entertaining. Tell them you posted a really cool video, or a link to something you know they’re going to be interested in. Show your friends what’s in it for them. Then you get their feedback on whether they liked it by asking about the resource of video.
So here’s the Social Media Success Formula in bullet points:
- Connect with people you know first
- Decide to be entertaining and useful when you post to social media
- After you post, get people to pay attention by telling them how you’re being entertaining or useful
- Get their feedback by asking about the content you gave
- Gauge the success of your post by whether people pay attention to the content
We’ve had a lot of success with this, and I’d like to know how it works for you.
Come back and leave a message after you’ve tried it. You’re welcome to ask questions, and if you’re not sure your material is entertaining – just tell me where to find it. I’ll look and give you an unbiased opinion. And you’re welcome to give your opinion of Social Media: Cheap and Easy.