People hate being “marketed at.”
We turn the TV volume down during commercials and most of us don’t notice the advertisements on the side of Google search. We even have a morning ritual of de
We turn the TV volume down during commercials and most of us don’t notice the advertisements on the side of Google search. We even have a morning ritual of de
leting nearly all the daily e-mails
we signed up to receive from various sites.
There’s a lesson here for social media marketing and commercial activity. Whether you use Google+ or Google Places for your specific niche advertising or just blast everything out across your linked social media accounts, you have to tell people something they are interested in. It has to be real and authentic.
It’s easy to find articles online talking about how “honesty is everything” in social media marketing. These articles are common and popular, partly because they’re accurate and partly because people are happy to discover even pros think this is true. But why?
What is it about marketing and interacting with partners and customers via social media that makes them value honesty and “real-ness” so highly?
The answer has two parts.
First, the Internet is a brutal, cruel mistress. If you achieve any degree of success, people who care will be scrutinizing everything you say. To be active and stay in their minds, you’ll have to post on Twitter and other media multiple times a day. If you say something that seems false or is outright dishonest, someone will catch you and you’ll lose all credibility. A policy of being honest, truthful, and upfront is a good way, both to avoid mistakes and to prevent negative backlash.
There’s nothing worse than devoting tons of time, attention and personal effort to a campaign only to become an Internet joke due to dishonesty.
Secondly, people perceive social marketing as a branch of social interaction. It’s different from conventional advertising because there’s no wall. Readers can’t see the people who made the huge Macy’s ad in the newspaper, let alone the characters within the company itself. But, when we check in on a Facebook page regularly or follow someone on Twitter, a personal relationship seems to develop. This is even true for followers that number in the millions.
Your posts should be more like a conversation than a performance. That’s why bloggers who ask good questions and then participate in the Facebook comments get so much attention. You wouldn’t be misleading in a cordial conversation about a great deal with an acquaintance at the supermarket. You should maintain that same level of honesty with social media marketing.
Honesty makes the social media marketing community functional and trustworthy. Don’t forget to leverage a little upfront communication on your Google+ account. Your customers and circle of contacts will appreciate it and your efforts will be more effective because of it.
There’s a lesson here for social media marketing and commercial activity. Whether you use Google+ or Google Places for your specific niche advertising or just blast everything out across your linked social media accounts, you have to tell people something they are interested in. It has to be real and authentic.
It’s easy to find articles online talking about how “honesty is everything” in social media marketing. These articles are common and popular, partly because they’re accurate and partly because people are happy to discover even pros think this is true. But why?
What is it about marketing and interacting with partners and customers via social media that makes them value honesty and “real-ness” so highly?
The answer has two parts.
First, the Internet is a brutal, cruel mistress. If you achieve any degree of success, people who care will be scrutinizing everything you say. To be active and stay in their minds, you’ll have to post on Twitter and other media multiple times a day. If you say something that seems false or is outright dishonest, someone will catch you and you’ll lose all credibility. A policy of being honest, truthful, and upfront is a good way, both to avoid mistakes and to prevent negative backlash.
There’s nothing worse than devoting tons of time, attention and personal effort to a campaign only to become an Internet joke due to dishonesty.
Secondly, people perceive social marketing as a branch of social interaction. It’s different from conventional advertising because there’s no wall. Readers can’t see the people who made the huge Macy’s ad in the newspaper, let alone the characters within the company itself. But, when we check in on a Facebook page regularly or follow someone on Twitter, a personal relationship seems to develop. This is even true for followers that number in the millions.
Your posts should be more like a conversation than a performance. That’s why bloggers who ask good questions and then participate in the Facebook comments get so much attention. You wouldn’t be misleading in a cordial conversation about a great deal with an acquaintance at the supermarket. You should maintain that same level of honesty with social media marketing.
Honesty makes the social media marketing community functional and trustworthy. Don’t forget to leverage a little upfront communication on your Google+ account. Your customers and circle of contacts will appreciate it and your efforts will be more effective because of it.
