The foundation of any social media strategy is to build influence within your community. Influence leads to ‘know, like & trust’ which leads to future, loyal, customers.
In the ever-evolving world of digital marketing and social media, there are always new tricks, algorithm changes and tactics that will make you thousands of dollars! You can buy into that if you wish and it may even work for a short time, but the truth is that you must build an authentic community where your members see you as a reliable expert.
Are you a SOCIAL SELLER or are you a RELATIONSHIP MARKETER?
A Social Seller uses their social media to try to sell their product or service to the people in their community. A Relationship Marketer uses their social media to strike up and nurture relationships which leads to longer term relationships.
The long term goal is the same… working towards gaining new loyal customers; but the strategy is quite different.
As human beings we are inundated with advertising every single day. We see billboards on the way to work, listen to “Clearance Today Only” on the radio, “Buy Now” in our newspaper and “Biggest Sale Ever” on TV, not to mention the all-annoying blinking or pop-up ads on way to many websites. So why do we like, connect or follow a business on social media? At first it could be because “Something is on Sale Now”… but what keeps us interested and from not UnLiking, UnFollowing or disconnecting?
That’s where the real work and loyalty building happens! People continue to be a part of your social media community because you’re giving them a reason to be there and it’s not “Buy This” or “Clearance That”. We stay because we are getting some sort of value or answer or solution that is of great interest to us. It’s something that holds our attention that is different from the everyday sales we are almost numb to.
We also stay because we may like the way we’re being influenced. Perhaps we’re learning a little something from someone we’ve grown to trust, or maybe we like the positive carma we see daily. Whatever it is, we know it’s not because we want to see more sales ads.
When it’s time to find someone to work with or even recommend to a colleague, people are far more likely to choose their favorite industry influencer or expert that they’ve taken the time to get to know. In my experience the quality of that relationship is the most lucrative and long lasting. Patience is key.
Building influence and an authentic community in any social space takes time, work and commitment; but then again, doesn’t everything worth having in life?
So, I will ask again; are you a SOCIAL SELLER or are you a RELATIONSHIP MARKETER? If you’re not sure or you want to mend your ways, let me know and I’ll help you get on track!