We have covered this topic in the past after guiding hundreds of companies around the world for nearly 20 years and it’s interesting to see how the trends and subsequent results continue to align with what we predicted before, especially when it comes to small-minded social media marketing concepts that only scratch the surface.
In particular, and pointing out one thing we commonly see whether it’s with social media marketing teams at Fortune 500s or outside social media agencies, is the lack of understanding how social media truly works – the behaviors around actually being social to build relationships that pay off in the end – versus using social media as an advertising tool where you think posting self-serving content will pay off in the end which is the exact opposite.
Below are 2 tips we have for corporate social media marketing teams that have hit a roadblock and need solutions now:
First off, the old school concept and classic quote around “If you build it, he will come” is often attributed to the movie Field of Dreams and a comment Kevin Costner made, though it also has other roots. At the core, when it comes to social media marketing simply posting then crossing your fingers and hoping for the best (business/$ to come) just isn’t going to work.
Secondly, taking that approach in the first place is flawed because it shows a lack of interest/care in your customers (aka potential revenue opportunities) whereas you can use social media to actually be social and build long lasting relationships.
The moral of the story: Stop wasting time trying to map out posts in a calendar and target certain holidays to squeeze sales, think you’re too special to follow others on social media, and put yourself on a pedestal in general – that approach is totally flawed and comes off like you’re operating a sketchy used car dealership versus a luxury, respectable brand that customers will trust and influencers will organically put their name behind.
Use social media to actually be social, which is what the medium was founded on.