Have you noticed how cluttered your social media world has become?
Many small businesses doing social media have thousands of Facebook friends, tens of thousands of Twitter followers, hundreds and hundreds of LinkedIn contacts. At some point it all just gets to be too much. Your friends drop off the radar. You just can't help it. And vice-versa. You and your business become invisible to them.
Invisible Set
So what does this mean for your small business or association that is using social media for marketing?
Do your social media marketing efforts become valueless?
Not at all.
See, what we do as humans is filter our world.
Just like we do in real life (IRL), where we have more stimulation than we can possibly absorb, the brain filters out the things that are extraneous or seemingly unimportant. Think about it this way. We drive ten thousands plus miles per year and hardly notice certain brands of cars. Until we own one. Then we see them everywhere. They were there the whole time but we filtered them out.
It is the same online. We "see", but don't allow into our consciousness, thousands of posts and messages by business and friends everyday but, because they aren't top-of-mind, we filter them out.
Until we don't. Then we see them again.
How do we make sure we aren't getting filtered out?
1) Reach out. Don't wait for others to reach out to you. Reach out to them. Earnestly, but not in a needy, look at me, kind of way. Show you care. Be interested in them first and they will be interested in you.
2) Give Gifts. Be Generous. Find a reason to praise or promote them. Share their posts. Retweet them. Do something nice for them and they will notice you, and often reciprocate. Don't keep score. Give.
3) Be ever present. If you are an inch deep but a mile wide in your social media marketing efforts you won't break through the clutter. Instead, concentrate your efforts so your contacts just can't miss you. Make it about them though, not you.
4) Speak to their world-view. If you know your target market backwards and forwards you can validate them by speaking to their point of view. Think Fox News. Conservatives notice them because Fox speaks to their world-view. Liberals love the Huffington Post's "story" or brand. It validates their world-view so they take notice.
5) Don't blend in by always agreeing. It has been said that 95% of people are followers. When you stand out you cause a ruckus. That is OK. Don't be disagreeable, but disagree if you disagree. Contrarian viewpoints are craved and get interaction.
Once you reignite a relationship, they will see you again.
Is Your Small Business Invisible? 5 Social Media Points to Consider
Frank J. Kenny
With 20 years of business development experience (including my share of ups and downs), I am fanatical about helping entrepreneurs and business associations succeed, especially through new media and technology. Consulting, seminars/webinars, and keynotes.
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