A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky to get the opportunity to present a webinar about social media to a group of Entrepreneurs’ Organization Global members. As a fellow EO Nebraska member, I felt privileged when asked to help.
Titled “How to Effectively Use Social Media for Recruiting, Brand Awareness and Lead Generation,” the webinar was an opportunity for some of EO Global’s members to learn about how social media can help their businesses.
A few technical issues aside, the webinar went very well. I had a very engaged audience, and, surprisingly, a lot of questions. Although I’d covered most of what I saw as the basics of social media in the presentation, I hadn’t totally accounted for all of questions that my audience would have.
That’s a common trend for many potential clients we’ve talked to. Across all types of businesses and varying positions within those businesses, there’s a wide range of understanding of social media. From CEOs who wonder if they should be on “The Twitter” to Directors of Marketing asking about the best way to develop a social media strategy that implements a Facebook retargeting, there’s no shortage of questions about social media and what it can do for abusiness. This was especially true after the EO presentation.
With all of that in mind, here are five questions about social media you didn’t know the answers to, but were too afraid to ask:
- What’s the best way to “be in the conversation” with customers–e.g. when we spot someone sharing their experience with our brand via social media?
Initially, the best thing is to get caught listening/monitoring. This shows you value the customer, their opinion and your brand. Often a simple “thank you, we value you as a customer” type of thing that is then seen by everyone in both your feed and theirs can be enough. If a customer comment is negative, ask to take it offline and address it with a phone call.
- How important is brand image when putting together a social media strategy? Does our brand on our website need to be a priority?
It would depend on your goals, but in all likelihood it is 100 percent critical. If you are a healthcare provider and your Facebook shows people doing tequila shots, it is likely not promoting the brand in a positive way. A unified strategy, voice and tone are critical across all marketing platforms.
- How effective is it to get content from other sources?
This can be very effective. Always cite where it comes from and verify it is consistent with your beliefs. This content helps you become the resource for this topic—a place people can trust.
- How long should a blog post be if we post 10-15 times a month?
Our average blog is around 600-800 words. Google keeps adjusting and trying longer and shorter forms, but this seems standard. When in doubt, make it a great piece and worry less about the length.
- I think consumers have become aware of “this is selling.” Do you expect that, like print marketing/TV advertising/radio,people will become immune to “crafted content?”
My answer is yes, if the content really is crafted selling. If, however, the content is focused on what that target community really wants and values, newly created and curated, I believe it will be effective for many years to come. But if it feels like a sales pitch, they will opt out in a flash.
As with most other things in life, understanding the basics is essential if you have any desire for your business to be on social media. I’m a firm believer that the only stupid questions are the ones you don’t ask, so don’t be afraid to ask questions about social media, even if you think you should know the answer.
If you do happen to have questions about social media or about getting your business started up on social media, reach out to us via our site’s contact us page, or feel free to poke around our library. We’re here to help, and we’d love to hear from you.
Image credit: CC by Sean MacEntee
