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The Only Way You Reach Anyone Is They Think You're Worth Sharing
April 29, 2014
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You know the age old saying, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."
That line couldn't be more profound in the social space. But not in the way you might think. Yes, many social managers and admins could use a lesson in manners regarding what they share socially. But today's "Merge" is about brands.
And it was Christy Amador, Coca-Cola Global Interactive Strategist, who brought that mindset to the Worldwide Radio Summit in L.A. earlier this month. Speaking on the panel I moderated, "Move People To Move Meters (And Product,)" she was asked that familiar question about how frequently brands should be posting and tweeting on a typical day.
Amador pointed out that social communication should not be about quantity, but about quality:
She explained that Coca-Cola is more interested in telling great stories about the company, its culture and what it believes. And if that means going a day without posting, it's OK.
When Coke has nothing interesting to say, they simply don't post.
And you'll see that play out on Coca-Cola's social assets. Sometimes a day or two will go by before they speak socially. That's because they're secure enough with their brand and reputation that the principles they follow is to never just post in hopes to be seen.
Their quest is to be remembered.
Amador noted that the "quality or quantity" question starts from the top down. All strategists for Coca Cola are well-trained before they ever speak on behalf of the company socially. They are taught that posts and tweets can have global significance. They are to keep that "world view" in mind when participating in online conversations so that nothing ever gets lost in translation.
As they are reminded, "The Internet is permanent."
And while Coca-Cola is a global brand, their bottom line objectives aren't any different than other businesses using social. In the same way that radio companies have a desire to use social to increase ratings in the hope that brand strength will drive revenue – there's no doubt Coca-Cola looks at those 81 million plus fans on Facebook and the millions who follow their various Twitter and Instagram accounts and would love to tell each one of them to buy a Coke every day.
But the difference is that Coca-Cola knows they will abuse the trust people place in their brands in the social space if their posts feel like they are just trying to persuade people to purchase their product.
Social is less about telling fans to listen to us and more about fitting our brands into their conversations and honoring the commitment to use these platforms to make their lives better.
Making fans feel seen and heard.
That's the real currency today.
Allowing everyone to have a voice and even amplifying that voice where appropriate.
The next time you post socially – pause and really think about your messaging.
- Is it really of value? Or are you just posting to meet a quota?
- Does it play to the fans' passions?
- Does it emulate their language?
- Does it acknowledge them in a way that feels personalized?
When every post involves at least one of these factors, you are well on your way to building an active social fan base that is critical for every brand to have today.
There are steps involved in putting a social fan base in place and when executed properly, you will find this group of fans more active and engaged than perhaps the passivity you see in your email marketing database.
It's because these are chatty folks who love to point their friends in directions where they perceive value.
Evaluate your social behavior.
Allow this space to not be just about your brand but an indirect path to your brand that fully involves the fans. And that starts with your communication.
Consumers will only share content this is truly worth sharing.
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