-
Sorry They Dipped But It's On You
December 4, 2018
-
For the past decade, many brands have experienced increased awareness, interest and ultimately conversion from the social space.
And for other brands - they are still asking the age-old question how to grow followers and/or engagement.
It's not as easy as perhaps some perceive social success to be.
But one thing is for sure, if you pay attention to audience signals - what they like, and what they ignore, you get closer to growing an active fan base.
It also helps to pay attention to studies on behavior - like this one from Pew Research Center on teens and social media,
Because while the data is only on why teens have dipped from people (and no doubt brands), the reasons you read below are very similar to why we've all removed people and brands from our News Feeds.
When asked the top reasons why teens unfollow or unfriend:
Drama ranks as the number one factor, followed by posting too much, bullying, coming off fake and political slants.
What all of the above represents is a need for more meaningful, useful content - from people and from brands; people are done with self-indulgence.
So it's important to be critical of our use of social.
To be removed from others' News Feeds takes a subtle toll on the long-term success of any brand.
Here's why:
On average, people are spending about an hour a day on Facebook, as well as an hour over on Instagram - and likely the same amount on Twitter and Snapchat.
They are living on their mobile devices, consuming our content.
Never assume what you're doing has inherent value.
Always come at content from the audience point of view - whether personally or professionally.
There are basic disciplines to start building now:
Be Useful
The top three emotional triggers people want from social media content either teaches (tutorials - product demo, sharing something we didn't already know, etc...); entertains and/or inspires.
Be Coherent
Is what you're talking about/sharing even easy to understand? Does it make sense in the first three seconds?
Be Empowering
Does what you share make people feel included, confident and/or relatable?
Be Real
People appreciate unfiltered, upbeat moments.
Perhaps this sounds like common sense, but no way is this common practice among the masses.
Brands that pay attention and go beyond expectations by developing smart disciplines find even more opportunities to grow, leading to a more loyal (and profitable) audience base.
Reach out to me anytime on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter.
Please enjoy MERGE archives here.