Have you ever asked yourself, “Why do I use social media?” What is your answer? Whether personally or professionally, one of the top reasons or purpose for using social media is to “reach” out to others.
Social media platforms are becoming a commonplace for most individuals to meet, gather, reunite, shop, get news, entertainment, ask for advice, give opinions, notify, invite, participate in contests, easily access favorite blog posts and look up contact information. Hidden in many of those uses, “word-of-mouth” is a common source of information…. “word-of-mouth” is perhaps one of the greatest forms of marketing. And, people won’t stop talking, so it isn’t dying – changing, sure.
I tend to [personally] think of relationships that communicate by “word-of-mouth” from the Three’s Company kitchen, a “pull my number off” flyer posted in a hometown library or a local ad in the Yellow Pages. (Oh, my! I am aging myself!) Now, social media platforms provide each of those opportunities for friends, family and communities to communicate, advise and share information —- just delivered differently.
So, what does that have to do with your purpose for utilizing social media?
The purpose for optimizing social media platforms is the reach that it allows you to have, that you wouldn’t get with traditional marketing. Think about it! How long would it take to [traditionally] pass a article or ad torn out of a newspaper or magazine to 10 people? It may require, walking or driving or faxing or mailing – not to mention looking up an address or finding an envelope and the correct postage. You would really want to share that, wouldn’t you?
Now, with a social media app on a phone or desktop computer, one person who clicks on a “post” or “tweet” of yours [possibly the same content that could be printed in a newspaper] with ONE click, has the potential to reach tens and hundreds of people by clicking “share” or “love”.
Here are five purposes for taking advantage of the reach that virtual “word-of-mouth” can provide for your brand:
- Know what your message is.
- Understand the audience that will value building a relationship with your brand and will likely share it with others… they may end up being your best source of marketing.
- Invest in having an audience who engages with your content because it should rank you higher in platforms like Facebook, which optimizes your presence (without paying for anything other than taking the time to create a post that interests or intrigues those who glance at it).
- When a post is “shared”, your brand being seen by a potentially brand new audience.
- Build a community by being reachable [yourself]! Be sure to check messages and reply to “likes” or “retweets”.
Do you have an successful story about what happened when you made focusing on your reach your purpose? I’d love for you to share!
Thanks for stopping by! Next week, I will write about content.
Darla
CLICK HERE for an infographic with interesting facts and tips on reaching your social market.
The Social Market LLC 