One of the most asked questions is "how do I write quality social media content for my business?" Most of you already possess the quality content. It is just a matter of putting down in words. You know your product or service better than anyone. You know your clients better than anyone and their needs. You are probably thinking, "yeah but I don't want to give away all my trade secrets." You don't have to.
Here are some examples of what I am talking about:
A tailor explaining why hems of pants should only touch the shoe and not drag on top of the shoe is not giving away all his trade secrets but telling his followers or potential fans that he is an expert in his field and is offering this free advice.
A nutritionist who posts regularly recipes for healthy meals is not giving away all her trade secrets but showing she cares while showing she is an expert in her field.
A famous fashion designer asking his loyal followers what new trends in colors and styles they would like to see or showing how his staff works together, is not giving away trade secrets but opening its once closed doors to its adoring public.
A photographer explaining the best angles and lighting to use to shoot photos is not giving away all his trade secrets but instead giving away free suggestions that opens doors to conversations and engagement with his potential audience.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Social Media & Putting Yourself in Your Audiences' Shoes
There is a multitude of information out on social media these days about “thinking from the end user’s perspective.” We tend to forget that the audience is real people with real feelings and real needs.
The people that buy your product, complain about your product, fantasize about owning your product and the people that does not know your product. Who is this particular audience of your business or product or potential customer? What social media circles does he / she visit and hang out in ? Where are these conversations taking place? What problems or needs do these people have concerning your product? For instance are they searching for a particular shoe model to buy and cannot find it? Are the sizes not corresponding to their actual size? Have they had a problem with a product defect? Do they know the different ways they can wear that coat? Do they want to find out the latest trends in shoe heels? One could go on and on with needs but this is the idea. You have to put yourself in their situation considering as many demographic factors as you can gather. Where are these people? Who are they? Mothers? Aged 40-60? Male professionals in their 40’s from the West Coast in the United States? University students? Retirees? You need to do your demographic research and find out what your audience is doing in the social media sphere. You need to find out where their conversations are being held. Are they on Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, using blogs or message boards and forums? Wherever they are, you need to start listening and listening more.
The other factor to consider is providing your audience with quality content, quality information. For instance if you have a shoe repair shop, why not offer tips on how to keep your shoes from falling apart. Tell your audience about products they can use to prevent wear and tear. Tell your audience about what to do if their shoes are too big, using particular insoles that will keep your foot from slipping etc. Here the trick is not to wait until a need is expressed but to provide your audience with useful free information before they actually request it. If you are putting yourself in your audience’s shoes, it will be easier to know what these needs are.
Trust and Service. Putting yourself in your audiences’ shoes also means gaining their trust and providing them with quality service. If someone has expressed a concern or a complaint about your product or service, quickly respond to that person thanking him or her for taking the time to express it and tell him or her you will see to rectify the problem. There are no tricks here. The focus is to be real and not on getting the fast sell. This is about wanting to truly create long term relationships with not only the influencers in the social media circles but your audience in general.
The other factor to consider is providing your audience with quality content, quality information. For instance if you have a shoe repair shop, why not offer tips on how to keep your shoes from falling apart. Tell your audience about products they can use to prevent wear and tear. Tell your audience about what to do if their shoes are too big, using particular insoles that will keep your foot from slipping etc. Here the trick is not to wait until a need is expressed but to provide your audience with useful free information before they actually request it. If you are putting yourself in your audience’s shoes, it will be easier to know what these needs are.
Trust and Service. Putting yourself in your audiences’ shoes also means gaining their trust and providing them with quality service. If someone has expressed a concern or a complaint about your product or service, quickly respond to that person thanking him or her for taking the time to express it and tell him or her you will see to rectify the problem. There are no tricks here. The focus is to be real and not on getting the fast sell. This is about wanting to truly create long term relationships with not only the influencers in the social media circles but your audience in general.
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