Sep 15, 2015
No Comments
Is it worth it to follow brands on social media? People become fans/followers of accounts that meet their wants and needs. While most people typically turn to social media because they want to be entertained, social media can provide information that they need instantly. When a business does this, they become a service for their audience and in turn increase their value on social media.
Consider Hubspot’s analysis on why people unfollow brands. This gives some insight on what can decrease your value on social media. Becoming unpopular on social media not only means losing followers but could also indicate a negative perception of your brand.
There are many things you can be doing on social media to present yourself as worthy to have a spot on someone’s feed other than providing entertainment. Here are 5 examples of ways a business can use social media to be of service to its audience and secure that spot.
Scores/Updates
One of the biggest benefits of modern media is its instancy. If the local sports team is playing in a big game, fans want to know what’s happening as soon as it happens. Your social media account can be the one they check every two minutes when they need to know what’s going on. No one ever wants to be the last to know so help keep your audience up to speed with timely information.
Event Info
The Boston Globe globe became a valuable source of information when the Red Sox won the world series. With an upcoming victory parade, they used facebook to post helpful information and tips about the parade including the route, street closures, weather, etc. This kind of information is more useful than entertaining but gives your audience a reason to follow your account.
Latest Thing
This one depends a lot on how well you know your audience. If you know the kinds of things they are interested in then become a source of interesting information. Mountain Dew posting exciting news about Call of Duty keeps their audience coming back. People want to be in on the latest thing in the worlds they care about. They want to be the first to know so your social media accounts should become news outlets for their interests.
Ideas
Provide your audience with new ideas on things they might like to do. This could be a new way to use your product, an easier way to do something, or how to reach their goals. Nike uses social media to post different exercises because they know it will be helpful information to their audience. When people want to work out they can turn to Nike as a resource. Other ways to do this might include weekend activities, local events, how-to tutorials, life hacks, DIY ideas, etc. Find what would be useful for your audience and share it.
Special Offers
Lastly, don’t forget that your audience is also your customer. There’s a reason they started following you in the first place. Social media is how they keep an eye out for special offers such as contests, sales, deals and giveaways. Posting special offers gives them information they can act on and a reason to come back for more.