Stop Being the Hero of Your Own Headlines (On Social Media)
Part 1 of 3 on Social Media Strategy
What exactly is the point of your company's presence on Social Media, anyway? If you look around, you'll quickly notice that many of the most reputable brands around you haven't exactly 'figured out' why they are on Social Media yet, either. Most, it seems, are on there because someone at the company said 'we need to be on Social Media, someone here in the office should do that...right?' - and that pretty much sums up the entirety of the strategy: "I think we're supposed to this". That's a fine starting place, but not a solid long-term strategy.
Let me be extremely brief and summarize the single most important quote in Jason Fall's and Erik Decker's book, 'No Bullshit Social Media' (great title, by the way):
So now it's time to ask yourself: if you are in control of your brand's Social presence, how exactly are you 'exceeding customer expectations' on that platform? Are you providing them information, humor, stories? What about finding interesting methods for sharing meaningful links to in-depth articles written by yourself, a peer, or even a competitor? Are you utilizing your FAQ list for content that's relevant to your audience? Or is it more likely that you're falling into the trap of 'flexing' about how great you/your brand is compared to others?
Behold, what I call: 'The Great American Flex-Off'. When brands are out of ideas, they start flexing. Want examples?
Read 10 testimonials in a row where we received all 5 star reviews
Hey, look over here, look at what our company just did x6 posts in a row
We just closed a $x,xxx,xxx deal, look at us!
This article is not meant to call anyone one particular company out. It exists purely to have those in command of their brand's Social presence simply ask themselves: "does this ______ contribute to exceeding customer expectations?" before clicking/tapping 'Post'. So let's look at a hypothetical case study: Community Service.
Where you are the hero…
Where what you stand for is the hero…
Let's say your brand has a vested interest in serving the community and wants its audience to know about it. Well, the low-hanging fruit is to go straight to the 'flex'. Exhibit A: Our Company loves community service and we just gave $3,000 to a cause we believe in. That's great that the company a) believes in something, b) cares enough to give back and c) wants to let others know about it. But why the flex? Flexes are one-way streets where you are the hero of your own headline. 'LOCAL BUSINESS DOES GOOD'. Not only is not engaging, imagine a Social platform where every brand is posting 'LOCAL BUSINESS DOES GOOD' stories about themselves. Is this what Social Media for? Do you want to spend time on a platform filled with that type of content?
Let's go deeper: in the case of a community service-based post, how does community service play a role within the company? Let's start there. If you/your company is truly committed to community service, in what ways is it 'out there' doing work in the community on a monthly basis? Now, instead of telling what your company does, how about starting with 'why your company does it'. Why is much, much more compelling to your audience. Begin with 'why', work through 'what', and tell your story through video, photo, photo essays, long-form written content (long form written content isn't dead y'all, it's just moved around a bit).
Your audience cares about what your brand is doing (otherwise they wouldn't be voluntarily following you on Social), so make sure you are delivering them compelling content that exceeds their expectations of what they think about your brand. Save 'flexes' for small-talk, they don't belong on Social Media.
