THREE KEYS TO OPEN THE POTENTIAL IN SOCIAL MEDIA
by Michael Lovas
Once upon a time, every marketing message was a pitch – a one-way transmission of a marketing or sales message. Fast forward to 2003 with the launch of Myspace.com, followed in 2004 Facebook and LinkedIn. As we move into the future, more and more social media outlets are being developed.
Why is this important? Because those sites gave every person the ability to publish their own opinions – and those opinions rival “approved” marketing messages in their ability to influence potential buyers. (So says the Edelman Trust Barometer.) In other words, social media allows opposing views of those one-way marketing messages.
Your business might release an online video or an e-newsletter today, and within hours, dozens of people could analyze, criticize, or comment on it. It seems that Every Person has a story to tell or an opinion about a business experience. The question is – what story would they tell about you?
Let’s look at three keys you can use to make social media work in your marketing. Hold on, this might be a wild ride for you.
Key One -Create an opportunity for a conversation
If you are not “courting” two-way conversations, you might as well be speaking Latin – communicating in an ancient language. That’s a fast track to losing any credibility you might have.
Social media has opened the door to social media marketing. Although it doesn’t replace more traditional forms of marketing, it forms a vital component of your over-all “message strategy.” If you can’t use social media effectively, you pose a threat to your own business.
What does bad social media marketing look like? It’s a statement or question that is seen as a manipulation, such as:
“If you want to learn how to save 30% on your health insurance, give me a call.”
“How Would You Like To Get Top 10 Google Rankings?”
Recognize that type of question? Doesn’t it sound like the old style hard-sell? To see what might effective social media marketing look like, look at the next key..
Key Two - Ask questions.
To make social media marketing work for you, invite people to discuss or share information and opinions. The easy way to do that is to ask questions, which allows you to show that you share a
value, and gets the other person engaged with you.
For example:
“Can anyone tell me the truth about why Health insurance rates are so high?”
“What’s the number one thing that people value?”
As moderator of a LinkedIn group called the Psychological Marketing Network. I often title my discussions with questions. For example:
“Is Listening a Psychological Skill?”
“Behavioral Economics – Can You Use It In Your Business?”
In subsequent discussions, I display that I know what I’m talking about, but won’t dominate the conversation. Instead, I want other people (as many as possible) to get involved. The more people who contribute, the more will follow the thread.— which means more people are reading my comments. That’s one way I demonstrate my relevance to them. To learn how I know what topics to raise, look at the next Key.
Key Three - Ask effective questions that tap into the person’s or the group’s psychology.
Consider why anyone would voluntarily get involved in a conversation with you. It’s because you connected with one of that person’s values.
This is a quick and simplified description of how to use social media in your marketing. What questions can you ask about how to make social media marketing work for you?
Summary:
Key One is to create an opportunity for a conversation.
Key Two is to ask questions, rather than make statements.
Key Three is ask effective questions that tap into the person’s or the group’s psychology.
Michael Lovas is president of AboutPeople (Colbert, WA), a firm that uses Psychological Language Patterns to develop marketing programs. A Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, he teaches financial advisors how to use common-sense psychology to help build trust with A-level target markets. Michael has written twelve books, mainly on professional communication in the financial industry He also holds the distinction of creating “Credibility Marketing” in 1991. For more information, call (509) 465-5599, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.aboutpeople.com.