Much has been written about how to use social media to get the most out of it for your business, but it seems that many people still do not understand the fundamentals of what social media is all about. There are many definitions of what social media is – my favourites include:
SEO Zodiac’s description, which says “social media is simply people having conversations online” and Health Social’s take on it “social media is the meeting place between people and technology”.
In other words, social media is NOT a one way street, where you talk at your audience. Rather it is a way for you to communicate with them, to help them and to listen to them.
Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, etc are the most popular websites on the internet because they allow people to connect on a very personal level, whether it be through posts, pictures or videos.
With so many people working from home, we have become somewhat isolated and so we crave the human interaction we’ve lost. As much as the internet and smart phones make connecting to others easier, these tools have also made us hide behind our monitors.
If you take nothing else from this article, the main point you need to remember is that if you want to succeed in social media, you need to touch people’s hearts. Find out what is important to them, what problems they are facing, what makes them laugh, what upsets them. Then interact with them in a way so they can relate to you. Don’t talk at them, don’t try to sell them anything, have a conversation with them … be interested in their problems and guide them to solutions.
I recently had the privilege of being part of a social media campaign run by the Australian Capital Territory Tourism, called “The Human Brochure”. A brilliant strategy put together by one of Sydney’s great creative agencies The Works.
The concept was to show people around Australia and the world what Canberra (Australia’s capital city) is all about through the eyes of people who visit it. ACT Tourism brought a number of people from all walks of life for a weekend of fun and discovery. There were 4 different streams to accommodate every type of traveller – Adventure, Family Fun, Food & Wine, Arts & Culture.
As we visited each venue, whether it was Questacon Science Museum, the Australian War Memorial or local restaurants, we got to share our adventures by posting photos, comments and videos on our social networks. Family members, friends, colleagues, business partners and acquaintances got to see all the exciting places there are in Canberra through our experiences. And since trust is such a big part of what social media is about, the added bonus for ACT Tourism was that we reached people on a very personal level and often with a humorous twist.
The human brochure is a social media campaign on a grand scale and not possible for every business to execute. However, there are many other ways you can use the concept of human interaction, which demonstrate how the little things are really the big things.
One of the “big” stories circulating around while we were travelling through Canberra was that of a little girl who was part of the Family Fun adventure stream. The young lady had left her bunny behind and couldn’t remember where. So the search for bunny began … the bus drivers were alerted, as was the hotel staff. To the parent’s relief the bunny was found in the hotel, so all ended well. The hotel staff member who found the bunny in their hotel room had left a cupcake for the bunny to enjoy until the little girl returned.
People talked and wrote about it and you can imagine what a great credibility booster this was for the hotel involved. The simple gesture of leaving a cupcake for a bunny who meant so much to a little girl, cost the hotel $1, but will remain with those of us who have children for a very long time.
On a smaller scale, I saw a local ice creamery use social media to boost their sales. The Chill Bar partnered up with Schibello coffee and Sydney Football club and organised an afternoon, where members of the soccer club would serve ice cream and coffee to those who stopped by.
If you took a photo holding the coffee and posted it on Facebook, you got a chance to play a friendly game with the popular football players.
Needless to say lots of parents gladly brought their budding soccer players to meet their heroes, get their autograph, enjoy great coffee and gelato and play a game with Sydney’s great soccer players.
Both the Human Brochure and Chill Bar demonstrated their understanding of what social media is about – taking what is important to people, making it fun and encouraging them to share it. Not once did I hear a sales pitch – both campaigns were geared towards people enjoying what they were doing and giving them opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have.
And yes of course I bought an ice cream for my son and his friends and then shared it on my social media networks.
Ivana Katz makes it easy for you to get your business on the internet. If you’re looking for a professional and affordable website designer, visit www.web4business.com.au and download a free website plan or connect with Ivana on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Websites4SmallBusiness
