How Social Are You? Part I

written by MO.com Subject Matter Resource Ruth Ann Wiesner

In the realm of social media and using it to effectively market a brand, the first question we usually want to know from a potential client is…are you social?

 NOT your brand, YOU!

Are you the life of the party, make friends easily, a networking pro? OR are you a bit more reserved, feel out of your comfort zone in large groups or slow to warm up to new people? All of these things matter when determining the networking strategy for a brand.

Just how social is the person behind the brand image?

Finding out the social dynamics of a potential client gives us an understanding of their brand as well as what hurdles they may come across when having to manage social outlets on their own. Business owners and Entrepreneurs find it easier to run their own business and be the expert in their field rather than wondering what marketing message they be post on public platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

It can be overwhelming but it doesn’t need to be.

Let’s take a look how a brand can be effective at using Facebook first. Yes it IS the biggest kid on the social media block, there is no denying that. But WHY people spend so much time on Facebook is the real question. In short it’s to find out what is going on globally, to keep in touch, to see photos posted of the things going on in the lives of those we care about. They are there to be social. Recent findings show that few are there to shop; most are not looking to find great deals or hear a corporate pitch from a brand.

The entire attraction of Facebook to the end user, is to be social! So forget making corporate statements like “Our philosophy on great customer service is as follows”. That’s a sure way to have little to no response from fans. (Messages like these would be better served on “LinkedIn”…but we’re jumping ahead of ourselves.)

Don’t talk about your philosophy; SHOW your philosophy

Engaging stories and comments tell a story. Share an example you can give that people would find interesting, that not only showcases great customer service BUT provides the reader a glimpse into the behind the scenes workings of your business. Just as society has become obsessed with reality TV, Facebook is no different. Want to entertain your page fans? Give them a glimpse into what you are really about.

If you find that you are not a social person and the whole thought of engaging customers with light hearted posts on Facebook makes you wish you had scheduled a root canal instead; have no fear…all is not lost.

 Delegate if you need to –

There are several ways to delegate the tasks to others within the company to help with this, usually someone with a marketing background or exceptional guest services skills will fit the bill.

Of course if you are like most businesses, you have more work to be done than you have hand to help…in that case consider the possibilities of hiring an outside marketing agency that specializes in social networking . There are plenty of social marketing resources readily at your disposal to accomplish these tasks. All you need to do is reach out and be social with them – and they can help guide you through the process, or even better – do it for you.