Social media marketing isn’t brain surgery, but it does require a decent understanding of human incentive. What grabs attention, and what makes content salient in the minds of viewers? This simple knowledge can be the difference between being a thought leader and being a pain in the neck to your target audience.
Serve the Customer
Consider why so many people dread the experience of running into a salesman. It’s because the main priority of a salesman is to gain something from you – your money. To be successful in marketing, you must abandon that model in favor of a model that serves customers.
Marketers shouldn’t promote their products and services in ways that demand something of the customer. They should make sure the presentation highlights the value – exactly what the customers gets in return. This isn’t about haggling, persuading, or tricking people into anything. Rather, it’s about learning to present your offering as precisely what the customer needs. In order to do that, you have to do some thinking about pain points.
To serve the customer, you have to know what they need and how your offering relates to that. Then, your only task is to brush up on language. Using the precise words and phrases will ensure your customers understand the benefit of your offering.
Be Concise
A lack of clarity is one of the easiest ways to miss your mark on social media. Think about it – all social media platforms are designed for brevity and compelling messages. If your offering is vague and long-winded, people will scroll past your content, never knowing what point you were trying to get across.
So first thing’s first: know your goal for every post. What are you trying to achieve? You might have a sale notification, an educational blog post, or just a quote to inspire readers. Regardless, readers should know exactly why it matters to them. For example, if posting a link on Facebook, take advantage of the option to change the preview text of the article. Oftentimes, it is irrelevant or boring, so make it compelling!
Know Your Unique Feature
Let’s face it – whatever you are marketing is probably being marketed by someone else too. This doesn’t mean your offering needs to be changed into something incredibly unique. In fact, a lack of competition can sometimes indicate a lack of public interest.
Instead of being radically unique to the point of scaring your audience away, you simply need a unique feature. Something about your brand needs to stand out and identify you. Whether it be a certain brand “personality,” a super easy checkout site, or a weekly Q&A readers can’t find elsewhere, your unique feature will make a permanent impression, giving your audience one tiny reason to follow you over competitors. A small distinctive feature can make or break a business, especially in a saturated industry.
Remember that your unique feature doesn’t necessarily have to relate directly to your offering. For example, graphic design firm, Design Pickle runs a podcast interviewing creative people from a variety of industries. It’s not really about graphic design, but it’s exciting and it gives the company a more distinguished role in the industry.
In the book, Brain Rules, author John J. Medina explains the astounding complexity of the human brain using his humorous “Jennifer Aniston neuron.” In one of the studies, researchers named celebrities and watched specific neurons activate in the brain. From a marketing standpoint, this is fascinating information. Marketers must carve out a tiny home in their audiences’ minds – even if for a silly reason. Your unique aspect, if valuable to your audience, will guarantee you a special neuron in your customers’ brains – and probably their loyalty in the process.
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