I’ve heard a ton of tricks to try and game every social media platform around. Everyone wants more traffic.
Many are willing to risk banishment and even social media sites shut down to get more eyes on their content.
After listening to a ton of experts on just about every social media platform around, I’ve come to realize one specific thing you will need to do to be successful at every platform.
I’ve found my best success on social media channels by employing the same mindset across every channel.
I got the idea for this post after listening to Kate Ahl at the Simple Pin Podcast talk about what works on Pinterest.
I’ve gotten scammed by some systems people had been selling on how to win on Pinterest. So, when I heard Kate mention the most basic solution to succeed on Pinterest, I was interested.
But when she spilled the beans, her mindset was something I had heard for years from excellent marketers on other social platforms and even Google.
Serve the user!
If you try and game the system, the platform will catch on and shut you down.
This doesn’t mean you use the same strategy across every platform. All it means is to give every user coming to that site exactly what they came to get.
Every platform is designed to be used in different ways, so the real art is connecting with the user at their mindset on any particular site.
Social media tips; Social media networks serve the audience.
The core overriding principle of social networks and Google especially is that they serve the end user.
Sure, they make their money off of advertising, but advertisers are paying to get in front of the end user.
Without the end, user advertisers wouldn’t pay any money to target them. So, the most important thing to keep in mind is to serve up the best content you can and try to make the end-user experience in your feed as remarkable as you can.
Everything you do on social media needs to concentrate on the end-user experience. Each platform has a different user mentality.
In the webinar today with Kate Ahl she mentioned Pinterest users are more in discovery mode. They are looking for ideas. They will more than likely take some warm-up time with you before they buy.
My thinking about this is it will probably be an easier sell to get them on your email list. Pull users into a longer funnel where they will have time to warm up to you.
Depending on the keywords they are targeting, Google users may be in buy mode.
In all cases though, your main objective should be to get them on your list first.
Just remember, sit in your user chair, look at your content, and ask yourself if everything there will best suit your end users’ needs.
Social media tips; Hanging out with people in your niche may not be your audience.
I got this idea from a vlogger talking about the difference between expats and digital nomads. He says digital nomads traveling the world huddle around each other instead of going out and experiencing the country in which they are staying. Many don’t get much work done or, if they are also travel vloggers, get good content produced.
Then it hit me that sometimes we hang with groups of people online all trying to sell the same thing. If all your activity on social media is solely interacting with people trying to sell the same products you do, you’re probably not getting in front of people who may buy your product.
It’s good to associate with and interact with like-minded people to work with each other to reach goals, but you will need to step away from the community a little to find people willing to buy what you are selling.
Your message will shift a little when you do target your customer.
Your message will shift a little when you do target your customer.
The community is great for camaraderie, and sales are good for the bank account.
Social media can be great for both but always think about the end user and where they are at mentally.
Social media tips; Think how the user thinks, not how you think as the marketer.
Thinking about how your user thinks can be some of the hardest things you will do when building your social media campaign to cultivate leads.
I think it’s similar to the paradox of trying to write an about page for yourself. If you’ve ever done that, it can be tough. Slant it too much about yourself, and you will sound arrogant.
The same thing can happen when trying to think like your end user.
We are too trained to think we know what is best for them, and might be entirely off base. This is why surveys work so well. A good survey may uncover traits about your customer you never thought about because, as the saying goes, ‘It’s hard to see the forest for the trees.’
I might be so involved in trying to craft the right message, that what you may have to do is step back and listen for a while.
Search the feeds and get a real sense of who is your ultimate customer.
Listen to how they talk, what they talk about, and, most importantly, what their problems are.
Social media tips; Think about the quality of everything you share.
The common thread here on everything you will need to do is please the customer. No tricks or keyword stuffing. No SEO hocus pocus.
Just plain old, ‘serve the customer.’
It all starts with your content.
I know full well it’s tough.
I have content that misses the mark, and I read it a month after publishing it and know why it missed the mark.
I try hard and share useful information, but sometimes the information I’m sharing isn’t right for the audience I’m sharing it too.
This is what I consider missing the mark.
I think it is probably better to serve up a three-hundred-word blog post link on social media which is exactly what the end user is looking for rather than a fifteen-hundred-word epic piece of content to the wrong audience.
Sharing the best you have on social media is the best way to build your brand. And, creating a brand is what we are after.
Building a brand in your niche as the go-to person will get you further, and it all starts with outstanding content.
Social media tips; Keep trying different strategies.
I love experimenting with different strategies. Sometimes you will hit on something no one ever thought of before.
Don’t take all the ‘never do these’ opinions as gold. Break the rules once in a while.
Throw out something completely off the wall and see if it sticks. You may discover the next cutting-edge social media trend just by experimenting.
This also leads me right to another point.
This is art as much as it is business. We are creating. Building a business and using social media to build that business is a form of art.
We are all artists, and our canvases are Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and any other social network we are on.
It’s okay to step away and try something new.
It’s ok to do art.
Now it’s time to get out there and do your art.
Listen to your audience, and get to know them better.
Above all, the whole secret that applies to every social media channel, always keep your audience’s objectives in mind.
Till next time, be safe.
Kevin