Social Media – What’s your Hook

Social Media - What's your Hook?

What makes your company stand out in the world of social media? Are you stumped for an answer? I guess we could ask our presidential candidates on both sides, the same question. They would of course say they are "ALL" winning the debates being presented on the digital front. The one attribute they all seem to possess is an aggressive one. They attack everything with a "WIN" mentality.

When planning out your own social media campaign you need to have the same "WIN" mentality. If you are too focused on upsetting your followers, due to a cultural fit, or afraid of appearing to be too much in the spotlight, maybe social media isn't for you.

Retreat - go back inside the box, there's nothing to see here.

C|NET just did a comparison of the 2016 candidates that gives us a glimpse into the way each candidate is, or is not, using social media. What C|NET doesn't give us is the amount of negative campaign media that is associated with these statistics. Rather, they do describe it as an online soap box.

You probably aren't wanting your business marketing campaign to sound like a soap box. But you do need a "Hook". What is your vision of the digital you? Is your vision newer, better, sensational, calming, hysterical, hungry for power, or just a good mystery? Developing that Hook is what will make or break your connections.

IS IT WORKING?

You know your hook is working when your likes and shares (especially shares) start to increase. The more engaged your followers, the better. You need to know your audience and work for them, and with them. You need to provide them timely content that is fresh and filled with the right kind of message that mirrors your product or service.

POINTS TO PONDER

FEEDBACK

Feedback is at the top of list as far as gauging if your message is resonating with your followers. Hopefully your followers are sharing your material with others. As more people start to believe in your message that may very well translate to revenues for your company.

CHANGE YOUR HOOK

You can have all the websites filled with links that you want, but if you aren't getting the hits, and seeing your followers increasing, chances are, you won't be seeing revenues increasing either. Change your hook, or what's on it. Pick out which social media sites really matter to your company. I understand that you can't necessarily operate them all, nor would you want too. There is generally one or two sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter that really rise to the occasion when it comes to attracting new followers that are actively engaged on your site. Go with those.

hook

THE SMALL GUY

For the small guy, maybe posting frequency isn't as big an issue. But seasonal posting is just as important as year round to many. A good example of seasonal posting would be your local charities or events.
It is important to stay in the public eye. If you stop posting for several months, don't be surprised if your followers are not as eager to pick up from where you left them last season.

GIVE IT SOME TIME

It takes time to set up your social media sites. You will need to develop everything from ads, informative material, graphics, discussions, etc. You have to build your list of followers over time as well. Social media development is a content driven process.

HIRE SOMEONE TO HELP YOU

Not everything has to be done in-house either. That is the beauty of the internet. Out source hiring in social media is very common.
For those who tend to keep their social media managers in-house it generally reflects an internal need to have that person know about the organization enough that they are responsible for content development.

If we take another look at our Presidential hopefuls, and how they are using social media to "bait the hook", what does that say about us as consumers? It is the same in business model to a certain extend. The main difference is in the stink on the bait. Politics smacks of stink. Business do not necessarily have to stink , thank goodness. But the principles surrounding the "HOOK" - it's all the same.