By now most of us know how to use social media to improve business growth. But it's like listening to a top ten song too many times, after a while you cringe every time it's played. So now you want to step up your game and shake things up a little for the sake of your clients and your sanity. Well, here are five old standbys of social media marketing with a twist.
1. Use social media to get customer endorsements.
Praise directly impacts your conversions and people will value the commendation of ordinary people over company ratifications and advertising. How can you get endorsements without sounding needy, trite or an egomaniac? You do good things even when you think no one is watching.
It's easy to be good in the public eye. The measure of a person's (and business') character is what they do when they don't think there is anyone around to observe their behavior. It's being good for the sake of being good, going above and beyond the call of duty and all of those other do-gooder clichés.
It's the outsourced technical support agent who helps a customer having issues with another company's software while he is fixing a technical issue. It's the salesman who notices that the client would be better off with another company's solutions and tells them that he doesn't feel comfortable selling your company's product to them. It's hotel desk clerk who amuses the kids so that the hectic mom can finish checking in.
No one is watching these people, and they do not expect recognition. They do it because they care, and they want to help. This is a rare occurrence in today's world. People remember that and tell others about it.
2. Share Your Success Stories via Social Media
People love to imagine themselves in the success stories they read. When you communicate these stories on your favorite social site, do it in a way that promotes the individual or the business instead of your company. You're posting the information, so people get you are the ones who helped them, but take yourself out of the picture, and your story will have five times greater impact.
This is something that some cooking shows have taken to heart. Restaurant Impossible isn't just about Robert Irvine yelling and knocking down walls, although that is fun to watch. He makes you care about these restaurant owners, makes you cry with them and become so invested in these people's lives that you wait with baited breath to see the finished restaurant and the grand reopening. Do this when you discuss success stories in social media and you will ramp up your marketing efforts.
3. Sharing Un-Common Tips
Being a knowledge leader builds trust and sharing un-common tips will show your brand followers you know your stuff. If you want to have social marketing on steroids, you need to go further. For example, take some un-common tips and create a valuable product around it. You want it to be something that's worth much money if you were to sell it to your customers such as an e-book. Then include a link in your social media content and give your product away for free. If you are cringing when you are doing it then you know you are doing it right. People will be so amazed you're giving away such valuable information that they will share it, and it can be the tipping point for prospects that are debating between you and a competitor.
4. Share Failures
Spin is such an ingrained aspect of marketing that very few companies air their failures in public. However, companies are made of people and people make mistakes. Consumers are understanding and will forgive you as long as you admit you did something wrong and work to make it right. Do it with a self-deprecating tone and a sense of humor to make it shareable on social sites. Okay, so maybe they will be laughing at you, but you can take it if it leads to explosive growth.
5. Go Out Among the People
You need to go out among the people in your market, like a reporter on the street, and get honest feedback. As with sharing your failures, you will have to be ready for the bad and the ugly as well as with the good. How can you improve if you don't know where you are going wrong? Constructive criticism is necessary for growth, and your company will be the stronger for it.
If you do it in a public forum, such as on Twitter or Facebook, then you will show your followers that you care. Moreover, thank your customers for their feedback, even those who aren't flattering with their comments. Let them know they contributed to your success, and you are grateful.
If you want to elevate to the next level of success, you need to be willing to shake things up a little bit and move out of your comfort zone. Train your employees to go the extra mile for your customers. Highlight your clients' successes and not just your own. Don't be afraid to shine a light in the dark corners where your failures are and get the actual opinion of the people in your market. When you do these five things not only will you experience five times the growth you will set a standard other companies in your market will have to follow in order to gain market share.