Have you ever been at a rock concert and paused for a moment to look around you? It’s usually either a beautiful mess or utter madness. Navigating the social media landscape can sometimes feel like a rock concert as well, with 1.71 billion monthly active users on Facebook, 313M active monthly users on Twitter, and over 450 million registered users on LinkedIn globally — all with different demographics and preferences. Like in real life, there are ways to become a social media rock star to engage and delight your target audience.
1. Understand your fans
Before rocking out your social media plan, you need to understand your fans, in this case your audience. Attendees at rock concerts may be from different backgrounds but they all come together for the same objective: to watch the performer. And this artist needs to know how to appeal and attract different personalities out in the crowd.
The same concept can apply for social media: users are all diverse but they are here to interact and engage with their network and brands. Social media marketer’s mission is to keep luring in these users and keep them coming back for more.
Developing audience personas requires an initial investment, but this investment will pay off further along the customer lifecycle when buyers are engaged and developed into brand advocates.
2. Make your lyrics memorable
Mapping out an adequate social media marketing strategy will help further determine how exactly you plan to engage this audience across different social platforms
Firstly, set the tone, style and strategies for the content. Like the lights need to be adjusted at a concert, content needs to be tailored to target audiences and their preferences. It can be conversational, prescriptive or authoritative and in different form: text, image or assets.
Then, research what topics customers are most interested in and develop content around it. Rock stars need to determine what songs they will feature in their set list, based on the audience they are performing for. For social media, the topics brands should be writing about will be determined by each persona’s interests and how they can appeal to them.
3. Create a brand voice
Just like every rock star has their unique sound, brands should have a voice that embodies its values. For both B2B and consumer marketers, social media has become a go-to channel for brand development and audience engagement. It’s an easy way to stay in touch with buyers, creatively market products and services, and most importantly reinforce brand voice.
Ensuring company values and culture in incorporated into the tone and language of your content is crucial for nurturing the brand’s theme projected on social media. Social media is a platform that promotes two-way dialogue; an aspect most marketers and brands neglect. By expressing personality in responses and content, users are more inclined to have a positive engagement and experience with that brand.
4. Listen to the beat
Rock stars listen for cues from their audience to see whether their material is resonating with their audience, and social media marketing is no different. Social media can be used to add transparency and provide real-time responses for consumers; responding to complaints is a phenomenal way to turn a negative into a positive. Feedback is an invaluable evaluation tool that marketers must utilise in order to improve and address limitations, and ensure they are providing the best possible services to their customers.
Social media can feel like a rock concert sometimes, with all the different noises and personalities clashing together. However, with the right strategy, brands can have a spectacular and consistent show with their audience.
About the author
Bill Binch is the ANZ Managing Director at Marketo, a digital marketing software and solutions company based in San Mateo, California with offices all around the world.
