90% of social media is showing up…it’s the other half that’s hard. Or so says Ford.
I (Liesel) recently attended Social Media Breakfast’s monthly meeting where Scott Monty, the social media power behind Ford, spoke at a standing room and wait list only event. Aside from the fascinating case studies and company overview that have become so standard at some of these types of events, Scott went through the following five stages that every company, large or small, should follow:
- Make a strong product. No amount of marketing or great, engaging social media can make up for a poorly made product or a service that is lacking something. So before diving into a complete marketing program, make sure you have the basics down.
- Create engaging content. Your content has to provide a reason for people to connect with you. This depends on what your audience will relate to, of course, but it could include anything from behind the scenes videos to interesting industry facts to trivia games.
- Speak like them. In an age where people trust companies less than ever, it’s even more important to be relatable. So don’t use jargon – that’s a dead giveaway that you aren’t ‘one of us’; that you are someone who can’t be trusted. So speak how laypeople speak, be honest and forthcoming, and remember to be friendly with your audience.
- Let them speak. No one likes to be spoken to without the opportunity to reply. So let them! You might even learn something! One thing that Ford does is provide Facebook pages for each individual sect of their audience (the company in general, Mustang lovers, etc). This encourages engagement and enables participation.
- Listen. This cannot be stressed enough. So many companies have the attitude that they don’t want to listen because they don’t want to hear the negative comments out there. Newsflash: the negative comments are going to happen regardless. By listening, you at least become aware of any negativity, giving you the opportunity to correct the issue and improve your product or service.
The way Scott broke down this information makes a lot of sense; it’s a great guide for businesses of any size to follow. Are there any other stages you would add to this process?