How to Raise Your Level of Social Media Engagement

...or, Social Media, You're Doing it Wrong

There are a lot of social media skeptics out there - people who say that networks like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest are a big waste of valuable time. Common curmudgeonly statements include:

Gratuitous cat. Photo: L. Ibraheem

• "It's all about kittens and what people ate for lunch"
• "It's all women planning fairytale weddings and picking out nail polish."
• "It's just young dudes playing video games and sharing some kind of code."
• "My mom/grandpa/auntie uses it to get photos of the kids. "
• "It's not for business."

I think they're missing the point. It's true that people do all of these things with social media, but

They do a lot more.


Like:

• Sharing and supporting meaningful social causes.
• Watching video how-to's
• Inviting friends and family to send caring messages to a loved one with cancer.
• Creating and sharing original art.
• Getting in touch with experts about sticky business problems.
• Finding jobs and employees.
• Discussing the news of the day, and new developments in almost any field.
• Learning about subjects that interest them.
• Just keeping in touch with friends.

So, if you're finding that people aren't really engaging with you on social media,

Can you help them do any of the things I just listed above?

I bet you can. If you're not sure how, drop me a line. I can help.

Related Posts
What to do When they Won't Go Social
Removing Barriers to Social Media Success

Commercials I Love - Direct TV

Those of you that know me personally know that I love TV commercials. The best ones are 30 seconds of art that can make you laugh or cry.

One of the best commercials I've seen recently is part of a new Direct TV campaign - it's called "Don't Wake Up in a Roadside Ditch."

Why do I like it? It's got great timing and visual interest - when I first saw it I wasn't really paying attention but I stopped what I was doing to watch it because it's quite funny.

The premise? People who are unhappy with their cable companies are at the beginning of a downward spiral, which could end up in a roadside ditch. Customers can get back on track with Direct TV.

The only problem? The pitch is at the very end - first-time viewers don't even know what the commercial is for until the very end. I don't think it's a big issue with this particular commercial though - much like the Volkswagen Darth Vader piece, it's interesting enough that viewers will stick around through the end.

Your lesson? There's room for a little story, art, and entertainment in your marketing. Even if you don't do video ads, you can still add some interest and humor to your social media, email, and web promotions.

Take a look and let me know what you think.

Creating Your Brand Story

We've discussed different aspects of story marketing on this blog before, here and here.

Today, it's time to think about your brand story.

Your brand story is how you explain why you do what you do. It gives a bit of history, and invites people in to support what you're doing and who you are.

For example, there's a pretty popular brand of all-natural frozen lunches that says something like this:

When our children were born in 1982, we were very busy, but we still wanted to be able to eat healthy, quality food that was quick and easy to make. We couldn't find any at the store, so we created it ourselves. We liked it so much, we wanted to share it with you.

So, what does this story do?
photo © 2007 Keith Tyler | more info (via: Wylio)

• It explains how long the company has been in business.
• It provides a way of identifying with the company - many people are busy, and many people are busy parents.
• It explains the problem that this product solves - being too busy to make healthy meals - we can all identify with that!
• It welcomes you in to the brand, and offers you a seat at the table to share.

When you're writing your own brand story, think about:

• When did your brand come about and what was your situation?
• What problem were you having that your brand solves?
• How can your current customer identify with that?
• What can you say that invites them to join in the story?

Not sure where to begin? I can help.

Related Posts:
What is story marketing and how does it work?
Writing your own customer stories

Writing Your Own Customer Stories

Since my previous post on story marketing is the one that gets read the most, I figured you all might want to hear more about this concept.

How can you make story marketing work for your business?

Recently, I've been writing some client stories for a client of mine who has a very busy consulting business of her own. Let's call her Florence, or this post is going to use the word "client" far too many times to be readable. Here's how I put together Florence's stories:

photo © 2007 umjanedoan | more info (via: Wylio)

1) We identified the starting point of the client. Where were they when they began working with Florence? What were their challenges?

2) What did Florence do for them? This is the longest part of the client story. We were sure to include details. After all, it's great that Florence has helped so many people, but her prospective clients want to know how she has done that.

3) Where is the client now? Where did the journey end, or is it still going on? How did Florence's work contribute to the clients' success, and how are they still using the framework and guidance she provided to continue to grow?

Once I had this information about Florence's clients, I was able to create a narrative for each one. These stories are helping Florence's web site and printed materials to come alive, and to be relevant to people who are shopping Florence's business. They are also helping her to explain what she does, and to what result even more clearly, better supporting her business development needs.

Homework for you:

Write a client story today. Think about the beginning, middle, and end. Need help? Let me know.

Why People Who Take Their Jobs Seriously are Great

Every day, the woman who works at the security desk in the office building where I have my 9 to 5 (which actually starts at 7:30) says the same thing to me when I leave at the end of the day:

I say: "Have a good night."


and she says: "You have a good night, too, darlin'. You be safe now."

Then I say: "Thanks, you too!"

The best tended gardens bear the best fruit.

That's right. The security guard wants me to be safe even after I leave work. She takes her job seriously enough that she sees her job as not just keeping people safe during the workday, but making sure we stay safe all the time.

So what on earth does this have to do with marketing?


This is a great reminder to me that whatever I'm doing, I should be trying to do my best. From a marketing standpoint, it's important to deliver quality campaigns and the best product possible. It's a reminder to care about my customers from a human standpoint. They aren't just folks with a checkbook, they're people with dreams, goals, needs, and wants. The more I care about my customers, the more I take my job seriously, the more quality I deliver.


What are you doing to make the quality of your work even better this year?

What is Story Marketing and How Does it Work?

If you've been doing any research on marketing trends lately, you've probably seen a lot of buzz around story marketing.

Story marketing sounds good, but what the heck is it?

Well, one thing that most people don't know about me is that I love TV commercials. A great commercial is 30 seconds of art - it can make you laugh or even cry (remember those old AT&T commercials?).  Today's commercials are chock full of story marketing.

Let me give you a few examples of story marketing commercials I saw tonight:

• A woman uses her new, cheaper home phone service to stay in touch with her mom in a foreign country.
• A man uses his fast mobile device with great picture quality to say goodnight to his son while he's away on a business trip.
• A woman uses an online dating service that helps her find the right person to marry, rather than just reviewing photo after photo and trying to make a decision.
• A man uses his credit card's concierge service to send his parents a special gift after they are transferred to another country and they feel homesick.
• A couple meet, get married, move in together, and start a family while their insurance company helps them meet their changing needs.

So, what's the commonality here?

Every product is connected to a person and their life story. There's the story of the woman who wishes she could talk to her mother more often, but doesn't want her phone bill to get out of control. There's the man who' s working hard to advance his career and always makes time to say goodnight to his children.

Why does this work?

Story marketing works because it connects people to products. It places the product in the context of a life. It allows us, the consumers, to see ourselves using this product and having it improve our lives. It makes the ad personal, to you and me.

So what's your story? I'd love to hear it.

Related Posts:
Creating Your Brand Story
Writing Your Own Customer Stories