I have been using Facebook and Twitter for business marketing and branding the past couple of years now. I used to think when no-one commented on my posts, it meant my message was not getting out or people just didn’t care about what I was saying. I also thought that I needed to control the conversation, ya know, keep the good, delete the bad. I wasn’t really getting the whole social media thing, but by-golly I was gonna figure it out. So I kept at it. I figured the worst that could happen was a little wasted time. Even the fact that I had committed my companies to dropping all traditional advertising didn’t pose a threat. Gees, have you seen what ads costs these days? So I save some money along the way too, not bad.
How does one really know the effect or reach of their posts/tweets, etc? Just because someone failed to “like” or comment on my post doesn’t mean they didn’t see it. Maybe they shared it, or re-tweeted or tumbled it. Maybe they just appreciated it. Maybe they are talking about it within their own group of friends. For marketing and branding, I think the real beauty of social media begins when you stop talking…but the conversation continues. And if that’s the case then we will never really know how far our message goes. You can’t count something you don’t know is there. So how does one know if their social media marketing/branding campaign is working? Do you have any reason to believe it’s not?
Social media is a conversation. Just get in it, ’cause it’s gonna happen with or without you. Don’t try to control what’s said [you can't], don’t even try – bad juju. When people talk, they might be talking about you, good or bad! So go ahead then…talk amongst yourselves!
July 21, 2011 at 9:29 pm |
John, I follow you on Twitter because I like the idea you might just one day offer a Club Sandwich for a lunch pickup at half off the regular price. Those are my favorite conversations!