Alan DraperBy now, most businesses know what a powerful marketing tool social media can be. However, few understand how to use this tool effectively. Brands invest so much time in creating fancy marketing campaigns and great content, they fail to see that trust is the key to all their dreams in the social space. If fans don’t trust you and what you’re saying, then your content will fall on deaf ears no matter how great it is.
Trust is essential to your social media success, and the following tips will give you an idea of how you can build it:
Don’t Be Pushy
One surefire way not to earn the trust of your social media followers is to constantly push your products or services down their throats. People these days do not like to be sold to, especially in an arena where socializing is the name of the game. Instead of carrying on like a salesman, interact with your audience and try to engage them beyond advertising. Whether you are working Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, know that there are plenty of engagement tools at your disposal. It’s still effective marketing as long as the engagement is delivering good results.
Share Interesting Content
It doesn’t matter if we’re talking social media, search, or email – content is always king, and the content you put out is going to play a huge role in whether or not people trust you. If you have a regular blog or email newsletter, then you probably have material that would be of interest to your connections in the social realm. Keep in mind that you don’t have to constantly toot your own horn here. You can share content that is not your own as well, as long as it is interesting and relevant to your audience. Serving up content that people will gobble up is half the battle when it come to social marketing.
Lower the Corporate Shield
Even in the digital era, many companies are still taking the traditional approach to business – protect the corporate veil and keep it professional at all times. That’s all fine and dandy, but if you are going to make an impact in social media, you must lower that shield and open up a bit. People don’t want to deal with robots. They will, however, gladly embrace companies that portray their human side. If you let down the corporate shield and let your audience know it’s okay to approach, they will be far more likely to reward you with their trust.
An alarming number of businesses are striking out at the social media plate hard and fast. For most, it is because they are approaching it all wrong. Instead of establishing themselves as a valuable resource or expert authority, they rush in with dollar signs in their eyes. It all starts with building trust. Once you do that, any and everything is possible.
This article was written for Business 2 Community by Alan Draper.
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Couldn’t agree more!