Turning From Campaigns
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Social media was the big buzz at this year’s PPAI Expo in Las Vegas. My buddy Jason Sadler, of IWearYourShirt.com, went from t-shirt wearer to social media celebrity.
Jason clearly has a unique and successful approach to social media and one big piece of that is his focus on creating conversations rather than projecting a campaign. It is the conversation that encourages interaction.
Conversations are started by relating, and sharing a common ground of understanding with your potential consumers. Much like conversations offline, you must relate to your client and engage them to join in on the conversation.
Below are a few ideas on how to create such online conversations. It is important when starting conversations to find the best vehicle for your message whether it be LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter, each channel excels at spreading a certain type of message.
Facebook Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing is a new trend sweeping the internet. Crowdsourcing is the process of encouraging multiple minds inside and outside of a company to work on a common task. Facebook is the best platform for initiating a Crowdsourcing conversation. If you are working on a project for a client, be transparent about it and ask your fans to add their two sense, let them be a part of the magic you do every day.
LinkedIn Blogs
If you don’t have a blog yet, you should consider getting one. Linked in is a great place to showcase your unique perspectives on industry norms and trends, to express your unique point of view, and challenge your network to think differently.
Twitter Recognition
Twitter is a great place to recognize and reach out to potential customers. Twitter’s list function allows you to create a hotlist of potential clients. A hotlist is a list of perspective clients that you would like to gain an introduction to, but have no connections in common. Follow these people and add them to a list. Once a day patrol this list to see if there is a jumping point for a conversation. If they mention an award they won, congratulate them. If they shared a great article retweet it to your fans.
It is all about communicating the appropriate message through the appropriate channel to encourage a conversation. It is more about pulling your network into your online conversation than pushing out a campaign to your network.
