The Communicator

Ever get the feeling that nobody is listening? Do you spend the better part of each day tweeting, poking and blogging, just to be met with stone-cold silence?

There is no doubt that peer-to-peer (P2P) networks and social media offer an unparalleled opportunity to engage people, but many communicators have found that maintaining audience interaction and creating real dialogue takes more than just regular participation.

While there is no magic formula, there are a number of ways for professional communicators to enhance the value of their organization’s social network:

Content is King: It’s not enough to simply churn out new content every day. The key is to offer some value to your audience. Try to always provide actionable advice or new ideas rather than simply dissecting a problem or repeating other people’s insights.

Stay on point: Be clear about the value – or unique perspective – that you offer, and resist the temptation to go ‘off script’ with topics irrelevant to your audience. Your followers will be more active on issues that have the greatest impact on them, and will quickly disappear if too many posts miss the mark completely. 

It’s all in the approach: Each social networking tool has a unique characteristic that defines its value and use (i.e. YouTube for video content and LinkedIn for business networking), so make sure you are using the right media for the right purposes. A common strategy is to use one vehicle to carry the main message (in my case, this blog) and other tools (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter) to deliver the content to specific audiences, taking care to tailor the message to enhance participation and drive discussion.

Count everything: One huge benefit of social media is the ability to gain instant feedback. Beyond the immediate comments you may (or may not) receive from your more active readers, make sure to track and use other easy-to-collect metrics, such as number of visits, re-tweets and fan data to help you monitor trends and target your content.

Out of sight, out of mind: Most social network participants seem to suffer from Online Attention Deficit Disorder, and without consistent interaction, readers will quickly forget all about you and move on to a competitor or “You 2.0”. Each vehicle and audience is different, but once you find the right frequency, be sure you stick to your schedule and stay top of mind.  

Finally, remember that social networking can easily devour hours of time and serious resources, sometimes with few noticeable results. Be realistic about your objectives, stick to your plan and understand that social networking is a long-term strategy. Above all, don’t be disheartened if something comes along and steals your limelight… there’s no accounting for marketing mavericks like Balloon Boy.

Need help focusing your content? Contact Peter at Peter@CommunicationsUnlimited.ca.