With all the hype about social media marketing, there are a whole ton of information out there for entrepreneurs and executives to translate into marketing and PR possibilities.
With information overload and the issue of credibility, many people just don’t know what or who to follow anymore.
For me, there is only one point to learn. By understanding that very point will make social media for business so much more enjoyable and probably more successful.
The one point is essentially to have the RIGHT business goal.
Business Goal?
Yup, what do you want your business to achieve is the question here. Profit is an obvious answer, but is money the only goal?
If it is, we would advise you to change that attitude. Hang on and allow me to explain!
Lesson From The Traditional Media
How do we decide the success of TV commercials, print ads and radio ads?
The marketer will probably come up with words such as increased “awareness”, “recall”, “motivation” and “sales”.
However, don’t expect target audiences to say the same thing. To them, a successful ad informs, brings joy and entertainment. It makes them laugh, cry and shout “wow!”.
It adds value to their life.
The last sentence said it all. Every business should start with a genuine goal to improve lives and solve problems. But in the midst of “profit maximization”, the intrinsic motivation to see a customer enjoy and benefit from the company’s products is lost.
Social Media + Customer Orientation
I’m not saying that maximizing profit is not important. In fact, the goal of all business is to bring in the moo-lah. But when using social media (or any other marketing channels), the “mindset cap” that we wear when communicating with consumers is the thing that would make a hell lot of a difference.
If you’re wearing the “sales oriented cap”, your motivation is going to be very different from another person who is wearing the “customer oriented cap”. And this is probably going to be clearly reflected in your social media message and effort.
Social media marketing is about the connection, the 2 way communication and the humanization of your brand. It’s not about the number of followers, monetization, or even your brand. It’s about your consumer, their problem, their voice and their satisfaction. It’s about you genuinely wanting to make their lives better – being customer oriented is key towards achieving social media success.
Back to Business Goal
If you are a 100% sales oriented person, it is advisable for you to not engage in social media. Don’t waste your time because very soon, consumers will see the word “SALES” on your forehead and all over your Twitter profile.
To succeed in social media marketing, one must ask what he/she wants to achieve when using these social tools. If you really want to add value to your consumers’ life, you are definitely on the right track.
