A person who follows your business’s blog or Facebook account understands that he’s opening the door to receiving the occasional pitch, but nobody enjoys being banged over the head with advertising day in and day out. When someone follows your business, it’s because they want to engage your business, not be spammed by it. What’s social about shoving the equivalent of a billboard in front of someone’s face every half hour on Twitter?
In practice, this means simply cutting back on the blatant advertising. Many social media marketers suggest using an 80/20 rule: talk about interesting topics 80 percent of the time, and only actively sell your brand about 20 percent of the time. That’s not a hard-and-fast rule, however. At the Intuit Small Business Blog, which won BtoB Magazine’s award for the best corporate blog earlier this year, writers are actively discouraged from writing about Intuit products; in fact, they’re required to consult the editor before doing so. (Full disclosure: I know, because I occasionally contribute to Intuit’s blog.)
So what do you talk about if not your company?
Another interesting tactic is to let your customers do the talking for you. Ford runs a weekly contest that highlights a fan’s photo of a classic Ford automobile, And Taco Bell frequently reshares images and messages that adoring fans send along. If your customers say you’re great, you don’t have to—and that makes it social sharing, as opposed to blatant advertising in the minds of readers.
Several businesses are successful at building brand recognition while simultaneously engaging followers by sharing interesting trivia, history and behind-the-scenes looks at their company and products. Your fans voluntarily followed your business; they obviously want to hear about it. Just don’t ruin it with too many hard pitches.
Ask your followers’ questions. Answer their questions. Point them towards intriguing content. In a nutshell, keep them engaged and happy. Communicate!
Note to readers: This article addresses direct communications from your social accounts and initiatives rather than more advertising-orientated aspects of social media like sponsored Tweets or Facebook Storefronts.
Brad Chacos is a freelance technology and business writer. His work has appeared in Laptop Magazine, the Intuit Small Business Blog, Maximum PC, and elsewhere.