Engagement – Page 3 – John J Langan

“Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises.” – from The Tempest by William Shakespeare.

My first rule of marketing… If you have something great to say, don’t just say it. Shout it from the rooftops!

Those rooftops must include every platform you have at your disposal… website, email, social media, print ads, signage… everything! Whatever the message is – new product announcements, events, etc. If it’s big you’ve got to hit em’ hard, loud and proud!

Creating good content is tough, and so many marketers miss opportunities to make their lives easier. Big news can provide enough content carry you through several marketing cycles. A store Grand Opening is not just a point in time, but an opportunity to bring great, positive information to an audience over a long period. Simply sketched out…

One Week To Our Grand Opening!! – Counting Down… Two More Days!! – GRAND OPENING TODAY!!! We Have The Mummers Here!! – We’re Having So Much Fun, Let’s Make It A Party Weekend!! – All Those Grand Opening Special Discounts? Yeah, We’re Honoring Them All Month Long!!

(I make no apologies for my reckless use of the exclamation marks. I’m excited… and they are free.)

The digital world is prime for a celebration. Email, web and social require the same amount of planning as print ads and signage, but can and should be adjusted on the fly. If things are going better than expected, let everyone know. If it rains, let them know that too… but be positive. “Sorry about the weather, folks, but the party is still going on!!!”

So get yourself together, and make a splash…

Website first… always! This is where you want everyone to go, so start here! Make a landing page with all of the important information about this great thing. Update the page as information changes. This landing page is your audience’s headquarters for this happening!
Have a blast with email! Start getting the word out with a finely worded, visual email – with action items that send them to that website landing page for more information.
Wet whistles with Social! Use Facebook ads, not just posts. Tease with Twitter, and “Live Tweet” from an event. Use all the platforms where your audience resides. If promoting an event, set up a Foursquare location and reward check-ins. Of course… lead everyone back to that awesome landing page!
Listen and Chat! Keep tabs on the buzz you create, and don’t be afraid to join the party and dialogue with your audience.
Rinse, Lather, Repeat! Update frequently on all fronts, until the news isn’t really news anymore. And be aware of that fine line… the one between relevance and being a pain in the tuchas!

Granted, good content makes it all so easy. But you have to recognize and seize these opportunities when they present themselves, and don’t be afeard to make some noise.

*** “Mummers” photo courtesy of fellow blogger – ohwhataworld… check her out! I also make no apologies for being a Philly guy!

I unabashedly love Social Media. Not just for business, but my personal life too. I’m so appreciative of rekindled relationships that I had thought were gone forever. And that Social Media love is not unrequited, either. Social loves me too.

And what’s not to love? Social has made the already incredible world wide web that much more incredible. It has torn down governments, companies, and people… most who actually deserved it. Social reports news faster, and sometimes more accurately.

Social Media will continue to change and evolve as more platforms are created. But it will always be about people sharing and conversing. It is the greatest equalizer, giving everyone a voice in this mad world. Good or bad, the people who use Social correctly will be the influencers in the years ahead.

One of my favorite sayings is, “There is a right way and a wrong way to do things.” I believe this professionally, and personally. No life lessons today, so you can relax. Like everything, as Social evolves it must be done the right way.

Let the record show, this is My Way:

Be Positive! I recently saw a post by my local soccer equipment store, linking to the article about the referee who was killed during a match in Phoenix. Yep… that’s a mistake. Always provide content that reflects positively on your company and the industry you serve. It’s simple, you get nothing from negative.
Engage! Social Media is a giant conversation, so jump in. Give your audience something to think about. Your content should be such that your customer wants to respond. Then you reply, and so on, and so on… Ask questions and provide answers. This will inspire trust and more engagement.
Don’t Hide! No business does things 100% right. Embrace any customers who push back at you, or attack you on SM. Work to solve their problems publicly and show your commitment to getting things right.
Truth Rules! Simply put, don’t lie. Make sure you that what you say is correct. Your customer is not just listening, but they are out there talking about your company, and probably to everyone but you. They may not agree with what you put out there, but you will do a lot better if it is real and accurate.
Push The Envelope! Don’t be afraid to get little bit out of your comfort zone. Be funny. If you don’t think you are, find someone who can help you. Don’t push it all the time, just enough to let your audience know that Robby the Robot isn’t creating your content. So, link to that funny article or post that cartoon… it’s liberating!
Share! Coming up with good content is tough, so don’t be afraid to share relevant content from other sources. And if you want to really push that aforementioned envelope, share something from a competitor. Shows confidence, don’t you think? It will probably freak out your competitor a bit too. Give them credit, of course…
Quality First! Quantity second. If you have something relevent to say or share, do it. If not, keep quiet and listen to the conversation. Posting for the sake of posting can dilute your message. No yapping!

Looking at some of the key terms, it’s sort of “old school”… conversations, trust, talking, truth, quality, etc. Nothing really new or earth shattering here. Social… it’s new? Nope, it’s old… and it’s all about people, people!

And I said there would be no life lessons…