#21: Social Media... Finally, I Get It

             It’s difficult to imagine life without printed books, photographs, the telephone, recorded music, motion pictures, radio, television, the computer, the Internet or cellphones. Yet, each of these communication inventions was introduced to the world at distinct times. The debut of each revolutionary tool listed above made huge impacts on society and business. Now, Social Media is the latest rung on the ladder of communication progress.

            Each of these former inventions has been welcomed by an appreciative public and by clever marketers/advertisers who were anxious to take full advantage of the latest and greatest media trend. New products have been launched and corporate empires have been built because marketers have quickly learned how to effectively use and dominate each new media to better communicate their message... to deliver the goods.

             Innovative people have adapted these inventions into inter-related communication technologies. For example: Movies were transformed from silent black and white “winky-blinky images" to “wide screen motion pictures” with Dolby sound and realistic color that can be watched on the Internet on a cellphone. Today, book production begins with a keystroke on a computer that combines text, photographs and graphic images into a layout that can be digitally reproduced and printed by a machine that is smaller than the most basic old-fashioned printing press… books on demand in quantities of one to unlimited. Technological advancements that once took decades happen within months.

                Today, regardless of the size of your business, you can capitalize on the latest and greatest technology concerning communication media to promote your business message. Better yet, this can be accomplished with very little out of pocket cost (other than a commitment of time.) I’m speaking about effectively using the Internet and it’s social media platforms. My friend, business associate, Sean Michael Lewis has been a social media expert since 2006. He says,              

"Social media is so widely used even the Internet is now being referred                        to as social media."

                 Why is social media so popular? Isn’t it just a generational thing? Perhaps it’s a trend? There are many differing and subjective opinions on the topic, but there is a course of events that got us to this point and it’s hard to argue against the value of the medium when one billion people have Facebook accounts and over 433 million professionals use Linkedin.

                 Historically, as population grows and as industries change there are less jobs and tasks that involve meaningful human interaction. In modernized countries our workforce is changing. Assembly line production is performed by a combination of robotic machines and their human "caretakers." In offices all across America and Canada much of the administrative work is performed by humans who are stationed in cubicles staring into computer screens filled with pre-programmed forms, templates and documents that must have boxes checked and data entered. Hundreds of millions of jobs require eight hours of repetitious tasks performed each day in uninterrupted silence. No wonder so many people long for more social interaction. They want to feel more meaningful and better liked. There’s nothing wrong with this. Today people desire to feel a part of the human community by sharing a tweet about a news event, a sports team, large puffy white clouds that happen to resemble polar bears, or by sharing a photo of a tasty cheeseburger at a local new diner. Social media can instantly deliver the message and the personal gratification, and if you happen to own that local new diner that grilled that tasty cheeseburger you might very well see an uptick in business.

                  School teachers, doctors, and even restoration company employees who interact with people in important ways and who must make decisions based on collective thinking may find it difficult to appreciate the “hidden” role that social media plays in other people’s lives. And, don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that social media users are relying on it as a crutch to compensate for weaknesses or shortcomings. I’m saying that we humans seek interpersonal contact, understanding and acceptance from others… that is the human experience and thanks to the Internet it has expanded from our family and close circle of friends to include a broader horizon.

                 Isn’t social media (Internet) advertising expensive? It can be if you use “pay by the click” that charge every time someone views your message, or if you pay inflated fees to social media management agencies. Fortunately the fierce competition among agencies for market share has provided today’s business owners with many cost effective choices that give you a great return on investment. Furthermore, these agencies are adept at promoting your message and campaign without having to resort to pay for click or other costly advertising techniques. That statement doesn’t mean that participating in some “media buying” is completely out of the question. It means that effective social media promoting doesn’t have to rely upon it and does not require a heavy obligation to purchase advertising.

                  Most people will agree advertising in any format is annoying because it’s often an unwanted interruption. On the upside, advertising and sponsorship also make it possible for mass entertainment to exist. Regardless of our own opinions about advertising, there is no denial that it can be effective. Traditional advertising (radio promos, TV ads and print distribution) is usually expensive to produce and to present. The early advertisers on the Internet learned this lesson too. “Pop-up and banner” advertising was costly and it annoyed everyone. The public believed the Internet was intended it be a free conduit of information.

                  As time has passed, savvy promoters have come to understand that the best way to market on the Internet is by providing useful or entertaining content in a personal manner. It was intended to have a human element. The people and businesses that provide the most useful and entertaining content succeed the best in telling their story.

                  It’s possible to produce your company’s social media marketing in-house. Designing websites and using platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Snapshot and others can be mastered by the average teenager. Even oldsters can navigate through this constantly evolving media world (it just takes us longer.)

                  Unfortunately, I know of several restoration company owners who have delegated the management of their social media programs to their teenage children. No question their kids can download and upload pictures and post videos, but what the heck does an 18 year old know about business? Absolutely nothing. There must be a method to all this madness. It's more than funny videos of cats in costumes, pictures of sexy woman with pouty Botox lips or humorous posters and clever cartoons with witty captions. Or is it? I’m going to share a story about two young attractive sales representatives of a restoration company in the Los Angeles area. The branding of the company they work for is identified by a logo and two distinct colors. These sales gals found and purchased under garments that matched their company colors. They decided that a great post on their business social media would be to display “selfies” modeling their new brassieres. Front and center on the home page these young ladies stood with bright smiles, chins held high, their blouses unbuttoned and their chests pushed out… proudly flying their company colors. Their employer was none too pleased because social media when it comes to business has to be more than shallow silliness or sexual exploitation.

               The difficulty when it comes to your advertising is this... you don’t want to waste effort on meaningless banter. You also don't want to drive so hard you scare people away. Nor do you want to spend too much time or money. What do you do? To secure restoration business from social media marketing you will target business owners and homeowners including professional adults who manage office buildings, sell real estate and so forth. Your “connections and friends” must include your target prospects, existing clients, business associates and your real friends. To be effective there needs to be a distinction between “business social media” and “personal social media.” There are two distinctly different goals you should consider when you develop your company’s social media presence: humanize and promote.

             “Humanize” your business by being in touch with and understanding the impact of social media. Send “posts” from your platform(s) that expresses honest human emotions and be sure to understand the culture of the media platform you’re on. Facebook and Linkedin have distinct styles. Don’t abuse the “culture” of the platform.

            “Promote” your services by educating with valuable information. Demonstrate your worth and value by giving something useful to your prospects. The results may astound you. I experienced these benefits first hand with my own mitigation/restoration company and you can too.

           If you want a little guidance when it comes to establishing or managing a social media program, my wife Grace at Barry Associates, can steer you in the right direction.

by Clayton A. Barry

Contact Grace Barry