Social Media Is The New Black - 5 Tips For Quality Content & Deeper Engagement

Did you know the average human touches their phone over 150 times a day. I try to use my phone only when I need to. However, sometimes I don't even realise I'm using my phone until minutes in. In life there's pauses throughout the day. During the walk to the bathroom. Right after you start the car. Right after you brush your teeth. Right before you close your eyes before bed. Guess what, this is generally the most likely time you'll pick up your phone and start scrolling through your favorite website, blog, social media platform, forum. You create it and put it out there, people will find it.

It's important to realise that every time someone picks up their phone, scrolls to their favorite social platform, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram etc, there's a chance that they could end up reading your content, looking at your profile or thinking about all the opportunities they could have with you, your company and whatever you're selling.

Social media is the new black, the new fad, trend and crazy cool thing that every business person wants to be involved in. Everyone can see the opportunity it presents in today's modern business world, but not everyone know's how to utilise it to their advantage. Read on for best tips and practices.

 “90% of people trust peers on social networks (even strangers); only 15–18% trust brands.” Danny Brown

Personally, social media plays a clear strategy within my role and position at Intuit. When I first started in my role, I was searching for ways to get in front of as many people as possible to deliver a clear concise message. Without picking up the phone 100 times a day. Exposing myself to social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter has allowed me to connect with both new and existing partners but also to people within their network as well. On average I would say I could meet 5 - 10 new people a week online, interested in who I am, what I do how I could potentially help them. Who needs cold calling these days?

In this post, you'll find 5 tips i've leveraged in my journey to building a profile on social media. I'll add that, building a social profile, starts with being social. You need to connect, engage and contribute to the communities you're invested in, in order to see success.

1. Be Authentic, Be Be Authentic: Give me an A, give me a U, give me AUTHENTIC. This is my first point, because it's probably the most important piece about building a credible online personal brand. To often I see to many social profiles that don't really show any color, or anything that allows the reader, the viewer, you at home reading this, anything to buy into. Nothing to grasp their attention. My good friend Anna Cochrane reminded me today, authenticity is the key to showcasing who you are which allows you to stand out in a very crowded online space. This is no different to engaging with real humans in real life. We love authentic genuine people. Let your colors fly, be yourself.

“Authenticity, honesty, and personal voice underlie much of what’s successful on the Web.” Rick Levine

2. Focus On Your Customer: It's no secret that I'm not an accountant or a small business owner for that matter. You can see my last interesting tale about thought leadership here. Do you know what's enabled me to do my best work in this industry? Focusing on the needs of my partners. I decided in 2014 to do my Masters in Business Administration (MBA). I love love loved doing this. Hands down one of the most rewarding experiences I've had this past 18 months. Why? Because I was taught how to strategically think, run and operate a business of any size. Cool! So what? I'm glad you asked. A question I get often is "What's something that's worked really well for you?" My answer: I focus on helping whoever is on the other end of the line first, I then try to see how both our businesses can be aligned second. This is reflected in content I share online. Before I share an article, post comment or write. My first question is, would my customer want to read this? Yes / no. That determine's whether I'll share it or not.

“As you go about creating new customer engagement programs and direct marketing packages for your brand, look for opportunities to give rather than to get. Whoever makes the first kind gesture, as studies show, tends to gain the most.” 

Jeanette McMurtry

3. Good Visuals + Video drive deeper engagement: You'll notice that when you scroll through Facebook or Twitter that you're probably more likely to stop and look at a photo or silent video with subtitles before you stop to read every paragraph. This is because our brain is intrigued by the images and moving parts of a video. Now there are multiple ways you can achieve a really visually engaging post. You can start by taking nice photos (My tip, if you get people smiling in a photo. This will always be more appealing. Even more appealing if you're in the photo with your team, your client, conference, event etc.) Next you can apply filters to make the sad colorless photo buzzing with life. Instagram is great for this. Apple photos also allows you to edit photos on the fly. Photo content, now again "If you've got a door then you've got a gym..." I mean if you've got an intelligent phone than you've got a device that will allow you to achieve the result your after, this can be amplified by using a professional camera like a Nikon with built in wifi (meaning you can snap and share on social in minutes). Here's the difference - to be honest, It's not much as far as I'm concerned.

• Photo on my iPhone 6 with filters from Apple Photo.
• Photo on my Nikon, still using filters from Apple Photo.

Video Content is a real winner here. This month I picked up a new GoPro and I've been having a blast. Check out this 3 minute clip from the QBO roadshow this week. Video's are super fun because they can be super engaging, creative and you can deliver a really impactful message. Aim for less than 3 minutes so you don't lose to much of your traffic and be sure you are delivering a clear and concise message. Don't complicate it. Plan it out. If you can't explain it to someone in less than 30 seconds - It's too hard. Try again.

Live Streaming is also a great option and a trend we are seeing more and more. Again - you need a clear message, who are you targeting? What do they want to hear about?

This is a great feature as it notifies your audience that you're live. It allows you to engage in realtime. Check out Facebook Live, Periscope or YouTube LiveStream. Now remember once the live stream finishes it becomes a normal video that can be re-watched, so you must start talking straight away once the video starts. Try a practice run into a closed group. ( I use a closed group for myself, so I can see how posts will appear in Facebook before pushing out into the real world).

“Take a risk and keep testing, because what works today won’t work tomorrow, but what worked yesterday may not work again.”

Amrita Sahasrabudhe

4. Create or Share Inspiring (Positive) Content: I had a chat with an intelligent chap by the name of Paul Meissner. If you're in the space I'm in, check him out. Smart guy. One thing became really clear speaking with Paul. In Australia we have CPA's + CA thought leaders and then there is the software vendors and reps (myself included) that are also pushing to lead the discussion on the future of the industry. Now regardless of which side of the fence you fall here, one tactic we see too often is content that's created to scare people into change or into a buying behavior. If you want to drive innovation and change, then start by driving education and help create an achievable future. I've been guilty of this tactic in the past (I was young and naive) and I'm not afraid to admit it. I've rarely seen success by scaring people into my ideas and goals. And that's the reality, we all win when we win together. Success will come when you strive to help your client achieve their goal. Your social media content should reflect this.

“By creating and publishing remarkable content in the form that educates, informs, inspires and entertains, marketers can begin to build relationships with prospects early on in the buying cycle. “Jonathon Lister

5. Why Do You Want Social Media Success?

Here comes the Simon Sinek Why talk. Why? Why? Why? You should see me learn a new process. "Yeah ok, but why? Yep got it, but still why not this? or this? I think I'm too inquisitive for my own good sometimes. My curiosity aside, you need to understand your Why for wanting success on social media platforms. Is it for business growth? Personal growth? Perhaps you're passionate in your field and want to help others, good for you. If you don't know who you are online, what you stand for and what you're trying to achieve, then you may flail aimlessly whilst you figure it out. Know your why.

My big tip here is to Focus On Being Social not How To Do Social.

Recap of todays post:

Building a social profile, starts with being social. Connect and engage. Don't spam.

Be authentic Know what your audience wants Stunning visual and video content drives deep engagement Strive to create inspiring + educational content. What is your why?

My last quote for this piece, until next time.

“Think like a publisher, not a marketer.” 

I've had to make a shift from "What can I write about to?" "What am I seeing in the market? What are people having trouble with? What are trends and issues that always coming up? What would the my audience really engage with?"

If you're ever unsure on what the answers are - spend more time with your audience. Understand who they are, what they want and most importantly how you can best serve them.

Thanks for reading - I'll see you next time

Trent Mclaren - Intuit Australia

Email: [email protected] Social:Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

My role is designed to assist small business owners, bookkeepers and accountants to adapt to new cloud accounting and business initiatives in Australia on behalf of Intuit Australia - QuickBooks Online.

If you have any questions or would like to connect. I look forward to working with you in the future.