“What gives you that hummingbird feeling” is constantly being asked in rehearsals with my dance company DEVIATED THEATRE. As we rehearse for the premiere of our new show at the Kennedy Center, we are all learning to embody the traits of the hummingbird. Hummingbirds move with a purposeful sense of urgency to pollinate many plants and flowers. They give first and receive later.
Social media marketing needs to have the same purposeful execution. I used to think that if I didn’t set up a business Facebook page immediately, Slice would miss their window of opportunity, and a different way to market would already be in place. We set up a page initially, but then had trouble understanding how to maintain it. We had the wrong sense of urgency, and did not comprehend the Four Misperceptions of Social Media. We needed to ask ourselves the next 6 questions that are essential to making social media stick.
1.) Who is going to benefit from your social media campaign
Your audience, fans, and followers need to know what to expect from you. By knowing who you want to target, you will be able to develop strategies for keeping these fans engaged and coming back for more.
2.) What do you want to accomplish with your social media campaign.
Set goals for your company. Customer loyalty, brand awareness, and more business opportunities are all great examples. Once you have outlined your business goals you can then develop methods for reaching them.
3.) Where will you maintain an online presence?
Most businesses have branded themselves on Twitter and Facebook. Some have also invested in a YouTube account and LinkedIn. Decide where your business will be best promoted, and where you want the bulk of your social media campaign to be shared.
4.) When your audience, fans, and followers first come across your brand, what do you want them to already know about you?
Use key words and phrases to describe why your business is valuable. The design and layout of your Facebook page and website should be clear, concise, and eye-catching to highlight your strengths. Your audience should immediately desire to interact with you on their first visit.
5.) Why will others want to continue hearing from you?
If you don’t ask yourself this question, you cannot hold yourself accountable. Set the standard and then maintain the standard. As an expert in your niche, you have lots of valuable advice and knowledge to offer. We are in the age of information and people are searching for it. Educate them in a compelling manner that keeps them coming back for more.
6.) How will you maintain your social media campaign?
It is hard to make promises to yourself about how invested you will be. Use an editorial calendar to delegate tasks to help ensure that the work gets done. Research different social media tools and apps to help you manage your campaign. Decide how many hours per day you will spend doing social media and stick to it.
Hummingbirds are unique because they are the only birds that can fly backwards. It’s okay to make mistakes, but you can’t begin the trial-and-error process if you don’t first learn how to fly.