Time’s Running Out! I NEED to be Engaged!

Oh wait… I AM!  And she’s the most wonderful woman on the planet!  But obviously I’m not talking about THAT type of engagement.  I’m talking about engagement where social media is concerned.

   

Did you know that nearly 90% of the people who “Like” your Facebook page will NEVER return on their own?  Did you also know that your links and posts have a “share life”?

   

What’s a “share life” you ask?  Basically, I’ll call it the average amount of time your post or link has before it’s lost forever due to lack of interest.  For Twitter?  Approximately 2.5 hrs.  Facebook?  An estimated 3.5 hours.  YouTube?  A whopping 7.5 hours!  These are rough estimates based on a number of different studies and reports available out there.  The point is… you have VERY LITTLE time to get my attention and one false move can kill our relationship altogether!

   

Here’s one of those false moves you can do away with and I promise you it will go a long way in helping you retain your online relationships with your fans and followers.  Quit trying to “SELL! SELL! SELL!”Nothing is more annoying and nothing will help you lose your fans and followers faster than trying to push your product or service down their throats.  Would you turn on your television and go watch the “ALL COMMERCIALS! ALL DAY! 24 x7 x 365!” (or 366 in a “leap year”) channel if there was such a thing?   Don’t know anyone who would.  So why do you think that your fans and followers want the same from you?  Guess what… they don’t.

   

Here’s what they want.  They want to be “engaged”.  They want to feel like they’re part of something… like they matter… like they’re someone special.  They want to see the face behind the Facebook page, Twitter account, or Blog.  They want to feel comfortable, safe, and NOT like all you’re after is what’s in their wallet.

   

So how do you accomplish this?  How do you engage your fans and followers?

1. Get to KNOW your fans and followers. Make the effort to look at EVERY SINGLE PROFILE for anyone who has clicked “Like” on your Facebook page, “Follow” on your Twitter account, or has commented on your Blog.  You’d be surprised at how much information you can actually see.  What are THEIR interests?  Who do THEY follow?  What do THEY write about?Consider what you do as you network in person.  Introductions are made.  Business cards are exchanged.  Conversations take place regarding what they do… what you do… what their interests are… what your interests are, etc… It should be no different online.
       
2. Lose the “It’s All About Me” attitude and make it about THEM. Publicly thank your new fans and followers.  When appropriate, share their business information on your page.  Post links to their websites, profiles, or other public information they’ve made available.  EVEN… yes EVEN if they’re in the same line of work!   I do it all the time.There are a great many “social media professionals” out there.  I constantly share their articles, content, videos, etc…  And you know what?  They do the same with my articles, content, videos, etc…  I don’t expect it.  But they do it.  And when they do, I’m humbled… and flattered.  And by doing this we are increasing our “social circle”.
       
3. LISTEN! And Listen Effectively! Have you ever read “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”?  If not… I suggest you do.  If you have, you’ll recall that Dr. Stephen R. Covey devotes all of Habit 5 to the fact that we have twice as many ears as we have mouths, and that we should consider this fact. Listen. Hear. Understand. That’s the big secret transition point inside the 7 Habits. The same applies to social media.What do THEY talk about?  What do THEY share?  Go ahead and post random questions.  Balance it between business related questions and non-business related questions.  Get them to respond and comment.  Allow them to vent.  Listen, understand, and learn from what they have to say.  Try asking “Good Experiences/Bad Experiences” questions where your particular business or industry is concerned.  Ask questions that have absolutely nothing to do with your business at all.
      
   Green Mill Restaurant and Bar, headquartered in St. Paul, MN with 28 locations in 4 states, is an excellent example of this.  And no… I don’t get anything for mentioning them.  It’s just that as I watch their approach to the use of social media, it’s an EXCELLENT example of how it’s supposed to be used!
      
   For example, as recent as today, Green Mill asked this question on their Facebook page: “Just finished watching Heroes on DVD. If you had a super power what would it be? Ready. Set. Go!”  Here’s another question they asked a few days ago: “Hey sports fans, you can only watch one sport for the rest of your life…football, baseball or hockey?”   These posts and questions show up in the news feeds of their followers.  Green Mill engages their followers.  They get their followers to comment and interact.  They have fun!
      
   I’ll tell you… it works.  Sure I know that Green Mill exists.  There’s an abundance of restaurants that exist where I live.  None of them stay first and foremost in my mind.  One day, while working, my fiance’ asked about lunch.  At the same moment I happened to notice my Facebook news feed update itself on one of my monitors.  Included in those posts was a random post from Green Mill.   I don’t even remember what it said… except that is was about an upcoming ball game or something.  All I know is that I’d instantly decided where we were going for lunch.  I posted a response about indicating such and I received an immediate response back reminding me to “Print out our coupons and we’ll make sure you have a great meal and an enjoyable time!”
      
   I remember thinking to myself, “They really have their act together!”  They “personalized” the experience with just a few words.  This is how you use social media effectively.
      
4. Share interesting content that is unrelated to your business. Remember my first point about getting to know your fans and followers?  One of the reasons why this is important is so you can pass along content that will be of interest to THEM and will “engage” them.Do some of your followers enjoy NASCAR?  Hunting?  Fishing?  Sailboats?  Italian food?  Go find interesting articles, videos, or posts about those topics and share them on your wall or in a “tweet”.  So you don’t share the same interests?  Remember… this is about THEM… not you.
      
   By posting content that is of interest to your fans and followers, you’ll keep them engaged, bring them back to your Facebook page or your Twitter account and when the time comes and they’re ready to do business, who do you think they’re going to remember?
       

There’s a reason people have chosen to “Like” your Facebook page, “Follow” you on Twitter, or taken the time to comment on your Blog.  Don’t blow that opportunity.  Nurture the relationships you’re building online.  Listen.  Be sincere, honest, approachable, and available.  You’re trying to build trust in a cold, faceless, environment.  Be real.  The rest will eventually fall into place.

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