Sometimes you want broad awareness so your brand can conquer the world, but other times you really want to focus on a specific market. We share five tips for make your social content local.
Twitter versus Facebook Audiences
When thinking about Facebook and Twitter the two audiences tend to be quite different. At least they are for me.Facebook is a group of people I've collected throughout the years - from a kindergarten friend to a woman I met at a dinner club last week. We are connected because of life experiences not necessarily interests. There are a few brands spread among my friend list but for the most part that's because I have an emotional connection to them - I almost think of them as a buddy.
Twitter is a group of people who share a similar interest. For me, my Twitter list consists of technology/ social media experts and resources and Louisville businesses, media outlets and organizations. There are a few folks on Twitter that I'm friends with on Facebook but the crossover is pretty slim.
My Twitter followers help keep me "in the know." My Facebook friends help support me on an emotional level - whether that is liking my wedding photos or giving words of encouragement when I've had a not so good day.
As business owners of a FB page or Twitter account think about how you can fulfill these roles for your followers. How can you make your Twitter followers smarter - what tidbits can you give them? (Someone on Twitter is almost 3 times as likely to follow a brand than the average social network user by the way). When it comes to Facebook, how can you act as a friend - ask for support and feedback, share good news, and make sure your status updates have a human quality to them?
Next time you are switching back and forth between those two networks, think about how you behave differently and who you follow. Some Friday food for thought.
Know Your Audience - Don't Text a Facebooker
In this age of multiple devices and ways to reach people, I find it curious how my friends have attached themselves to one preferred method over another. If you want to reach Kristin - text is a 50/50 shot but Facebook will guarantee a response. My friend Sara on the other hand is a text junkie, I know that will warrant a response much quicker than a social network ping. My husband loves his blackberry so he'll respond quicker to an email, even more so than a phone call for some reason, perhaps I should take issue with that. And finally, my friend Amy is one of the last few people I know that will respond to a phone call with a phone call back the same day.I don't have this written down anywhere. I just know. After trial and error and seeing where they spend their time and whether they do or don't respond to one method, I've sorted it out in my head. You should do the same with your audience. Find out where people are talking about you, where you get the greatest response when you put out a message and be there. Don't build an iPhone app if your audience is all on Blackberry or hasn't made the smartphone transition. Don't put a lot of effort into one social network just because you've heard other people using it. Know your audience, know how they like to communicate. Figure this out and you are one step closer to getting them to listen.