Plant Value, Reap Harvest – The Social Media Game

Published on June 17, 2014

Gathering and engaging a social media audience has become increasingly important to small business marketing. We already know how interconnected content marketing and social media channels are, and that building your presence from the ground up can and will produce more hits on your website.

This comes from online perusers stumbling across something you've shared that they find of interest, and most likely have done so more than once, so that they decided you're a source worth subscribing to.

Step 1: Plant seeds of value

People don't subscribe to Facebook pages or follow Twitter feeds unless there is something of value there to entice them.  Say you have a health food store.  If you're interested in targeting those interested in a healthy lifestyle in your area, you're going to want to give them something that provides direct, personalized value to that group of people.

In other words, it is one thing to say. "Hey, look at us! We offer things that make you healthy!"  It is a whole other thing to say, "Here is some great information about this healthy living product that can improve your life."

The prospective follower will respond much more positively to the second tactic, as it provides something of immediate value, rather than an up-front commercial.

Step 2: Nurture your social media feeds with continued value

Now that you've identified your audience and are targeting your posts towards them with items of value, nurture your feed to create a lasting impact.  Continue to fuel your page with diverse and specifically targeted posts, and you'll begin to see a draw.

For many customers, one glimpse of valuable content that you've posted just isn't enough to convince them to follow you.  It takes consistent, impactful posts to make your business news feed a place of interest.

When a customer does land on your news feed, they want to see a bunch of recent, diverse, and interesting material that convinces them at a glance that you're a feed that provides information that they're interested in hearing about.

Step 3: Harvest - turn follows into leads

Hooray!  You've drawn in your audience, cultivated your relationship with them by becoming a source that they trust, and they deeply appreciate the information you're giving.  Now, it is time to convert your loyal followers into customers.

It is time to put up some "call to action" posts - your harvest. (Remember: The timing must be right for these types of posts.  Harvest too early, before you've truly gained trust with your audience, and you will be disappointed.)

Harvest posts pertain directly to a product or service you offer.  Your health store may post something like: "This herbal supplement will help you reach your health goals in under a month.  See how: www.[yourwebsite].com" ; "Only 3 days left to use our 50% code on any item!  Click here to learn more." ; "Interested in learning how to prepare healthier meals? Sign up here for our weekly cooking classes!"

IMPORTANT: NEVER convert to only harvest posts!  For every harvest post, make sure it is tempered by at least 5 value posts to avoid losing any followers.

Interested in a social media strategy, but unsure where to start?  Send us an email or give us a call.  We'll be happy to help!