So if you could discover the most leading-edge social media tactics from some of the best in the business to improve your marketing online, you'd be in a pretty great spot, right?
I had that opportunity at Social Media Marketing World 2015.
With loads of sessions and respected leaders sharing, it was a smorgasbord of meaty value! So much so, it's almost overwhelming! To be sure I maximized value for you and myself, I got away for some reflection and narrowed down my learnings.
These are my key takeaways for you from #SMMW15 in sunny San Diego, California with my best efforts to give you practical takeaways of value for your business and online marketing...
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Mari Smith said it best, "When it comes down to it, all business is really person to person."
It's about your company and brand becoming more personable. People do buy from people ultimately, whether it's online or in the store. The more your company can give the in-person feel to web and social media visitors and followers, the more you personalize the connection and develop a rapport that leads to them feeling a trust level that gives them a comfort to make a purchase.
Mari outlined how she carefully crafts what she shares on social and tries to be specific in adding value. For her, she shares less, but what she does share is more in-depth.
There is tons of noise online. Loads of content. They key to set your company apart is to be distinct. To do that you have to share who your company is and show the people and the personal side. Make it like walking into the store and looking eye to eye!
How? Video loaded to Facebook Pages is huge! 30 second videos on a mobile phone by your company or team can go a long way in personalizing who your company is. They don't have to be productions, they have to be real! Upload them directly to your Facebook Page. Doing this increases the reach the video post will get and enables Facebook to use auto-play for the video in the newsfeed of fans.
A huge takeaway for me was summed up best by Mark Schaefer in a presentation based on his new book, The Content Code.
It's not about trying to simply create more and more content, but about how you share your content and how you add value and bring meaning....ignite....the content.
BIGGEST KEY: It's not even about only your content, you can share others content and add your perspective. By becoming a reliable, trust source you gain a dedicated audience. By personalizing what you share, your perspective, you ignite the content.
It's about the story, the feeling, the movement in the gut that you create ignites your content.
I felt relief!! It's not just about me creating new ideas all the time, it's about me seeing what's the best out there and then giving the "Mike Gingerich" take on that content. My perspective. (Like I'm doing in this post!)
Content is not the finish line. Content is the starting line. - Mark W. Schaefer
[Tweet "Content is not the finish line. Content is the starting line. - via @MarkWSchaefer"]
This was touched on by a number of speakers including Mari Smith, Kim Garst, and especially for me by Jeff Korhan.
Jeff shared a story (related in the podcast) that brought the point home about social selling being a process of ongoing relationship selling. If we are doing social selling well, we are continually selling to our customers. They buy more from us because we have relationship with them and they trust us.
Do you have a process for ongoing selling to current customers? You should!
It should be natural and flow out relationship. They trust you have their best interests in mind.
It's like old times but now online. The local merchant, you, should be the "go to" for the community. They keep going back for more, to buy more!
Posted by Mike Gingerich on Thursday, March 26, 2015
(Click date link to see the video montage on Facebook)
I’m a Indiana Hoosier native where basketball is the top sport. Every team heads to the locker room at halftime to evaluate the first half and create a updated plan for the second half. That plan includes adjustments based on reviewing what worked and what didn't. The “halftime” is a key review point where the game stops, the team pulls away to huddle in the locker room away from the fans, and they come out prepared and ready to succeed in the second half.
That’s what this podcast is all about, taking the time to pull away for bit to evaluate, learn, and set some strategies for your business to succeed in the second half. Join me by subscribing and let me be your “business halftime” to help you find great success going forward!
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