Why does a relatively small fraction of your audience “like” you on Facebook?
Because, as Shama Kabani reminds us, you’re looking in the wrong mirror.
Shama is a celebrated social media author, entrepreneur, and card-carrying member of the digerati (she is also a one-time interview subject on this blog). In a recent piece in Inc. she pointed out the one basic social media mistake that most businesses make: People don’t use social media to connect with businesses–or even with each other. People use social media to showcase their own identities.
Says Shama:
Most companies still focus on the secondary aspect: Getting them to connect with us. Too many companies say, “Business is about marketing and branding. We will create a brand. We will tell people who we are.” That’s backwards. Realizing that social media is a mirror forces companies to think not about what they want their brand to be, but what their brand says about the individual. And that’s why a cupcake shop can rack up more likes than a major corporation. Liking the little cupcake shop down the street says something about me as an individual: Maybe they only use organic ingredients and that’s important to me. Or maybe they donate a portion of their revenue to a charity I support. In some way, that cupcake shop is a reflection of my identity and an extension of my identity brand. It reflects something I see in myself. Liking a big company… what does that do for me? Not much. What does that say about me? Nothing.
This is important.
Most radio broadcasters ask “how can we use Facebook or Twitter to promote our station?” or “How can we monetize our social media efforts?”
Few ask “what do listeners see in the mirror when they stare at our social media content? And is that the kind of mirror that reflects their own image?” Or does it project YOUR image.
If fans want to see their own reflection in your social media mirror, then it’s up to you to make sure they look smarter, more informed, more attractive, cooler, more tuned-in, or better, every time they tap your social outposts.
It’s not about why they should tune in now. It’s about why they should be proud to tune in ever.