We hear it over and over again. Companies on social media talking about how they can leverage their huge following on Facebook and Twitter. Often these brands, after building huge audiences, make the mistake of broadcasting marketing messages, turning off the very people who are most engaged and losing the value behind social media engagement.
Facebook fans and Twitter followers are only valuable if they want to share your content. If it's inherently self-serving, then your fans won't hesitate to 'unlike' or 'unfollow' your brand.
Some of the most successful brands on Facebook and Twitter use a fans-first approach, looking beyond marketing messages to ensure everything they do on social media is geared with the consumer in mind.
Take Coca-Cola's ' Where will happiness strike next: The OFW Project', for example. The concept behind the campaign was to spread the message of happiness to people all over the globe through engaging content. This holiday season, Coca-Cola helped reunite some overseas Filipino workers with their families for the holidays, as depicted in a series of Web videos. The company understands that people are not solely concerned with the product, but want to know more about the brand. The Facebook page itself was created by fans of the brand who saw the need to create a place where people could discuss and share their love for the brand.
Red Bull is another example of a brand that tailors its content to its fans. Focusing on what its target audience is interested in, Red Bull shares the latest coverage of extreme-sporting events on Web TV as well as social games. The purpose and mission of its page is to ensure that fans are entertained and have access to the content they want.
With research showing that over 40 per cent of Facebook fans "unlike" a page after a campaign has ended, the importance of engaging fans with the right content is a strategy that continues to succeed. Both Coca-Cola and Red Bull maintain the integrity of the campaigns and content they share, ensuring that the focus is kept on what's important to their audiences and not to the actual product.
But it's difficult for brands to resist the temptation to exploit their large followings after a big promotion. This is especially evident around the holidays when messages appear on Facebook and Twitter feeds offering products as the perfect holiday gifts. The result is a loss in engagement, and it's difficult to gain back fans and followers once they're gone.
There are many ways to ensure social media platforms remain a forum for consumers to engage with your brand without them being inundated by product news and promotional content.
The first step is to create a strategy that focuses on understanding the audience needs and deciding what you want them to gain from engaging with your page. The second thing to do is create content that gies your fans a reason to share with their friends which will reinforce your connection and extend your reach.
The purpose of clicking 'like' or 'follow' is to build a relationship with a brand beyond the purchasing of products. To maintain that relationship, it's essential to put each post through a filter before you press send, and offer your fans and followers the most value for their time.